JP2009122372A - Ultraviolet microscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultraviolet microscope capable of supplying inert gas to a surface of a sample while securing excellent operability. <P>SOLUTION: The microscope 1 which radiates ultraviolet light to the sample 3, so that the optical image of the sample 3 may be observed is equipped with an objective lens 30 for ultraviolet light where a communicating hole 34 along an optical axis L1 is formed and which blows off the inert gas toward the sample 3 from an aperture part 32a, and a fixed part which is fixed to the microscope 1, where a gas channel 23 making a position corresponding to a communicating port 34' communicate with a gas cylinder 53 side when the objective lens 30 for ultraviolet light is attached is formed, and which guides the inert gas supplied from the gas cylinder 53 to the communicating port 34' through the gas channel 23. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultraviolet microscope that obtains an optical image of a specimen by irradiating the specimen with ultraviolet light.

  Conventionally, an ultraviolet microscope using ultraviolet light as illumination light is known. Since the ultraviolet microscope has a higher resolution than when visible light is used as illumination light, it is suitable for observation of a fine specimen such as a semiconductor element. However, for example, when ultraviolet observation of a semiconductor wafer pattern is performed, the surface of the wafer is deteriorated by active oxygen generated by ozonization of oxygen in the air by the action of ultraviolet rays. Therefore, in order to prevent the deterioration of the specimen, an ultraviolet microscope having an inert gas supply device that supplies an inert gas around the specimen has been developed.

  For example, as an ultraviolet microscope equipped with an inert gas supply device, an ultraviolet microscope that blows inert gas from an objective lens onto a specimen has been developed. This ultraviolet microscope uses an objective lens having a cover barrel covering the outer periphery of the lens barrel of the objective lens, and from the pipe for supplying inert gas connected to the side surface of the cover barrel, An inert gas is introduced into the space between them, and an inert gas is sprayed onto the specimen from a gas discharge port provided at the lower part of the objective lens to prevent generation of ozone around the specimen (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-328306 A

  Here, in the conventional ultraviolet microscope, not only observation with a single objective lens, but also different types of ultraviolet objective lenses are exchanged according to various observation methods and magnifications, or visible light objective lenses. May be exchanged.

  However, in the conventional ultraviolet microscope, when performing an operation of exchanging the objective lens, etc., since the inert gas supply tube is routed around the objective lens, it is necessary to attach and detach the tube along with the exchange work. There was an annoying problem. In addition, when switching the arrangement of a plurality of objective lenses held in an objective lens conversion device such as a revolver, the tube may become tangled when switching the objective lens arranged on the optical axis by the revolver. There was a problem that the nature was bad.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide an ultraviolet microscope capable of supplying an inert gas to a specimen surface while ensuring good operability.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, an ultraviolet microscope according to the present invention is an ultraviolet microscope that irradiates a specimen with ultraviolet light and observes an optical image of the specimen, and is along the optical axis. A communication hole is formed, and an ultraviolet light objective lens that blows an inert gas from the communication hole at one end of the communication hole toward the specimen, and is fixed to the main body of the ultraviolet microscope, and the ultraviolet light objective lens is attached. In this case, a gas flow path is formed to connect the position corresponding to the communication port at the other end of the communication hole and the inert gas supply source side, and the inert gas supplied from the inert gas supply source is And a fixing portion that leads to the communication port at the other end via a gas flow path.

  In the ultraviolet microscope according to the present invention, in the above invention, the plurality of objective lenses including the ultraviolet objective lens are rotatably connected to the specimen side of the fixed portion, and include the plurality of objective lenses. A rotation member that arranges a desired objective lens on the optical axis of the ultraviolet microscope, and when the objective lens for ultraviolet light is arranged on the optical axis of the ultraviolet microscope, The inert gas is blown toward the specimen through the communication hole.

  Further, in the ultraviolet microscope according to the present invention, in the above invention, the fixing portion guides the inert gas to the gas flow path opening on the inert gas supply source side, but attaches the gas pipe in a detachable manner. It has the part.

  The ultraviolet microscope according to the present invention is a unit that is inserted into and removed from the optical axis between the ultraviolet objective lens and the light source, and is supplied from at least the inert gas supply source. An insertion / removal unit having a gas guiding member in which a guide channel for guiding the inert gas to the optical axis side is formed; When a space is formed and the gas guide member is set on the optical axis, a position corresponding to the gas discharge port of the guide channel on the inert gas supply side and the communication port of the other end of the communication hole; It is characterized by communicating between the two.

  Moreover, the ultraviolet microscope according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned invention, a control means for controlling the supply of the inert gas is provided.

  In the ultraviolet microscope according to the present invention, after the inert gas supplied to the fixed portion fixed to the main body of the ultraviolet microscope passes through the gas flow path formed in the fixed portion, the communication formed in the ultraviolet objective lens is performed. Since it has a structure that ejects toward the specimen from the communication port at one end of the hole, when performing the objective lens arrangement switching operation or exchange operation, the inert gas supply pipe is attached to the fixed part, so the objective lens Since there is no need to route the surrounding piping, there is an effect that an inert gas can be supplied to the surface of the specimen while ensuring good operability when switching or exchanging the objective lens.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments. In the description of the drawings, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

(Embodiment 1)
The microscope 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is a microscope having a function of performing visible light observation in addition to ultraviolet light observation. FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the microscope 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the microscope 1 includes a stage 2 and places a specimen 3 on the stage 2. The user moves the stage 2 on a plane orthogonal to the optical axis L1 of the microscope 1 to position the specimen 3, and rotates the elevating dial 4 to move the stage 2 in the optical axis direction so that the objective lens is placed on the specimen 3. To focus on.

  Further, the microscope 1 includes a visible light illumination unit 5 that emits visible light as illumination light. The visible light illumination unit 5 includes a visible light source 6, an illumination lens 7, and a half mirror 8, which are arranged on the optical axis L <b> 2 of the illumination lens 7 in this order. The visible light source 6 is realized by, for example, a halogen lamp or a light emitting diode, and the half mirror 8 is realized by a material that transmits about half of the light and reflects the rest when visible light and ultraviolet light are incident. . In addition, openings 5 a and 5 b are provided at the bottom and the ceiling of the visible light illumination unit 5. The openings 5a and 5b are arranged at opposing positions, and the half mirror 8 is arranged between the openings 5a and 5b.

  An ultraviolet illumination unit 9 that emits ultraviolet light as illumination light is attached to the opening 5b. The ultraviolet illumination unit 9 includes an ultraviolet light source 10, a wavelength selection unit 11, a shutter 12, an illumination lens 13, and a half mirror 14, which are arranged in this order on the optical axis L 3 of the illumination lens 13. The ultraviolet light source 10 is realized by a discharge lamp such as a mercury xenon lamp, and other light sources may be used as long as they emit light including ultraviolet light necessary for ultraviolet light observation. The wavelength selection unit 11 is realized by a wavelength selection element in which an interference filter, a dichroic mirror, a band pass filter, and the like are appropriately combined, and transmits only light having a wavelength necessary for ultraviolet light observation as illumination light. Moreover, the half mirror 14 is implement | achieved by the material which permeate | transmits about half light and reflects the remainder, when ultraviolet light and visible light inject.

  The shutter 12 is opened by a driving unit (not shown) when observing ultraviolet light and closed when observing visible light. In principle, the discharge lamp of the ultraviolet light source 10 takes time until the lighting state is stabilized. Therefore, when the ultraviolet light observation and the visible light observation are repeatedly performed, the light emitted from the ultraviolet light source 10 is blocked while the lighting state of the ultraviolet light source 10 is stabilized, rather than repeatedly turning on and off the ultraviolet light source 10. Therefore, it is possible to quickly switch between ultraviolet light and visible light by controlling the emission of ultraviolet light. Therefore, the microscope 1 controls the ultraviolet light by the opening / closing operation of the shutter 12.

  Openings 9 a and 9 b are formed at the bottom and the ceiling of the ultraviolet light illumination unit 9. The openings 9a and 9b are arranged at opposing positions. The half mirror 14 is disposed between the openings 9a and 9b. The visible light illumination unit 5 and the ultraviolet light illumination unit 9 communicate with each other through the openings 5b and 9a.

  An imaging unit 15 is attached to the opening 9b. The imaging unit 15 holds the imaging lens 16 and the camera 17 and outputs an observation image of the sample 3. The imaging lens 16 is disposed at a position where an observation image is formed on the imaging surface of the imaging element 17 a of the camera 17. The camera 17 receives visible light and ultraviolet light and outputs an image signal. This image signal is subjected to necessary signal processing by a camera controller (not shown) and displayed on the display unit 18 as an observation image. The display unit 18 is realized by a TV monitor or the like.

  On the other hand, the revolver 20 is detachably attached to the opening 5a. The revolver 20 detachably holds the ultraviolet light objective lens 30 and the visible light objective lens 40, and arranges one of the objective lenses on the optical axis L1. The user operates the revolver 20 to switch the arrangement of the objective lens according to the observation application.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the microscope 1, the specimen 3, the ultraviolet light objective lens 30 or the visible light objective lens 40, the half mirrors 8 and 14, the imaging lens 16, and the imaging element 17 a are in this order. It is arranged on the shaft 1.

  One end of a piping tube 51 is connected to the revolver 20 via a piping joint 50, and the other end of the piping tube 51 is connected to a gas cylinder 53 via an electromagnetic valve 52. The piping joint 50 is realized by a joint for air piping, and a piping tube 51 is detachably mounted. The piping tube 51 is realized by a tube made of a resin elastic material such as polyurethane or nylon. The gas cylinder 53 is filled with an inert gas such as nitrogen gas that does not affect the specimen even when irradiated with ultraviolet light.

  The control unit 54 is realized by a CPU or the like, and is electrically connected to the visible light source 6, the ultraviolet light source 10, the shutter 12, the camera 17, the display unit 18, the electromagnetic valve 52, and the input unit 55. The input unit 55 is realized by, for example, a keyboard, a touch panel, a jog dial, or the like, and inputs various information to the control unit 54. The control unit 54 controls the operation of each unit of the microscope 1 according to the input information.

  When performing ultraviolet light observation, the user performs an operation of placing the ultraviolet light objective lens 30 on the optical axis L1, turning off the visible light source 6, and opening the shutter 12. In this case, the illumination light emitted from the ultraviolet light source 10 passes through the wavelength selection unit 11 and the illumination lens 13, is reflected by the half mirror 14, and then, along the optical axis L1, the half mirror 8, the revolver 20, and the ultraviolet light. The light passes through the objective lens 30 and reaches the sample 3. The illumination light reflected by the specimen 3 becomes observation light, passes through the objective lens 30 for ultraviolet light, the revolver 20, the half mirrors 8 and 14, and the imaging lens 16 along the optical axis L1, and enters the camera 17. .

  On the other hand, when performing visible light observation, the user performs an operation of placing the visible light objective lens 40 on the optical axis L1, closing the shutter 12, and turning on the visible light source 6. In this case, the illumination light emitted from the visible light source 6 passes through the illumination lens 7 and is reflected by the half mirror 8, and then passes through the revolver 20 and the visible light objective lens 40 along the optical axis L1. Reach 3 Thereafter, the observation light of the specimen 3 follows the same optical path as in the case of ultraviolet light observation and enters the camera 17.

  Next, the internal structure of the revolver 20 and the ultraviolet objective lens 30 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the revolver 20 and the ultraviolet objective lens 30. As shown in FIG. 2, the revolver 20 includes a fixed portion 21 and a rotating member 24. The pipe joint 50 is attached to the fixed portion 21.

  An attachment portion 21a such as an ant mechanism having a structure that can be fitted into the opening 5a is formed in the fixing portion 21, and the fixing portion 21 is detachably attached to the opening 5a. The mounting portion 21a has the same shape as a conventional mounting portion of a revolver to the microscope body, and is compatible with other types of microscope devices.

  An optical path hole 22 is provided inside the fixed portion 21. The optical path hole 22 is a cylindrical hole that connects the visible light illumination unit 5 and the objective lens disposed on the optical axis L1, and is formed at a position where the central axis of the cylinder coincides with the optical axis L1. The light and the observation light LF1 are allowed to pass through. Further, a gas flow path 23 is provided inside the fixed portion 21. The gas flow path 23 is formed by gas flow paths 23a and 23b. The gas flow path 23 a is a pipe-shaped hole that is formed on the outer periphery of the optical path hole 22, is coaxial with the optical path hole 22, and has a larger diameter than the optical path hole 22. The gas flow path 23b is a hole that communicates the pipe joint 50 and the gas flow path 23a. The gas flow path 23a does not penetrate the attachment portion 21a side, and is formed from a position connected to the gas flow path 23b toward the side facing the objective lens.

  The rotating member 24 is inclined with respect to the optical axis L <b> 1 and is connected to the fixed portion 21 by a plurality of balls 25 so as to be freely rotatable. The rotating member 24 includes a plurality of holding portions 26 that detachably fix and hold the objective lens. The holding part 26 is a cylindrical hole that penetrates the rotating member 24, and includes a screw thread (not shown) inside the cylinder, like a nut. Each objective lens includes a screw thread (not shown) that engages with the screw thread of the holding part 26 at the tip part on the side facing the revolver 20. The user rotates the rotating member 24 and arranges a desired objective lens on the optical axis L1. In FIG. 2, the rotating member 24 holds the ultraviolet light objective lens 30 and the visible light objective lens 40, and the ultraviolet light objective lens 30 is disposed on the optical axis L1.

  The ultraviolet objective lens 30 is formed by a lens 31 constituted by a plurality of lenses 31a, 31b, and 31c and a lens barrel 32 that holds the lens 31 therein. One end of the lens barrel 32 is screwed into the holding portion 26. On the other hand, an opening 32 a is provided at the other end of the lens barrel 32. In addition, gripping portions 33a, 33b, and 33c formed inside the lens barrel 32 grip the outer edge portions of the lenses 31a, 31b, and 31c. The gripping part 33a grips the lens 31a closest to the revolver 20 and is in contact with the outside, and the gripping part 33c grips the lens 31c closest to the specimen 3. The gripping portions 33a, 33b, and 33c include communication holes 34a, 34b, and 34c that pass through each of them (the communication holes 34a, 34b, and 34c are collectively referred to as “communication hole 34”). Further, a portion of one end of the communication hole 34a that is in contact with the outside is a communication port 34 ', and a portion that is opposed to the opening 32a at one end of the communication hole 34c is a communication port 34 ". The communication port 34' is an objective for ultraviolet light. When the lens 30 is disposed on the optical axis L1, it is disposed at a position facing one end of the gas flow path 23a, and an inclined surface 32b is provided between the opening 32a and the side surface of the lens barrel 32. The inclined surface 32b is an inclined surface with respect to the optical axis L1, and deflects the flow direction of the inert gas flowing out from the communication port 34 ″ in the direction of the optical axis L1. In FIG. 2, two communication holes 34 are provided in each of the gripping portions 33 a, 33 b, and 33 c, but it is sufficient that one or more communication holes 34 are provided in each. Further, when a gap or the like is previously provided in the lens frame inside the objective lens, this may be used as a communication hole.

  When the ultraviolet objective lens 30 is disposed on the optical axis L1, the pipe tube 51 and the communication port 34 'are communicated by the gas flow path 23 and the pipe joint 50. Therefore, the inert gas supplied to the piping tube 51 passes through the gas flow path 23 and the communication hole 34, is deflected by the inclined surface 32 b, and then is discharged toward the sample 3 from the opening 32 a.

  In response to the user's operation, the control unit 54 opens the solenoid valve 52 to supply the inert gas from the gas cylinder 53 to the piping tube 51 and starts spraying the inert gas to the specimen 3. And the sample 3 starts to be irradiated with ultraviolet light. Therefore, the microscope 1 can prevent the specimen 3 from being deteriorated by active oxygen resulting from ozonization when performing ultraviolet observation.

  In the microscope 1 according to the first embodiment, the piping tube 51 is detachably connected to the revolver 20 and an inert gas is blown from the ultraviolet light objective lens 30 to the specimen 3. When the operation is performed, the operation can be performed without the piping tube 51 being entangled with the objective lens. That is, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to supply an inert gas to the surface of the specimen 3 while ensuring good operability when switching or exchanging the objective lens.

  Further, the microscope 1 is compared with a conventional microscope in which a stage or an objective lens is housed in a sealed container such as a chamber, and the inert gas is supplied to the surface of the specimen by filling the sealed container with the inert gas. Thus, the entire microscope apparatus can be reduced in size. Furthermore, the microscope 1 is more reliable with a small amount of inert gas as compared with a microscope that supplies an inert gas to a minute space between the objective lens and the specimen from a direction substantially orthogonal to the optical axis of the microscope. An inert gas can be supplied to the surface of the substrate.

  The user can add a function of supplying an inert gas to the normal microscope by replacing the revolver of the normal microscope with the revolver 20. Since the revolver 20 holds a plurality of objective lenses, a function of supplying an inert gas can be added to a microscope that performs visible light observation in addition to ultraviolet light observation as in the case of the microscope 1.

(Modification 1)
Incidentally, although the microscope 1 has a structure that holds a plurality of objective lenses, the microscope according to the first modification has a structure that holds one objective lens. That is, the microscope according to the first modification includes a fixing unit 27 that holds one objective lens instead of the microscope revolver 20. The other configuration of the microscope according to the first modification is the same as that of the microscope 1.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the fixed portion 27 includes a pipe joint 50, an optical path hole 22, a gas flow path 23, and a mounting portion 27 a, similar to the fixed portion 21. The attachment portion 27a has the same shape as the attachment portion 21a and can be detachably attached to a normal microscope. Further, like the holding unit 26, the fixing unit 27 includes a holding unit 28 that holds the objective lens by a screwing type. The fixing portion 27 has a structure in which one end of the gas flow path 23 faces the communication port 34 ′ when the holding portion 28 holds the ultraviolet light objective lens 30. Therefore, similarly to the microscope 1, the microscope according to the modified example 1 can spray an inert gas onto the specimen 3 from the opening 32a. As described above, according to the microscope according to the first modification, the inert gas can be supplied to the surface of the specimen 3 while only the objective lens being used for observing the specimen 3 is held, so that the microscope has a simple configuration. .

  In the first embodiment and the first modification, one or a plurality of dustproof filters may be provided at any position of the gas flow path 23 and the communication hole 34. In this case, the sample 3 is sprayed with a cleaner inert gas from which fine dust, organic matter, and the like are removed.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, the microscope 100 according to the second embodiment will be described. The microscope 100 has a function of performing dark field observation in addition to bright field observation. FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the microscope 100. As shown in FIG. 4, the microscope 100 includes a visible light illumination unit 56 and a control unit 59 instead of the visible light illumination unit 5, the control unit 54, the revolver 20, and the visible light objective lens 40 of the microscope 1 shown in FIG. A revolver 60 and a dark field observation objective lens 70. The other configuration of the microscope 100 is the same as that of the microscope 1.

  The visible light illumination unit 56 includes a ring mirror 57 in addition to the visible light source 6, the illumination lens 7, and the half mirror 8 provided in the visible light illumination unit 5. The ring me 57 is formed in a ring shape, and includes a light shielding cylinder 58 in a hollow portion thereof. As shown in FIG. 4, when performing dark field observation, the ring mirror 57 is installed on the optical axis L1 by a driving means (not shown) instead of the half mirror 8. Illumination light emitted from the visible light source 6 and transmitted through the illumination lens 7 is reflected by the ring mirror 57 to become ring-shaped dark field illumination light LF2 and travels in the direction of the sample 3. In addition to the function of the control unit 54, the control unit 59 has a function of controlling driving means (not shown) that drives the half mirror 8 and the ring mirror 57.

  5 and 6 are schematic cross-sectional views of the revolver 60 and the objective lens. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the revolver 60 includes a fixed portion 61 and a rotating member 24. Similar to the revolver 20, the rotating member 24 is rotatably connected to the fixed portion 61, and holds the dark field observation objective lens 70 and the ultraviolet light objective lens 30. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view when the dark field observation objective lens 70 is disposed on the optical axis L1, and FIG. 6 is a case where the ultraviolet light objective lens 30 is disposed on the optical axis L1. FIG.

  The fixed part 61 includes the pipe joint 50, the optical path hole 22, and the attachment part 61 a as in the fixed part 21. The attachment portion 61a has the same shape as the attachment portion 21a. Further, a dark field illumination optical path 62 is provided inside the fixed portion 61. The dark field illumination optical path 62 is an optical path for allowing dark field illumination light formed on the outer periphery of the optical path hole 22 to pass therethrough. The dark field illumination optical path 62 is a pipe-shaped hole having the same diameter as the gas flow path 23 a shown in FIG. 2, and penetrates the fixed portion 61 along the optical path hole 22. A cover glass 63 is installed in the dark field illumination optical path 62 and closes the dark field illumination optical path 62 on the way. However, the cover glass 63 may be any other material as long as it is realized by a transmissive member such as glass that can transmit the dark field illumination light LF2 and transmits the dark field illumination light LF2 without being blocked. . A gas flow path 64 is provided inside the fixed portion 61. The gas flow path 64 is a hole that allows the pipe joint 50 and the dark field illumination optical path 62 to communicate with each other. The cover glass 63 is installed immediately above the position where the dark field illumination optical path 62 and the gas flow path 64 are connected.

  The dark-field observation objective lens 70 is formed by a lens holding cylinder 72 that holds a plurality of lenses 71 inside, and a lens barrel 73 that holds the lens holding cylinder 72 inside. A space sandwiched between the outer periphery of the lens holding cylinder 72 and the inner periphery of the lens barrel 73 is a dark field illumination optical path 74. The dark field illumination optical path 74 is disposed at a position facing the dark field illumination optical path 62 when the dark field observation objective lens 70 is disposed on the optical axis L1. A condensing unit 75 is provided at one end of the dark field illumination optical path 74. The condensing unit 75 is realized by, for example, a parabolic mirror, and condenses the dark field illumination light LF2 that has passed through the dark field illumination optical path 74 on the surface of the specimen 3.

  When performing dark field observation, the user performs an operation of placing the dark field observation objective lens 70 on the optical axis L1, closing the shutter 12, and turning on the visible light source 6. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the dark field illumination light LF2 emitted from the visible light illumination unit 56 passes through the dark field illumination light paths 62 and 74 along the optical axis L1, and is deflected by the light collection unit 75. As a result, the surface of the specimen 3 is reached. The observation light LF1 of the sample 3 passes through the optical path hole 22 after passing through the lens 71 along the optical axis L1. Thereafter, the observation light LF1 passes through the light shielding cylinder 58, passes through the half mirror 14 and the imaging lens 16, and enters the camera 17.

  On the other hand, when performing ultraviolet observation, the user performs an operation of disposing the objective lens 30 for ultraviolet light on the optical axis L1, turning off the visible light source 6, and opening the shutter 12. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the illumination light emitted from the ultraviolet illumination unit 9 passes through the optical path hole 22 along the optical axis L1 and passes through the lens 31, and then reaches the sample 3. The observation light LF1 of the sample 3 passes through the lens 31 along the optical axis L1, passes through the optical path hole 22, and then follows the same optical path as in the dark field observation and enters the camera 17. When performing the ultraviolet observation, the ring mirror 57 and the light shielding cylinder 58 may be placed in the optical axis L1 as long as the ring mirror 57 and the light shielding cylinder 58 do not interfere with the ultraviolet light and the observation light LF1. The ring mirror 57 and the light shielding tube 58 may be retracted outside the optical axis L1 by a driving unit (not shown), or the half mirror 8 may be disposed on the optical axis L1.

  When the ultraviolet light objective lens 30 is disposed on the optical axis L1, as shown in FIG. 6, one end of the dark field illumination optical path 62 faces the communication port 34 '. Therefore, the piping tube 51 and the communication port 34 ′ are communicated with each other by the piping joint 50, the gas flow path 64, and the dark field illumination optical path 62. Accordingly, the inert gas supplied through the pipe 51 passes through the gas flow path 64 and flows into the dark-field illumination optical path 62, and the flow direction is regulated by the cover glass 63 toward the communication port 34 ′. It is discharged toward the specimen 3 through the hole 34 and the opening 32a.

  In response to the user's operation, the control unit 59 opens the electromagnetic valve 52 and starts spraying inert gas onto the sample 3, then opens the shutter 12 and starts irradiating the sample 3 with ultraviolet light. Therefore, similarly to the microscope 1, the microscope 100 can prevent the specimen 3 from being deteriorated by ozone.

  Since the microscope 100 according to the second embodiment also uses the dark field illumination optical path 62 as an inert gas flow path, the microscope 100 of the specimen 3 is secured while ensuring good operability when the objective lens is switched or replaced. An inert gas can be supplied to the surface. Further, since the revolver 60 according to the second embodiment can be mounted on a normal microscope, a function of easily supplying an inert gas can be added to a normal microscope having a function of performing dark field observation. .

(Embodiment 3)
Next, a microscope according to the third embodiment will be described. The microscope according to the third embodiment has a function of performing optional observation such as differential interference observation and simple polarization observation in addition to the function of performing ultraviolet observation, visible light observation, and dark field observation. In other words, in addition to the functions of the microscope 100 according to the second embodiment, the microscope according to the third embodiment uses optical elements such as Nomarski prisms and analyzers as illumination light and observation light as functions for performing optional observation. The function to arrange on the road is provided.

  The microscope according to the third embodiment includes, in place of the revolver 60 of the microscope 100 shown in FIG. 5, an optical unit 80 that holds an optical element used during optional observation, and a revolver 90 that can insert and remove the optical unit. The other configuration of the microscope according to the third embodiment is the same as that of the microscope 100.

  7 and 9 are schematic cross-sectional views around the revolver 90 in which the optical unit 80 is inserted. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the revolver 90 is formed by a fixed portion 91 and a rotating member 24. Similar to the revolver 60, the rotating member 24 is rotatably connected to the fixed portion 91, and holds the ultraviolet light objective lens 30 and the visible light objective lens 40. 7 is a diagram when the visible light objective lens 40 is disposed on the optical axis L1, and FIG. 9 is a diagram when the ultraviolet light objective lens 30 is disposed on the optical axis L1. is there.

  The fixing portion 91 has an optical path hole that communicates the mounting portion 91a having the same shape as the mounting portion 61a shown in FIG. 5 and the visible light illuminating portion 56 and the objective lens arranged on the optical axis L1 in the same shape as the optical path hole 22. 92 and a dark field illumination optical path formed in the outer periphery of the optical path hole 92 in the same shape as the dark field illumination optical path 62. Further, the fixing portion 91 includes a unit insertion / removal space 94. The unit insertion space 94 is a space that divides the optical path hole 92 and the dark field illumination optical path by a plane intersecting the optical axis L1, and communicates the optical path hole 92, the dark field illumination optical path, and the outside, and the optical unit 80 can be inserted and removed. Inserted into. In the dark field illumination optical path divided by the unit insertion space 80, the optical path on the side facing the visible light illumination unit 56 is a dark field illumination optical path 93a, and the optical path on the side facing the objective lens is a dark field illumination optical path 93b. To do.

  The optical unit 80 has a case 81. As shown in FIG. 7, the case 81 has a shape that fits into the unit insertion / removal space 94 and includes openings 81 a and 81 b. The openings 81a and 81b are arranged at positions facing the optical path hole 92 and the dark field illumination optical paths 93a and 93b when the optical unit 80 is inserted into the unit insertion / removal space 94. Therefore, the illumination light and the observation light LF1 are not blocked by the case 81. Furthermore, the case 81 is provided with a pipe joint 50 to which the pipe tube 51 is detachably attached at one end thereof. The case 81 accommodates the slider block 82 and the piping tube 83.

  FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the optical unit 80 shown in FIG. The slider block 82 is formed by the optical element holding member 84 and the gas guiding member 85. The optical element holding member 84 holds an optical element 84a such as a Nomarski prism or an analyzer inside. On the other hand, the gas guiding member 85 is formed by a light shielding member 86, a flow path member 87 and a cover glass 88, and has a gas guiding flow path 89. The light shielding member 86 is a cylinder having an inner diameter that is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the optical path hole 92, an outer diameter that is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the dark field illumination optical paths 93a and 93b, and a height that allows the openings 81a and 81b to communicate with each other. The flow path member 87 is a cylinder that is disposed on the outer periphery of the blocking member 86, has an inner diameter that is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the dark field illumination optical paths 93a and 93b, and has a height that allows the openings 81a and 81b to communicate with each other. The gas guiding channel 89 is formed by a space sandwiched between the blocking member 86 and the channel member 87. The cover glass 88 is realized by a transmitting member such as glass that transmits the dark field illumination light, and closes one end of the gas guiding channel 89. The other end of the gas guide channel 89 is a gas discharge port 89 '. The slider block 82 moves inside the case 81 by a moving means (not shown). Therefore, the user can arrange either the optical element holding member 84 or the gas guiding member 85 between the openings 81a and 81b, that is, on the optical axis L1, in accordance with a desired observation method.

  The piping tube 83 communicates the piping joint 50 and the gas induction channel 89. The piping tube 83 is realized by an elastically deformable tube and is deformed corresponding to the movement of the slider block 82.

  When performing optional observation, the user performs an operation of placing the visible light objective lens 40 on the optical axis L1, closing the shutter 12, and turning on the visible light source 6. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, the illumination light emitted from the visible light illumination unit 56 passes through the optical path hole 92, the optical element 84a, and the visible light objective lens 40 along the optical axis L1, and the specimen Reach 3 The observation light LF1 of the sample 3 passes through the visible light objective lens 40, the optical path hole 92, and the optical element 84a, and then follows the same optical path as that of the second embodiment and enters the camera 17.

  On the other hand, when performing ultraviolet observation, the user performs an operation of disposing the objective lens 30 for ultraviolet light on the optical axis L1, turning off the visible light source 6, and opening the shutter 12. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the illumination light emitted from the ultraviolet light illumination unit 9 passes through the visible light illumination unit 56, the optical path hole 92, and the light shielding member 86 along the optical axis L1, and then the lens. 31 passes through and reaches the specimen 3. The observation light LF1 of the sample 3 passes through the lens 31, passes through the optical path hole 92 and the light shielding member 86, and then follows the same optical path as in the second embodiment and enters the camera 17.

  When the gas guiding member 85 is disposed on the optical axis L1, the gas discharge port 89 'faces the dark field illumination optical path 93b. Therefore, the pipe tube 83 and the dark field illumination optical path 93 b are communicated with each other by the gas induction channel 89. When the ultraviolet objective lens 30 is disposed on the optical axis L1, the dark field illumination optical path 93b faces the communication port 34 '. Therefore, the piping tube 51 and the communication port 34 ′ are communicated with each other by the piping joint 50, the piping tube 83, the gas guiding channel 89, and the dark field illumination optical path 93 b.

  Therefore, the inert gas supplied through the piping tube 51 passes through the piping tube 83 and the gas guiding channel 89, flows into the dark field illumination optical path 93b from the gas discharge port 89 ′, and then communicates with the communication port 34 ′. Toward the specimen 3 through the communication hole 34 and the opening 32a. For this reason, the microscope according to the third embodiment can prevent the specimen 3 from being deteriorated by the active oxygen generated from ozonation, like the microscope 100.

  Since the microscope according to the third embodiment supplies an inert gas from the optical unit 80 to the ultraviolet light objective lens 30 via the revolver 90, it ensures good operability when switching or replacing the objective lens. In addition, an inert gas can be supplied to the surface of the specimen 3.

  Conventionally, a microscope that includes a revolver having a unit insertion / removal space and that can be optionally observed by inserting a unit holding an optical element on the optical axis has been used. A function of easily supplying an inert gas can be added to the microscope capable of optional observation by inserting the optical unit 80 in place of the conventional unit. Further, when it is desired to add only the function of supplying the inert gas, the optical unit 80 may not include the optical holding member 84.

  Note that when the microscope according to the third embodiment does not require the function of performing dark field observation, the dark field illumination optical path 93a and the cover glass 88 are unnecessary. Further, when the gap between the slider block 82 and the case 81 is very small and the necessary degree of confidentiality is ensured, the piping tube 83 may not be provided.

  In the first to third embodiments, the control unit 54 or the control unit 59 controls the supply of the inert gas by controlling the electromagnetic valve 52. However, the supply of the inert gas may be manually controlled.

  In the first to third embodiments, the ultraviolet light objective lens 30 may have the same structure as the dark field observation objective lens 70. Specifically, the ultraviolet objective lens 30 includes a lens holding cylinder that holds the lens and a lens barrel that holds the lens holding cylinder inside, and a space between the lens holding cylinder and the lens barrel is not allowed. It is good also as a structure used as the flow path of an active gas. In this case, since the inert gas passes through the space sandwiched between the lens holding cylinder and the lens barrel and travels toward the specimen 3, the same effects as those of the first to third embodiments can be obtained. In the ultraviolet light objective lens 30, the lens 31 is configured by three lenses, but the number of lenses is not limited thereto. When the number of lenses is different, each communication hole is provided in each gripping part that grips each lens, similarly to the objective lens 30 for ultraviolet light.

  In the first to third embodiments, the ultraviolet microscope is provided with the visible light illumination unit and the ultraviolet light illumination unit. However, as a light source that emits ultraviolet light and visible light, for example, only a mercury xenon lamp is used, and a filter is used. It is good also as a structure which has a single illumination part which can switch irradiation of an ultraviolet light and visible light using wavelength selection means, such as.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a microscope according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the revolver and objective lens shown in FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the fixing | fixed part and objective lens concerning the modification 1. It is a schematic block diagram of the microscope concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the revolver and objective lens shown in FIG. 4 (during dark field observation). It is a schematic sectional drawing of the revolver and objective lens shown in FIG. 4 (at the time of ultraviolet light observation). It is a schematic sectional drawing of the revolver and objective lens of the microscope concerning Embodiment 3 of this invention (at the time of option observation). FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the option unit shown in FIG. 7. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the revolver and objective lens of the microscope concerning Embodiment 3 of this invention (at the time of ultraviolet light observation).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Microscope 2 Stage 3 Sample 4 Elevating dial 5,56 Visible light illumination part 5a, 5b, 9a, 9b, 32a, 81a, 81b Opening part 6 Visible light source 7,13 Illumination lens 8, 14 Half mirror 9 Ultraviolet light illumination part 10 Ultraviolet light source 11 Wavelength selection unit 12 Shutter 15 Imaging unit 16 Imaging lens 17 Camera 17a Imaging element 18 Display unit 20, 60, 90 Revolver 21, 27, 61, 91 Fixing unit 21a, 27a, 61a, 91a Mounting unit 22 , 92 Optical path holes 23, 23 a, 23 b, 64, Gas flow path 24 Rotating member 25 Ball 26, 28 Holding part 30 Ultraviolet light objective lens 31, 31 a, 31 b, 31 c, 71 Lens 32, 73 Lens barrel 34 ′, 34 "communication port 32b inclined surface 33a, 33b, 33c gripping part 34, 34a, 34b, 34c communication hole 40 Visible light objective lens 50 Piping joint 51, 83 Piping tube 52 Solenoid valve 53 Gas cylinder 54, 59 Control section 55 Input section 57 Ring mirror 58 Light shielding cylinder 62, 74, 93a, 93b Dark field illumination optical path 63 Cover glass 70 Dark field observation Objective lens 72 Lens holding cylinder 75 Condensing unit 80 Optical unit 81 Case 82 Slider block 84 Optical element holding member 84a Optical element 85 Gas guiding member 86 Light shielding member 87 Channel member 88 Cover glass 89 Gas guiding channel 89 'Gas discharge Exit 94 Unit insertion / removal space

Claims (5)

An ultraviolet microscope that irradiates a specimen with ultraviolet light and observes an optical image of the specimen,
A communication hole along the optical axis is formed, an ultraviolet light objective lens that blows an inert gas from the communication port at one end of the communication hole toward the specimen;
A gas flow path is formed which is fixed to the main body of the ultraviolet microscope and connects the position corresponding to the communication port at the other end of the communication hole and the inert gas supply source side when the ultraviolet light objective lens is attached. A fixing portion for guiding the inert gas supplied from the inert gas supply source to the communication port at the other end via the gas flow path;
An ultraviolet microscope characterized by comprising: A plurality of objective lenses including the ultraviolet light objective lens, which is supported rotatably with respect to the fixed portion, and holds a desired objective lens on the optical axis of the ultraviolet microscope. A rotating member to be disposed;
The inert gas is blown toward the specimen through the gas flow path and the communication hole when the ultraviolet objective lens is disposed on the optical axis of the ultraviolet microscope. The ultraviolet microscope according to 1.   The said fixing | fixed part was equipped with the attachment part which attaches | detaches the gas piping which guides the said inert gas to the gas flow path opening by the side of the said inert gas supply source so that attachment or detachment is possible. UV microscope. A guide channel for guiding the inert gas supplied from at least the inert gas supply source to the optical axis side, which is a unit inserted into and removed from the optical axis between the objective lens for ultraviolet light and the microscope main body. Comprising an insertion / removal unit having a gas guiding member formed,
When the insertion / removal space in which the insertion / removal unit is inserted / removed on the optical axis is formed and the gas guiding member is set on the optical axis, the fixed portion has the induction flow on the inert gas supply side. The ultraviolet microscope according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a gas discharge port of a road and a position corresponding to a communication port at the other end of the communication hole are communicated.   The ultraviolet microscope according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that controls supply of the inert gas.

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