JP3331175B2 - Microscope observation device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a microscope observation apparatus, and more particularly, to one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally scanning light radiated from a light source to irradiate a sample surface with light. The present invention relates to a microscope imaging device for observing an image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Such a microscope imaging apparatus is an IC, LS, or the like.
It is used for product inspection and process management of semiconductor devices such as I, various materials, magnetic tapes and the like. Further, a laser scanning microscope image pickup apparatus using a laser as a light source is known, and various types have been conventionally proposed.

[0003] V. Wilke entitled "Optical Scanning Microscope", published in 1985 in SCANNING Vol. 7, pp. 88-96, mainly focuses laser light emitted from a laser light source by first and second vibrating mirrors. There is described a laser scanning microscope imaging apparatus in which light is sequentially deflected in a scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction and projected onto a sample, and reflected light from the sample is received by a photomultiplier.

[0004] Also, Transactions of the 1990
In ROYAL MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY Vol.1, pp242-250, J. Brakengoff and K. Visscher scan the light transmitted through the slit with the vibrating mirror in the sub-scanning direction instead of scanning the laser light from the laser light source at high speed. 2 on the sample
A one-dimensional image is formed by deflecting the reflected light or fluorescent light from the sample with a vibrating mirror so as to cancel the deflection in the sub-scanning direction. There is disclosed a microscope imaging apparatus in which the focus is ensured, the light transmitted through the slit is again deflected by a vibrating mirror to form a two-dimensional image, and the two-dimensional image is received by a two-dimensional CCD.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-8021 filed by the present applicant
No. 5,736,110 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,110 use a laser as a light source, deflect laser light emitted from the light source in the main scanning direction by an acousto-optic device, and then orthogonally cross the main scanning direction by a vibrating mirror. It deflects in the sub-scanning direction to irradiate the observation point of the sample, deflects reflected light, transmitted light or fluorescence from the sample in the sub-scanning direction, cancels out the deflection of incident light to the sample in the sub-scanning direction, and changes the CCD line. Microscope imaging in which light is received by a linear imager such as a sensor, and the laser light source, the observation point on the sample, and the linear image sensor are arranged so as to constitute a confocal optical system in which all the conjugate imaging relations are formed. An apparatus is disclosed.

Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-2 filed by the present applicant is disclosed.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7178 discloses a microscope imaging device that constitutes the above-described confocal optical system. After canceling, the light is transmitted through a slit extending in the main scanning direction, is deflected in the sub-scanning direction by a second vibrating mirror, and is then incident on a linear image sensor or a photographic film. .

[0007]

In the above-described first conventional example, the vibrating mirror is used for high-speed main scanning, so that high-speed scanning is limited due to the inertia weight of the mirror and the responsiveness of the driving unit. The detection speed of a two-dimensional image is as slow as about 0.5 to 2 screens / sec, and detection in real time is impossible. In addition, since the reproducibility of the dimensions of the sample based on the detected image depends on the reproducibility of scanning of the vibrating mirror, there is a disadvantage that a highly accurate and complicated signal processing circuit is required for driving the vibrating mirror.

[0008] In the second conventional example, 2
Since the imaging is performed by the two-dimensional CCD, the observation point on the sample and the pixel on the CCD correspond to one to one. Therefore, the dimensional reproducibility of the sample is the same as that of the first one described above when converted into an electric signal. It is superior to the conventional example. However, there is the following problem because slit illumination is used in the main scanning direction instead of high-speed scanning. First, since the numerical aperture (NA) in the main scanning direction is low, the focal plane selectivity in the main scanning direction is poor. Second, there is a disadvantage that speckle fringes occur due to high spatial coherency in the main scanning direction and appear as shading unevenness in a detected image. Third
In addition, since only the in-plane resolution of the CCD is used in the main scanning direction, the confocal property is low, and there is a defect that the resolution is not different from that of a conventional microscope that does not use confocal.

In the third conventional example, an acousto-optic deflecting element is used for main scanning, and a vibrating mirror is used for sub-scanning, so that reflected light, transmitted light, and fluorescent light from a sample are canceled out in the sub-scanning direction. And then make it incident on the CCD line sensor.
All the line sensors are arranged to form a confocal optical system that has a conjugate imaging relationship, so high-speed scanning is possible, real-time image detection can be performed, and the main scanning direction And a high resolution in both the sub-scanning direction. The dimension reproducibility of the detected image in the sub-scanning direction is very high. However, after deflecting the light from the sample so as to cancel the scanning in the sub-scanning direction,
Since the light is incident on the line sensor, there is a disadvantage that dimensional reproducibility in the sub-scanning direction is low. Further, in this conventional example, since a linear image is projected on the CCD line sensor, it is impossible to take a picture using a photographic film instead of the CCD line sensor or observe it with the naked eye.

In the fourth conventional example, while maintaining the advantages of the confocal optical system, it is possible to use a photographic film instead of a CCD line sensor while having high dimensional reproducibility in any two-dimensional direction on a sample. Yes, and visual observation is also possible. However, since the light projected onto the sample and the light incident on the linear image sensor or the photographic film are the same light, the degree of freedom of the wavelength of the light projected onto the sample is low, and the light cannot be projected at an arbitrary wavelength. is there.
Also, if the brightness of the light illuminating the sample is uneven,
There is a disadvantage that the brightness of the obtained image is also uneven. Generally, when deflecting using a vibrating mirror, the rotational speed of the vibrating mirror tends to be slower at the scanning end and faster at the center. Therefore, the central portion of the screen becomes darker than the peripheral portion, but such uneven brightness appears in the image as it is. Furthermore, in the conventional microscope observation device, since the light transmitted through the slit is made incident on the image sensor, the condition of confocal is satisfied in the width direction of the slit, but confocal is not defined in the longitudinal direction of the slit. It has the drawback of not being confocal in the true sense.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned various disadvantages of the prior art, to obtain a two-dimensional image of a sample in real time, and to have a true meaning in both the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction. By constructing a focusing optical system, it is possible to obtain a high-resolution image with high resolution and without uneven brightness, and to obtain an image with high dimensional reproducibility in any direction as well as in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction. An object of the present invention is to provide a microscope observation apparatus which can perform photographing with a photographic film and visual observation with the naked eye, and has a high degree of freedom in selecting a wavelength of light to be incident on a sample.

The microscope observation apparatus of the present invention comprises: first point light source means for generating scanning light; first deflecting means for deflecting light emitted from the first point light source means in the main scanning direction;
An objective lens system for irradiating a desired portion of the sample with light emitted from the first deflecting unit, a driving unit for moving the sample in a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction to perform sub-scanning, Second deflecting means for deflecting reflected light, transmitted light or fluorescence from the sample so as to cancel the deflection in the main scanning direction; a pinhole for receiving light emitted from the second deflecting means; A photoelectric conversion means for photoelectrically converting the light transmitted through the hole, a second point light source means for emitting light in response to a signal output from the photoelectric conversion means, and a light source for the second point light source means; Third deflecting in the scanning direction
Deflecting means, and optical system means for forming light emitted from the third deflecting means as a one-dimensional image on a predetermined image plane, wherein the first point light source means and an observation point on a sample are provided. And the pinholes are arranged so as to constitute a confocal optical system in which they all have a conjugate imaging relationship, and the first, second and third deflecting means are constituted by a common deflecting device. It is a feature.

In the microscope observation apparatus of the present invention, first point light source means for generating scanning light, and light emitted from the first point light source means are deflected in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to each other. A deflecting unit, an objective lens system for irradiating a desired portion of the sample with light emitted from the deflecting unit, and deflecting reflected light, transmitted light, or fluorescent light from the sample in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction. A second deflecting means for deflecting to cancel each other, a pinhole for receiving light emitted from the second deflecting means, a photoelectric conversion means for performing photoelectric conversion of light transmitted through the pinhole; A second point light source that emits light in response to the output signal, a third deflection unit that deflects light from the second point light source in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, From the deflection means Optical system means for forming light as a two-dimensional image on a predetermined image plane, wherein the first point light source means, the observation point on the sample, and the pinhole are all in a conjugate imaging relationship. A confocal optical system is arranged, and the first, second and third deflecting means are constituted by a common deflecting device.

In the above-described microscope observation apparatus of the present invention, the plurality of light receiving elements are arranged so as to receive the light emitted from the third deflecting means and output an image signal on the image plane formed by the optical system means. A plurality of light receiving elements are arranged two-dimensionally so as to receive a light emitted from the third deflecting means and output an image signal. Two-dimensional photoelectric conversion means. In addition, a photographic film or a screen for visual observation can be arranged at this image plane position.

Further, the first and second deflecting means or the first to third deflecting means described above are each constituted by one common deflecting device as in the embodiment to be described later. This is preferable because problems such as loss of synchronization and the like when using separate deflection means do not occur. In that case, the front and back surfaces of the galvanomirror provided in the deflection device can be used. In particular, such a configuration can be effectively adopted in an apparatus that handles reflected light from a sample.

[0016]

In the microscope observation apparatus according to the present invention, the reflected light, transmitted light, and fluorescent light from the sample are deflected by the second deflecting means so as to cancel the deflection by the first deflecting means, and then passed through the pinhole. Therefore, confocal properties can be secured in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, and the resolution can be improved. Furthermore, a point light source is used as a light source for scanning the sample, and since the image of this point light source is used for high-speed scanning as it is, no speckle fringes are generated and a light spot is scanned on the sample, so that main scanning is performed. The NA in the direction can also be secured. Further, since the two-dimensional image is obtained by deflecting the light from the second point light source means by the third deflecting means, the dimensional reproducibility of the two-dimensional image in any direction is extremely high. Also,
When the two-dimensional image is received by the two-dimensional CCD image sensor, the observation point of the sample corresponds to the pixels on the two-dimensional CCD image sensor in a one-to-one or one-to-one correspondence. By processing an image signal obtained by the image sensor, excellent dimensional reproducibility in any two-dimensional direction can be obtained.

Further, light from the sample is once converted into an electric signal by the photoelectric conversion means, converted into an optical signal again by the second point light source means, and received by the one-dimensional or two-dimensional photoelectric conversion means. Therefore, the light radiated from the first point light source and the light radiated from the second point light source can be separated light, and the wavelength of each light can be set arbitrarily. it can. Furthermore, since the electrical signal obtained from the photoelectric conversion unit that receives the light from the pinhole is electrically processed and then supplied to the second point light source unit, for example, uneven brightness can be corrected.

[0018]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a microscope observation apparatus according to the present invention. In this embodiment, a deflecting device that vibrates a mirror in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction is used as a deflecting means. A two-dimensional image is formed on a predetermined image plane, and this image is received by a two-dimensional CCD to obtain an image signal. A continuously oscillating laser light source 11 is provided as first point light source means. In this example, the laser light source 11
With a He-N gas laser. This laser light source 11
The laser beam emitted from the laser beam passes through the beam expander 12 to increase the diameter.

The laser beam expanded by the beam expander 12 is incident on the beam splitter 13, and the laser beam transmitted therethrough is incident on the deflecting device 14.
The deflecting device 14 deflects a laser beam at a high speed in the main scanning direction by vibrating a galvanometer mirror and deflects the laser beam at a low speed in a sub-scanning direction orthogonal thereto. The detailed structure of the deflection device 14 will be described later with reference to FIG. The laser beam two-dimensionally deflected by the deflecting device 14 is passed through the relay lens 15 to the objective lens 1.
6 and projected on a predetermined observation site of the sample 17.
This sample 17 is placed on a sample stage 18. As usual, the sample stage 18 is constituted by an XY stage so that a predetermined portion of the sample 17 can be observed.

The laser beam reflected by the sample 17 is made incident on the deflector 14 again via the objective lens 14 and the relay lens 15. Thereby, the deflections in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction are canceled, and a fixed laser beam is incident on the beam splitter 13 from the deflecting device 14. The laser beam reflected by the beam splitter 13 is imaged at the position of the pinhole 20 by the imaging lens 19, and the laser beam passing through the pinhole is received by the light receiving element 21. In this example, the light receiving element 21 is constituted by a photodiode.

The image signal obtained from the light receiving element 21 is first
To the laser diode 23 constituting the second point light source means. In the first signal processing circuit 22, the level of the image signal can be corrected as a function of the position of the scanning raster. That is, in the deflecting device 14 that deflects by vibrating the galvanometer mirror, the rotation speed of the mirror is not uniform over the scanning range, and the rotation speed is low at both ends of the scan and high at the center. Tend to be. Therefore, the brightness of the screen tends to be bright at the periphery and dark at the center. Therefore, the first signal processing circuit 22 can correct the brightness unevenness due to the position of the image by performing the correction such that the gain of the image signal is reduced at the peripheral portion of the screen and increased at the central portion.

In the first signal processing circuit 22,
It can also control the dynamic range of image signals.
Wear. That is, the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-27178 is disclosed.
As with the conventional microscope observation device described in
When the reflected light from the camera is directly received by the two-dimensional CCD,
The dynamic range of the obtained image signal is at most 10 × 10 ^Three
~ 5 × 10^ThreeHowever, as in this example, the photodiode 2
After processing the image signal obtained by receiving the light in step 1, the laser
In order to make the iodide 23 emit light, a dynamic lens
10^TenCan be raised to the extent. This is especially true
Important when placing photographic film on the image plane
Becomes

The image signal which has been subjected to the desired correction in the first signal processing circuit 22 is
To cause the laser diode to emit light. The laser beam emitted from the laser diode 23 passes through a collimator lens 24 and is incident on the deflecting device 14 as a parallel light beam, and is deflected in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction. In this case, the laser beam is reflected on the back surface of the galvanometer mirror. By forming the laser beam two-dimensionally deflected by the deflecting device 14 on a predetermined image plane 26 by the imaging lens 25, a two-dimensional image of a desired portion of the sample 17 can be formed on the image plane. . Therefore, it is possible to take a photograph of an enlarged image of a desired portion of the sample 17 by arranging a photographic film on the image plane 26, and to visually observe an enlarged image of the sample by arranging an observation screen. Can also.

In the present embodiment, a two-dimensional CCD 27 constituting the second photoelectric conversion means is arranged on the image plane 26.
After the image signal obtained from the two-dimensional CCD 27 is processed in the second signal processing circuit 28, the image signal is supplied to the monitor 29 to display an enlarged image of the sample 17. In the present invention, the light projected onto the sample 17 and the light for obtaining the final image signal are separated as described above.
The wavelengths of these lights can be freely selected. That is, in this example, the laser beam projected onto the sample 17 is He
The -N gas laser emits light having a wavelength of 632.8 nm, and the laser beam incident on the two-dimensional CCD 27 has light emitted from the laser diode 23 having a wavelength of 850 to 880 nm.

A second signal processing circuit 28 for processing the image signal output from the two-dimensional CCD 27 performs impedance conversion and voltage amplification of the image signal, attenuates unnecessary high frequency components of 8 MHz or more in the video signal, After performing current amplification and impedance conversion to drive the signal line, a signal for displaying on a normal TV monitor is added to the image signal and level setting is performed, and the horizontal scanning frequency is 15.75 KHz and vertical scanning is performed. Create a normal video signal with a frequency of 60Hz. Since these processes are well known, further detailed description will be omitted.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a detailed configuration of the above-described deflection device 14. As shown in FIG. In this example, the galvanomirror 31
And vibrates them in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction to perform two-dimensional deflection of the laser beam. The back surface of the galvanometer mirror 31 is also finished to a mirror surface, and is used as third deflecting means. A galvanomirror 31 is provided with a horizontal drive motor 32 for performing horizontal scanning.
Of the drive shaft 32a. The horizontal drive motor 32 is fixed to one end of a U-shaped arm 33, and a counter balance 34 is attached to the other end of the arm. Also, the center position of the arm 33 is
The second drive shaft 32a is fixed to a drive shaft 35a of a vertical drive motor 35 extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the two drive shafts 32a extend. By supplying a horizontal drive signal HD having a horizontal scan frequency of 15.75 KHz to the horizontal drive motor 32 and supplying a vertical drive signal VD having a vertical scan frequency of 60 Hz to the vertical drive motor 35, the galvano mirror 31 Scan frequency 15.75KHz
Vibrates around the drive shaft 32a and at the vertical scanning frequency of 60 Hz around the drive shaft 35a orthogonal thereto, so that the laser beam can be deflected in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a second embodiment of the microscope observation apparatus according to the present invention. Parts similar to those in the previous example are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the previous example, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. I do. In this example, since a desired portion of the sample 17 is one-dimensionally scanned in the main scanning direction by a laser beam, a one-dimensional deflecting device 41 is used as a deflecting device. That is, the deflection device shown in FIG. 2 can be configured with the galvanomirror 31 and the horizontal drive motor 32, which is simplified. Further, the sample stage 18 on which the sample 17 is placed is driven by the stage driving device 42 in the sub-scanning direction. As described above, the desired portion of the sample can be two-dimensionally scanned by the laser beam by the one-dimensional deflection device 41 and the stage driving device 42.

The laser beam reflected by the sample 17 is again incident on the deflecting device 41 to cancel the one-dimensional deflection in the main scanning direction, and is received by the photodiode 21 via the pinhole 20 as in the previous example. After the image signal output from the photodiode 21 is processed by the first signal processing circuit 22, it is supplied to the laser diode 23, and the laser beam emitted from the laser diode is one-dimensionally deflected by the deflecting device 41. A one-dimensional image is formed on the image plane 26. In this example, a one-dimensional CCD 43 is arranged on the image plane 26. Since the deflecting device 41 deflects the laser beam in the main scanning direction as described above, the one-dimensional CCD 43
Are also aligned in the main scanning direction. As a result, the one-dimensional CCD 43 outputs image signals forming sequential horizontal scanning lines in synchronization with the movement of the sample stage 18 in the sub-scanning direction.

In this embodiment, although the image formed on the image plane 26 cannot be visually observed, the one-dimensional CCD 4
A photographic film can be used instead of 3. However, in that case, for example, a photographic film is replaced with a one-dimensional CCD.
Means for moving in the direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction is required.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be modified and modified in various ways. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the sample image is displayed or observed by receiving the reflected light from the sample, but the light transmitted through the sample or the fluorescent light emitted from the sample when the sample is irradiated with light is received. A sample image can also be observed. In these cases, first deflecting means for deflecting a light beam emitted from the first point light source, second deflecting means for deflecting light from the sample, and a light beam emitted from the second point light source The third deflecting means for deflecting the light may be constituted by separate deflecting devices. However, it is preferable that these deflecting means are constituted by one deflecting device by combining appropriate optical systems. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the lens 25 that forms the light emitted from the laser diode 23 as the second point light source on a predetermined image plane 26 may be a zoom lens. In this case, the magnification of the observed sample image can be easily changed by adjusting the zoom lens.

[0031]

As described above, according to the microscope observation apparatus of the present invention, since the first point light source, the scanning point on the sample, and the pinhole have a true confocal relationship, a high point is obtained. A sample image with high resolution can be obtained, and high dimensional reproducibility in any direction on the sample can be obtained. Therefore, image detection and dimensional measurement of submicron-order micropatterns and microstructures can be performed in real time. .

Further, since the light for irradiating the sample and the light for forming an image can be separated from each other, there is an advantage that the degree of freedom in selecting these wavelengths is increased and the application is expanded. Therefore, for example, the sample can be irradiated with ultraviolet rays, and the ultraviolet image reflected from the sample can be visually observed. Further, after subjecting the image signal obtained by photoelectrically converting the light transmitted through the pinhole to a desired signal processing, this image signal is supplied to the second point light source. Brightness unevenness in which both ends of scanning become bright and the center becomes dark can be electrically corrected by the characteristics. Therefore, a high-quality image can be obtained.

Further, as shown in the above-described embodiment, when the first, second and third deflecting means are constituted by one common deflecting means, the whole structure becomes extremely simple and the cost is reduced. Can be lowered. In addition, for example, when the orthogonal relationship between the rotation axes of the two-dimensional deflecting device shown in FIG. 2 is deviated, the raster formed by the light applied to the sample is distorted from a rectangle to a rhombus, and the scanning range deviates.
The image of the sample itself is not distorted.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a first embodiment of a microscope observation apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a detailed configuration of the deflecting device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a second embodiment of the microscope observation apparatus according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 11 laser light source (first point light source means), 12 beam expander 13 beam splitter, 14 deflection device (first to third deflection means) 15 relay lens, 16 objective lens, 17 sample 18 sample stage, 19 pinhole Reference Signs List 20 imaging lens 21 photodiode (photoelectric conversion means) 22 signal processing circuit 23 laser diode (second point light source means) 24
Collimator lens 25 imaging lens, 26 imaging plane, 27 two-dimensional C
CD 28 signal processing device, 29 monitor, 31 galvanometer mirror 32 horizontal drive motor, 33 arm, 34 counter balance 35 vertical drive motor, 41 deflection device, 42 stage drive device 43 one-dimensional CCD

Claims (11)

(57) [Claims] A first point light source means for generating scanning light;
First deflecting means for deflecting light emitted from the first point light source means in the main scanning direction, and an objective lens system for irradiating a desired portion of the sample with light emitted from the first deflecting means. Driving means for moving the sample in a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction to perform sub-scanning, and deflecting reflected light, transmitted light or fluorescence from the sample so as to cancel the deflection in the main scanning direction. A second deflecting unit, a pinhole for receiving light emitted from the second deflecting unit, a photoelectric conversion unit for photoelectrically converting light transmitted through the pinhole, and a signal output from the photoelectric conversion unit. Second point light source means for receiving and emitting light; third point light means for deflecting light from the second point light source means in the main scanning direction; and light emitted from the third point light means. Form a one-dimensional image on a predetermined image plane Comprising the academic system means, said first point light source means, an observation point and pinholes on the sample, together with these are arranged so as to constitute a confocal optical system comprising all conjugate imaging relationship, the first 1, 2nd and 3rd deflection hands
A microscope observation apparatus characterized in that the steps are configured with a common deflection device. 2. The microscope observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the common deflecting device includes a galvanomirror and a driving device that vibrates the galvanomirror in a main scanning direction. 3. One of the reflecting surfaces of a galvanomirror of the common deflecting device is used as first and second deflecting means.
The microscope observation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the other reflecting surface is used as the third deflecting unit. 4. The microscope observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a one-dimensional imaging device is arranged on an image plane on which a sample image is formed by the optical system. 5. The microscope observation device according to claim 4, further comprising a display device for displaying an image signal output from the one-dimensional imaging device. 6. A driving means for driving a photographic film arranged on an image plane on which a sample image is formed by said optical system means in a direction orthogonal to a main scanning direction. 4. The microscope observation device according to any one of 3. 7. A first point light source means for generating scanning light,
Deflecting means for deflecting light emitted from the first point light source means in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to each other;
An objective lens system for irradiating a desired portion of the sample with light emitted from the deflecting means, and deflecting reflected light, transmitted light or fluorescent light from the sample so as to cancel the deflection in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction. Second deflecting means for performing
A pinhole for receiving light emitted from the deflecting means, a photoelectric conversion means for photoelectrically converting light transmitted through the pinhole, and a second point for emitting light in response to a signal output from the photoelectric conversion means. Light source means, third deflecting means for deflecting light from the second point light source means in the main scanning direction and sub-scanning direction, and light emitted from the third deflecting means on a predetermined image plane. An optical system means for forming an image as a two-dimensional image, wherein the first point light source means, the observation point on the sample, and the pinhole constitute a confocal optical system in which all of them have a conjugate imaging relation. And the first,
The second and third deflecting means are configured with a common deflecting device.
A microscope observation device. 8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the common deflecting device includes a galvanomirror and a driving device for vibrating the galvanomirror in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction orthogonal thereto. Microscope observation equipment. 9. One of the reflecting surfaces of a galvanomirror of the common deflecting device is used as first and second deflecting means,
The microscope observation apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the other reflecting surface is used as the third deflection unit. 10. The microscope observation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a two-dimensional image pickup device is arranged on an image plane on which a sample image is formed by the optical system means. 11. The microscope observation device according to claim 10, further comprising a display device that displays an image signal output from the two-dimensional imaging device.