JPH0530823U - System microscope - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] The present invention is to switch various illumination optical paths, perform simultaneous speculum,
And to provide a system microscope capable of adjusting the light amount at the time of simultaneous speculum with a simple configuration and an extremely simple operation, greatly improving the operability and reducing the size of the apparatus. To aim. A system microscope according to the present invention comprises an observation light S from an illumination light flux from a light source 26 simultaneously via a plurality of independent illumination light paths or via any one of a plurality of illumination light paths.
In the system microscope for projecting onto the system, a polarization beam splitter 29 that splits the illumination light flux incident from the light source 26 and emits it to each corresponding illumination optical path, and an optical axis on the optical path between the polarization beam splitter 29 and the light source 26. On the other hand, a polarizing member 28 rotatably provided in a vertical plane, and λ / 4 plates 30 and 31 respectively provided in the respective illumination light paths are provided.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a system microscope having a switching function for speculums (bright and dark fields) and a simultaneous spectroscopic function.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 FIG. 5 shows a configuration example of this type of system microscope.

In such a system microscope, in the case of a bright field, the illumination light flux 2 from the light source 1 is condensed by the collector lens 3 and guided to the bright field system light projecting tube 4. An objective lens in which a half mirror 6 is arranged on the optical axis of an observation optical system, which is one end of the light projecting tube 4, and an illumination light flux passing through the light projecting tube 4 is attached to a bright / dark field revolver 7. It is projected on the sample 9 through 8 8. The reflected light of the sample 9 illuminated by the epi-illumination in the above manner reaches the eyepiece lens 10 through the observation optical path 5.

On the other hand, in the case of the epi-illumination dark field, the total reflection mirror 12 provided in the dark-field unit 11 is set to the state A shown by the solid line in the figure (note that in the case of the epi-illumination bright field, the B 1 In this state, the illumination light flux from the light source 1 is incident on the optical fiber tube 14 by the collector lens 13. The optical fiber tube 14 guides the illumination light flux to the ring-shaped light source unit 15 provided in the revolver 7. The ring-shaped illumination light flux from the ring-shaped light source unit 15 is projected onto the sample 9 by the ring-shaped condenser lens 16. The reflected light of the sample 9 illuminated by such epi-illumination dark field illumination reaches the eyepiece lens 10 via the observation optical path 5.

Further, in the case of performing simultaneous speculum, a filter, a diaphragm, or a polarizing plate for adjusting the amount of light is provided in any one of the illumination light paths or in both of the illumination light paths, and the total reflection mirror 12 is set to half. The mirror is changed to the state A shown in the drawing, and each of the adjusting members is adjusted to obtain a desired light amount ratio.

[0006]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, in the system microscope described above, there are an optical path switching operation unit that switches the specular system such as the rotating mechanism of the total reflection mirror 12 and an operation unit of the light amount adjustment mechanism (filter, diaphragm, polarizing plate, etc.) in each optical path. Each is provided independently and has a large number of operating points. Therefore, when the optical paths are switched to perform simultaneous microscopy, a large number of operations are required, and there is a problem that the operability is extremely poor because the fine adjustments are made for each. In addition, since there are many operation units, there is a problem that malfunctions are likely to occur, and there is a problem that the device becomes complicated and large.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to perform switching of various illumination optical paths, simultaneous mirroring, and light amount adjustment during simultaneous mirroring with a simple configuration and an extremely simple operation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a system microscope that can be performed with a microscope, which greatly improves the operability of the speculum operation and has a low possibility of malfunction, and which can be downsized.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above object, the system microscope according to the present invention is capable of observing an illumination light flux from a light source simultaneously through a plurality of independent illumination light paths or through any one of the plurality of illumination light paths. In a system microscope projecting onto an object, a polarization beam splitter that splits an illumination light flux that is incident from the light source and emits it to the corresponding illumination light paths, and an optical path between the polarization beam splitter and the light source. It comprises a polarizing member rotatably provided in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, and a λ / 4 plate provided in each of the illumination optical paths.

[0009]

According to the present invention in which the above means are taken, the illumination light beam from the light source becomes linearly polarized light by the polarization member and enters the polarization beam splitter, and the incident linearly polarized light vibrates by the polarization beam splitter. It is divided into a transmitted light flux and a reflected light flux according to the component. The transmitted light flux component and the reflected light flux component included in the linearly polarized light are determined according to the vibration direction of the linearly polarized light. When both components are included, the illumination light flux is simultaneously guided to the observation target through the multiple illumination light paths.

Further, by rotating the polarization member in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis to change the vibration direction, all of the linearly polarized light incident on the polarization beam splitter can be used as a transmission component or a reflection component. .. In such a case, the transmitted light beam or the reflected light beam of the polarization beam splitter becomes circularly polarized light at the λ / 4 plate and is guided to the observation target through one corresponding illumination optical path.

Therefore, by rotating the polarizing member in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, the illumination optical path can be switched, and the ratio of the transmission component and the reflection component of the polarization beam splitter included in the linearly polarized light can be changed. By adjusting, the light quantity of each illumination light path at the time of simultaneous speculum etc. will be adjusted.

[0012]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a system microscope according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The system microscope of the present embodiment is provided with an epi-illumination bright-field system light projection tube 22 on an arm portion 21 a of a microscope main body 21. An optical path switching unit 23 is detachably attached to one end of the epi-illumination bright-field system light projection tube 22, and a light source unit 24 is provided in the optical path switching unit 23.

The light source unit 24 includes a light source 26 in a lamp house 25 and a collector lens 27 that collects an illumination light flux from the light source 26 and outputs the light flux to the optical path switching unit 23.

The optical path switching unit 23 includes a polarizing plate 28 that linearly polarizes the illumination light beam that is incident from the light source unit 24, a polarizing beam splitter 29 that is arranged to face the exit surface of the polarizing plate 28, and this polarizing beam splitter 29. Λ / 4 plate 30 arranged to face the transmission side of the transmission side of λ / 4, λ / 4 plate 31 arranged to face the emission side of the polarization beam splitter 29 on the reflection side, and the light flux passing through this λ / 4 plate 31. And a condenser lens 32 for condensing the light. The polarization beam splitter 29 operates so that vibrations in the x direction are transmitted as they are with respect to the incident light beam and vibrations in the y direction orthogonal to the x direction are deflected.

In the present embodiment, an optical path switching operation unit for switching the speculum system and a light amount adjustment mechanism operation unit for adjusting the ratio of the light amount at the time of simultaneous speculum are arranged in the optical path switching unit 23. Achieved with 28. That is, the polarizing plate 28 is arranged perpendicularly to the optical axis, and at the same time, it can be rotated and operated perpendicularly to the optical axis.

A lens barrel 33 is removably attached to the arm portion 21a of the microscope body 21, and an eyepiece lens 34 is attached to the tip of the lens barrel. Further, a bright / dark field revolver 35 is detachably attached to the arm portion 21a, and the bright / dark field objective lens 36 attached to the bright / dark field revolver 35 is on the optical axis of the observation optical path 37. It is located in.

A half mirror 38 arranged on the optical axis of the observation optical path 37 is provided at the other end of the epi-illumination bright-field type projection tube 22. The incident illumination light is reflected to the objective side, and the light flux incident from the objective side is passed to the eyepiece side.

One end of an optical fiber tube 39 is connected to the optical path switching unit 23, and an illumination light flux is made incident on the incident end thereof from the condenser lens 32. The other end of the optical fiber tube 39 is connected to the bright / dark field revolver 35, and the illumination light flux is incident on the ring-shaped light source section 40 provided in the bright / dark field revolver 35. A ring-shaped condenser lens 41 is provided at the tip opening of the bright / dark field objective lens 36. Next, the operation of this embodiment configured as described above will be described.

First, in the case of epi-illumination bright-field system observation, the polarization member 28 is rotated so that the vibration direction is as shown in FIG. 2 (a). That is, the vibration direction of the polarization member 28 is set to the vibration direction of the x direction which is the transmission vibration direction of the polarization beam splitter 29. As a result, the illumination light flux from the light source 26 is made into a vibration component in the x direction by the polarization member 28, and most of the light flux incident on the polarization beam splitter 29 is transmitted. The light beam that has passed through the polarization beam splitter 29 is circularly polarized by the λ / 4 plate 30, passes through the epi-illumination field light-transmitting tube 22, is reflected by the half mirror 38, and is projected onto the sample S. This reflected light reaches the eyepiece lens 34 through the observation optical path 37, and episcopic brightfield system observation becomes possible.

In the case of epi-illumination dark-field system observation, the polarization member 28 is rotated so that the vibration direction is as shown in FIG. 2C. That is, the vibration direction is the y direction, which is the reflection vibration direction of the polarization beam splitter 29. As a result, the illumination light flux from the light source 26 is made into a vibration component in the y direction by the polarization member 28, and most of the light flux incident on the polarization beam splitter 29 is deflected and is incident on the λ / 4 plate 31. Then, the light flux circularly polarized by the λ / 4 plate 31 is guided to the ring-shaped light source unit 40 through the optical fiber tube 39, and is further projected onto the sample S by the ring-shaped condenser lens 41. This reflected light passes through the observation optical path 37 and reaches the eyepiece lens 34, enabling episcopic dark field observation.

Further, when performing simultaneous bright / dark field microscopy, the polarizing member 28 is rotated so that the vibration direction is as shown in FIG. 2B. That is, the vibrating direction of the polarizing member 28 is set between the x direction and the y direction. As a result, the light flux that has passed through the polarization member 28 contains both the x-direction component (transmission component) and the y-direction component (reflection component). Therefore, the illumination luminous flux is guided to both the epi-illumination bright-field illumination optical path and the epi-illumination dark-field illumination optical path, enabling simultaneous bright / dark field speculum.

When performing simultaneous bright / dark field microscopy, the amount of each illumination light beam guided to each optical path by the polarization beam splitter 29 changes depending on the rotation angle of the polarization member 28, so that the polarization member 28 rotates. By adjusting the angle, it is possible to adjust the light intensity (dimming) during simultaneous microscopy.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the bright / dark field system spectroscope and the simultaneous spectroscope can be switched by simply rotating the polarizing member 28 and changing the vibration direction thereof. Since it is possible to perform dimming at the time of speculum, the number of operations is greatly reduced, and the operation is simplified and the operability is greatly improved. The dimming function during simultaneous microscopy is extremely useful in the inspection process and research of ICs and liquid crystals.

Moreover, since the switching function of the speculum method and the dimming function at the time of simultaneous speculum are realized by an extremely simple configuration such as a combination of the rotating operation mechanism of the polarization member 28 and the polarization beam splitter 29, the device is realized. The configuration can be simplified and the size can be reduced. Next, a modified example of the above-described embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. The parts having the same functions as those of the microscope shown in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals.

The modification shown in FIG. 3 is an example of a system microscope including an epi-illumination bright-field illumination light path and a transmission bright-field illumination light path. Since the epi-illumination bright-field system illumination light path is the same as that of the above-described embodiment, the transmission bright-field system illumination light path will be described here.

In the system microscope of this modified example, one end of the optical fiber tube 42 connected to the optical path switching unit 23 is arranged at the condensing position of the condensing lens 32, and the other end of the optical fiber tube 42 is attached to the main body 21 of the microscope. It connects to the fiber mount on the back.

An illumination optical path 43 communicating with the optical fiber attachment portion is formed in the base portion 21b of the microscope body 21. The optical path 43 includes a total reflection mirror 44, a condenser lens 45, and other lens systems (not shown), and together with the optical fiber tube 42 constitutes a transmission bright field system illumination optical path.

According to this modified example having such a configuration, by simply rotating the polarizing member 28 of the optical path switching unit 23, switching of the illumination optical paths (epi-illumination, transmission observation), simultaneous speculum, and simultaneous speculum are performed. It is possible to control the light. The modification shown in FIG. 4 is an example of a system microscope including an epi-illumination bright-field illumination optical path, an epi-illumination dark-field illumination optical path, and a transmitted bright-field illumination optical path.

The system microscope of this modification includes an external light source unit 51 separated from the microscope main body 21, and a light source unit including a light source 52 and a collector lens 53 and a rotatable polarizing member are provided in the external light source unit 51. 54, a polarization beam splitter 55, a λ / 4 plate 56 provided on the reflection side emission surface of the polarization beam splitter 55, and a λ / 4 plate 57 provided on the transmission side emission surface of the polarization beam splitter 55. An optical path switching unit is provided.

In this external light source unit 51, one end of an optical fiber tube 58 is connected to a fiber attachment portion for taking out the light flux that has passed through the λ / 4 plate 56, and the other end of the optical fiber tube 58 is connected to the microscope main body. It is connected to one end of the epi-illumination bright-field floodlight tube 22. Further, one end of an epi-dark field optical fiber tube 59 or a transmissive bright field optical fiber tube 60 is connected to a fiber attachment portion for extracting a light flux that has passed through the λ / 4 plate 57 of the external light source unit 51. .. The other end of the epi-illumination dark field optical fiber tube 59 is connected to the bright / dark field revolver 35, and the other end of the transmitted bright field optical fiber tube 60 is connected to a part of the optical path 43 provided on the back surface of the microscope body. Connected. The optical fiber tubes 58 to 60 are detachably attached.

According to the present modification, by rotating the polarizing member 54 of the external light source unit 51, it is possible to switch the illumination optical path, perform simultaneous speculum, and perform dimming during simultaneous speculum. .. In addition, by arranging the light source externally, there is no operating part or moving part above the sample surface when switching the optical path, so it is excellent in contamination and the microscope body is not affected by heat from the light source. You can also increase the brightness. Furthermore, since the external light source unit 51 equipped with the operation unit can be arranged at any position, operations such as optical path switching and dimming can be performed at any place. This is a useful tool for cleanliness in areas where cleanliness is required.

[0033]

[Effect of the device]

 As described in detail above, according to the present invention, it is possible to switch various illumination optical paths, perform simultaneous speculum, and adjust the light amount during simultaneous speculum with a simple configuration and an extremely simple operation. It is possible to provide a system microscope capable of significantly improving the operability of the speculum operation and reducing the possibility of malfunction and downsizing of the apparatus.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a system microscope according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an operation explanatory diagram of the system microscope according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a modified example of the system microscope according to the above embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another modification of the system microscope according to the above-mentioned embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a conventional system microscope.

[Explanation of symbols]

21 ... Microscope main body, 22 ... Epi-illumination bright-field projection tube, 23 ... Optical path switching unit, 24 ... Light source unit, 26 ... Light source, 2
8 ... Polarizing member, 29 ... Polarizing beam splitter, 30, 3
1 ... λ / 4 plate.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A system microscope for projecting an illumination light flux from a light source onto an observation target simultaneously through a plurality of independent illumination light paths or through any one of the plurality of illumination light paths, wherein the light is incident from the light source. And a polarization beam splitter that splits the illuminating light flux to be emitted to each corresponding illumination optical path, and is provided on the optical path between the polarization beam splitter and the light source so as to be rotatable in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis. And a λ / 4 plate provided in each of the illumination optical paths, and a system microscope.