JPH116964A - Microscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To observe the magnification, etc., of an objective lens from the upper surface of a stage and to prevent a sample from tightly adhering to as a sample board in the case of the observation of liquid immersion such as oil immersion by providing a meshed part around the light transmissive hole of the sample board. SOLUTION: The sample board 51 is equipped with a circular external frame part 41 and the meshed part 42 provided to be circular on the inner periphery side of the external frame part 41, and a hole 27 for illuminating and observing the sample is formed in the center of the meshed part 42. The external frame part 41 is equipped with a thick outer periphery part 41e and a recessed part 41b constituted to be thin by providing a level difference on the inner periphery side and forming a recessed part. The circular meshed part 42 is fit on the bottom part 41c of the recessed part 41b. The meshed part 42 is constituted by forming many holes so that the mesh whose one side is, for instance, about 0.5 mm may be formed. The light is transmitted through many holes so that an opposite side may be seen through. Therefore, a user need not look in at the magnification, etc., of the objective lens positioned below the sample board 51 from the lower part at each time, and the sample does not tightly adhere to the sample board 51 at the time of the observation of the liquid immersion.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a microscope, and more particularly, to a sample stage on a microscope stage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of a conventional inverted microscope, and FIG. 4B is a side view thereof. FIG. 5 and FIG.
5 is a conventional sample table that can be used in the inverted microscope shown in FIG. The inverted microscope shown in FIG.
A lighting column 18 provided at one end of the mirror base 16 to support the lighting device 10 and the condenser lens 20 and the like; a lens barrel 15 provided at the other end of the mirror base 16 and having a binocular portion 17;
An objective lens 12 attached to a revolver 14 disposed below the stage 13.

[0003] A removable circular sample stage 11 is placed on the upper surface of the stage 13, and a hole 2 is formed in the center of the sample stage 11.
7 are formed. A sample is placed on the sample table 11 via a slide glass 21 or a shear. Sample table 1
When the objective lens 12 is replaced, the sample table 11 is detached and the hand 1 can be inserted from the upper surface of the stage 13 for replacement.

The sample stage 11 shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b)
The outer frame 25 provided on the outer circumference is made of aluminum, and the inner circumference 26 made of a flat plate provided on the inner circumference is made of stainless steel. At the center of the inner peripheral portion 26 of the sample stage 11, there is a hole 27 having a diameter of 20 mm for illuminating and observing the sample. On the bottom surface side of the outer frame portion 25, an inclined surface 25a having an inclination of about 9 degrees is formed. The flat plate of the inner peripheral portion 26 is made of a 0.3 mm thin plate.

Another sample stage 31 shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B is shown.
Is made of glass, and a hole 27 for illuminating and observing the sample is formed in the center. The bottom surface is machined so that an inclined surface 31a having an inclination of 5 degrees is formed, and the inclined surface 31a is a curved surface due to the convenience of glass processing. Since the sample stage 31 made of glass is transparent, the lower portion of the stage 13 can be observed from the upper surface of the stage 13 so that the magnification of the objective lens and the position of the correction ring can be confirmed.

In an inverted microscope, an objective lens is arranged below a sample. When a high magnification objective lens having a small D (working distance) is used, when the revolver 14 is rotated to switch the objective lens, if the sample tables 11 and 31 are thick, the tip of the objective lens may hit the bottom of the sample table. is there. Therefore, the sample stage should be as thin as possible. When the observation area is changed by moving the stage 13 with the XY movement handle 19 shown in FIG. 4, in order to make the movable range of the stage 13 as large as possible, it faces the objective lenses of the sample tables 11 and 31 as described above. The inclined surfaces 25a and 31a are formed on the bottom surface side.

[0007]

However, regarding the sample stage 11 shown in FIG. 5, since the inner peripheral portion 26 is made of a thin plate of stainless steel, it is incorporated into the stage 13 of an inverted microscope as shown in FIG. If it is arranged, the objective lens cannot be seen from the upper surface of the stage 13, so that the magnification of the objective lens and the position of the correction ring cannot be confirmed. Even when no sample is placed, the diameter of the central hole 27 is 20 mm, and it is not possible to observe the magnification of the objective lens or the position of the correction ring. For this reason, the observer has to look into the lower part of the stage 13 when checking the magnification of the objective lens during observation of the sample, which is very troublesome. In addition, when the observer tries to adjust the correction ring, it is necessary to perform an operation of searching for the correction ring by groping under the stage 13, which is troublesome.

Further, a glass sample table 31 as shown in FIG.
It takes a long time to machine, and machining of an inclined surface is particularly difficult, and the manufacturing cost increases. Further, the glass cannot be made as thin as the stainless steel plate in FIG. 5 because of the strength. For example, when the thickness is about 1 mm, the strength is reduced and the sheet is easily broken. Furthermore, even if the inclined surface 31a is provided as shown in FIG.
m, and the tip of the high-magnification objective lens easily comes into contact with the lower part of the sample stage, so that the movable range of the stage cannot be made large. As a result, a large observation area cannot be secured, which is very inconvenient.

When performing immersion observation, a medium (oil for oil immersion observation and water for immersion observation) is placed between the objective lens and the sample.
In order to satisfy the condition, a medium adheres to the lower part of the sample. For this reason, when exchanging the sample, the medium attached to the lower portion of the sample may hang down and get stuck on the sample stage. In the case of a flat sample such as a slide glass, if a new sample is set on the sample stage with the medium attached, or if the sample is set on the sample stage without wiping the medium sufficiently, the sample will be placed on the sample stage via the medium. And it becomes difficult to easily exchange the sample. When the sample adheres in this way, the sample is slid sideways to reduce the contact surface, and then removed, which is troublesome and may apply a large force to the sample. There was also a risk of destruction.

It is an object of the present invention to observe the magnification of an objective lens and the position of a correction ring from the upper surface of a stage in an inverted head microscope, and to perform immersion observation such as oil immersion or water immersion. Another object of the present invention is to provide a microscope capable of preventing a sample from sticking to a sample stage when a medium adheres between the sample and the sample stage.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object,
A microscope according to the present invention includes a stage having an opening, a sample table having a light-transmitting hole mounted on the opening of the stage,
Wherein a mesh portion is provided around the light transmitting hole of the sample stage. According to the present invention, since the sample stage mounted on the stage having the opening is provided with the mesh portion around the light transmitting hole, light is transmitted even at a position other than the light transmitting hole, and the sample stage is passed through the mesh portion. You can see below. Therefore, for example, in the case of an inverted microscope, the magnification of the objective lens located below the sample stage, the position of the correction ring, and the like can be checked from above the sample stage without having to look into the sample stage from below. Further, when the sample is placed on the sample stage, the problem that a medium is interposed between the sample stage and the sample during liquid immersion observation or the like and the sample is difficult to remove is also solved.

Further, the mesh portion can be composed of a large number of holes. The lower part of the sample stage can be seen through these multiple holes.

Further, the mesh portion can be formed of metal. Thereby, a sufficient strength can be obtained in the sample stage, so that the sample stage can be made thin. Therefore, for example, in an inverted microscope, since the distance between the tip of the objective lens located below the sample stage and the lower portion of the sample stage can be ensured, contact between the two can be prevented,
The movable range of the stage can be increased.

Further, a plurality of objective lenses are attached to the revolver, and the revolver can be arranged below the stage, so that the inverted microscope having the above-mentioned configuration can be constructed.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view (a) and a longitudinal sectional view (b) of a sample stage according to an embodiment of the present invention. The sample stage 51 shown in FIG. 1 has a circular outer frame portion 41 and a mesh portion 42 provided in a circular shape on the inner peripheral side of the outer frame portion 41.
A hole 27 for illuminating and observing the sample is formed at the center of the mesh portion 42.

The outer frame portion 41 is, as shown in FIG.
It has a thick outer peripheral portion 41e, and a concave portion 41b having a step formed on the inner peripheral side to form a recess and to be thin. A circular mesh portion 42 is fitted on the bottom 41c of the concave portion 41b. An end portion 41d is formed in a circular shape at the bottom portion 41c of the concave portion 41b, and forms an opening hole 41f larger than the hole 27. An inclined surface 41a that is inclined from the inner periphery of the thickness of the bottom side of the outer frame portion 41 (the objective lens side in the inverted microscope shown in FIG. 2) toward the end portion 41d is formed to prevent the tip of the objective lens from contacting. Preventing. The mesh portion 42 is arranged so as to rest on the bottom 41c of the concave portion 41b of the outer frame portion 41, and is adhered and fixed.

The mesh portion 42 has a large number of holes formed so as to form a mesh having a side of about 0.5 mm.
Light is transmitted through these multiple holes and the opposite side is visible. Such a mesh portion 42 is made of a stainless steel thin plate, and can be formed together with the central hole 27 by, for example, etching. Since the mesh portion 42 is made of stainless steel and has sufficient strength, it can be configured to be thinner than the outer peripheral portion 41e of the outer frame portion 41 having a large thickness.

The mesh portion may be made of another metal, and each mesh does not need to be square, but may be rhombic or rectangular. May be formed in large numbers.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are a cross-sectional view and a side view showing the inverted microscope according to the present embodiment. The sample stage 51 shown in FIG. 1 is incorporated in the stage of the inverted microscope. Shows a state in which the slide glass 21 is set for mounting a sample to be observed.

This inverted microscope has a mirror base 16, an illumination column 18 provided at one end of the mirror column 16, an illumination device 10 provided on the illumination column, and a light source for the light from the illumination device 10. A condenser lens 20 for condensing light toward a hole 27 of a lens 51, a lens barrel 15 provided at the other end of the lens base 16 and having a binocular part 17, and an objective lens 12 mounted on a top surface of the lens base 16 via a support member , A stage 13 disposed above the objective lens 12, and an XY stage that moves the stage on the XY plane to change the observation range.
And a moving handle 19. It should be noted that the objective lens is provided with a correction ring for adjusting the aberration caused by the difference in the thickness of the cover glass.

As shown in FIG. 2B, a removable circular sample stage 51 shown in FIG. 1 is placed on the upper surface of the stage 13, and the sample is placed on the sample stage 51 through the slide glass 21. I will

As shown in FIG. 3, an opening 13a is provided at the center of the stage 13. This opening 13a
A concave portion 13b for mounting the above-described sample stage 51 is provided in a peripheral portion on the upper surface side of the stage. Further, the bottom of the stage 13 is provided so that the objective lens 61 does not come into contact with the stage 13 even when the objective lens 61 is switched while approaching the sample.
A recess 13c is provided.

According to the inverted microscope according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the sample stage 51 shown in FIG.
Is used, the lower portion of the stage can be observed from the upper surface of the stage 13 while the sample is placed on the sample No. 51. Therefore, the objective lens can be seen without looking into the lower portion of the stage, and the outer peripheral portion of the objective lens can be observed. The user can easily check the magnification displayed on the screen and operate the correction ring. Also, since the sample table is made of stainless steel and has sufficient strength compared to glass or the like, it can be made thinner. Even when a high magnification objective lens having a small D (working distance) is used, the movable range of the stage can be widened, and the tip of the objective lens does not hit the lower part of the sample stage 51 even when the revolver is turned to switch the objective lens.

As described above, in the inverted microscope shown in FIG. 1, it is easy to confirm the magnification of the objective lens and to operate the correction ring during the observation, and the objective lens does not hit the sample stage due to the rotation of the revolver. The structure can be made easy to use, and the practicality can be improved.

Next, a method of adjusting the correction ring in the inverted microscope according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the revolver 14 to which a plurality of objective lenses 12 are attached and the sample stage 51 to which the stage 13 is attached. Sample table 51
A cover glass is used to fix the sample on the slide glass 21 placed on the slide glass. The thickness of the slide glass is 0.
Microscope image is affected by aberration by being different by 01mm,
Its resolution and contrast vary considerably. In addition, in an inverted microscope, a sample is often placed in a container such as a petri dish in addition to the slide glass for observation. The thickness of the bottom plate of the petri dish fluctuates, and the resolving power and contrast of the microscope image change. Therefore, a correction ring 61 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the objective lens 12.

After focusing the sample on the inverted microscope,
The adjustment is performed by rotating the correction ring 61 of the objective lens 12,
It is necessary to adjust the correction ring 61 each time the observation sample is changed or the objective lens is changed. Therefore, it is necessary to bring the hand to the correction ring 61 of the objective lens every time the correction ring 61 is adjusted. However, according to the sample stage 51 of the present embodiment, the periphery of the central hole 27 is formed in a mesh shape, and the opposite side can be seen through, so that the observer can correct from the direction of the arrow P in FIG. Since the position of the ring 61 can be confirmed and the hand can be directly carried without groping, the operation of the correction ring 61 becomes extremely easy.

Next, the operation at the time of liquid immersion observation will be described with reference to FIG. At the time of water immersion observation or oil immersion observation, a liquid immersion medium 62 such as water or oil is attached to the tip 12a of the objective lens 12. At the time of observation, the tip 12 of the objective lens is
A liquid immersion medium is interposed between a and the sample surface, for example, the lower surface of the slide glass. In such liquid immersion observation, the medium 62 attached to the lower surface of the slide glass 21 on the sample surface may be attached to the surface of the sample table 51 during sample replacement. After the medium is attached to the sample stage, if the sample is wiped off, the sample will not adhere to the sample stage. However, if the sample is not wiped or is insufficiently wiped, as shown in FIG. The medium 62 enters between the sample table 51 and the slide glass 12. However, since the mesh portion 42 is formed on the surface of the sample table 51 as shown in FIG. 1, the sample slide glass 21 does not adhere to the surface of the sample table 51, and the sample slide glass 21 is Stand 5
1 can be easily removed and replaced.

Although the embodiment has been described by taking an inverted microscope as an example, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be an upright microscope. In this case, in particular, as described above, the liquid immersion observation is performed. This has the effect of preventing the sample from being stuck to the sample stage at times.

[0029]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A sample stage 51 shown in FIG.
Has an outer diameter of 108 mm, an inner diameter (diameter of a hole formed by the end 41d of the recess 41b) of 72 mm, and a thickness of 2 mm. The recess 41b has a step of 0.2 mm and an outer diameter of 80 m.
m. The bottom of the outer frame portion 41 is formed as an inclined surface 41a inclined at 9 degrees with a thickness of 1 mm from the center in order to prevent the front end of the objective lens from hitting. Outer frame part 4
The material of 1 is aluminum.

The mesh portion 42 is formed by etching a thin stainless steel plate having a thickness of 0.3 mm, has an outer diameter of 80 mm, and has a central hole 27 having a diameter of 2 mm.
0 mm. This mesh-like portion 42 is connected to the concave portion 4 of the outer frame portion 41.
1b is fitted and fixed to the stepped portion. A large number of mesh-like holes each having a side of 0.5 mm are formed in a lattice shape in the mesh-like portion 42 so as to transmit light, and the opposite side can be seen through the many mesh-like holes.

[0031]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. (1) When applied to an inverted microscope, the magnification of the objective lens can be checked through the sample stage from the upper surface of the stage.
In addition, since the position of the correction ring of the objective lens can be checked from the top of the stage through the sample stage, there is no need to look into the correction ring from the bottom of the stage or search for it by hand.
Adjustment of the correction ring is extremely easy. (2) The sample is prevented from sticking to the sample stage when performing liquid immersion observation with a microscope, and the sample can be easily replaced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view (a) and a longitudinal sectional view (b) of a sample stage according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are a cross-sectional view and a side view, respectively, showing a state in which the sample table shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on an inverted microscope and a slide glass is set.

3 is a diagram showing a state in which a liquid for immersion is inserted between a sample stage and a slide glass in the inverted microscope shown in FIG. 2, and a positional relationship between the sample stage and a revolver to which a plurality of objective lenses are attached. is there.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view (a) and a side view (b) showing a state in which a conventional sample stage is mounted on an inverted microscope and a slide glass is set.

FIG. 5 is a plan view (a) and a longitudinal sectional view (b) of a conventional stainless steel sample stage.

FIG. 6 is a plan view (a) and a longitudinal sectional view (b) of a conventional glass sample stage.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 12 Objective lens 13 Stage 14 Revolver 21 Slide glass 27 Hole (light-transmitting hole) 51 Sample table 41 Outer frame portion of sample table 41 f Opening hole 42 Mesh portion 41 a Inclined surface 61 Correction ring 62 Immersion medium

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A microscope comprising: a stage having an opening; and a sample table mounted on the opening of the stage and having a light transmitting hole, wherein a mesh is formed around the light transmitting hole of the sample table. A microscope characterized by having a part. 2. The microscope according to claim 1, wherein the mesh portion includes a plurality of holes. 3. The microscope according to claim 1, wherein the mesh portion is formed from a metal. 4. The microscope according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of objective lenses are mounted on the revolver, and the revolver is arranged below the stage.