JPS6293656A - Ultrasonic microscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to well perform observation by an optical system and an ultrasonic system, by arranging the optical axis of an optical microscope and an ultrasonic transmitting-receiving element in alignment with the observation part of a specimen and arranging the latter in a movable manner. CONSTITUTION:A spherical lens support stand 13 supports an ultrasonic spherical lens 3 and has a hole 16. An optical microscope 20 is arranged so that an optical axis is allowed to coincide with the ultrasonic beam irradiating position of a specimen 6 by the spherical lens 3, that is, the observation position thereof. The observation of an ultrasonic system is performed by moving the spherical lens support stand 13 so that the observation position of the specimen 6 corresponds to the spherical lens 3. The observation by the optical microscope 20 is performed by a method wherein the spherical lens support stand 13 is moved and the hole 16 thereof is allowed to coincide with the optical axis of the optical microscope 20 corresponding to the observation position of the specimen 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic microscope, and particularly to an ultrasonic microscope that can also be used for observation using an optical microscope.

[Background of the invention]

In recent years, ultrasonic microscopes have been developed that use ultrasonic waves to draw microstructures that reflect the physical properties of a sample, such as its elasticity, density, and viscosity. In this ultrasonic microscope, the internal fine structure of even an opaque sample can be easily observed due to the above-mentioned characteristics. Incidentally, an optical image of the sample surface, that is, an image of the sample surface obtained by an optical microscope, is frequently compared with an image observed by the ultrasonic microscope. Ultrasonic microscopes equipped with an optical microscope have been developed to perform such observations. For example, the configuration shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 57-176016 or Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 57-74657 is already known. To explain these configurations using figures, in FIG. 5, 102 is a revolver attached to a support means facing a sample 107, and an objective lens 103 of an optical microscope and an ultrasonic observation section 106 are provided on the rotating part. The structure is such that by rotating it, it can be observed using an optical microscope or an ultrasonic microscope. The ultrasonic observation section 106 includes an ultrasonic receiving element 104 and a driving device 105 that reciprocates the ultrasonic transmitting/receiving element 104 in one direction at high speed. In such a configuration (here, when observing the sample 107, first, for ultrasonic observation, the ultrasonic observation unit 106 is placed facing the sample 107 as shown in the figure, and for optical observation, the revolver 102 is placed opposite to the sample 107. This is done by rotating the objective lens 103 and arranging it to face the sample 107. However, in such a configuration, the configuration consisting of the ultrasonic transceiver element 104 and the driving device 51.05 is complicated and large, as described above. The ultrasonic observation section 106 had to be supported by a revolver 102, and special consideration had to be given to the structure of the revolver 102. Furthermore, the ultrasonic observation section 106 had to be made small as a whole. However, there was a risk that the configuration would become complicated.

Next, in FIGS. 6 and 7N, 110 is the sample 10
1b using an optical microscope arranged with the optical axis coincident with 7. 1
Reference numeral 11 denotes an ultrasonic microscope in which an ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving element 112 is arranged corresponding to the sample 107, and drawing is performed by reciprocating the ultrasonic wave element 112 at high speed in the direction of the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving element.

Note that the optical microscope 110 is configured to obtain an observed image of the attenuation surface of the sample 107 via the ultrasonic transceiver element 112 of the ultrasonic microscope 111. The configuration is shown in FIG. 7 (to be more detailed, the ultrasonic focusing lens 113 forming the ultrasonic transmitting/receiving element 112 and the sound wave propagation medium (for example, water) 1 interposed between the ultrasonic focusing lens 1 m3 and the sample 107).
As shown in the figure, this light beam is guided to an optical lens system 115 of an optical microscope 110 through a lens 14 to observe the surface of the sample 107. In such a configuration, C is
The ultrasonic focusing lens 113 and the H-wave propagation medium 114 must be made of materials that not only allow good propagation of ultrasonic waves but also have good properties for light transmission. In addition, the shape of each member, especially the machining of the portion with curvature q, becomes very complicated.

[Purpose of the invention]

It is an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic microscope which is an optical microscope and which allows good observation of the optical system and the ultrasonic system with a simple tL configuration.

[Summary of the invention]

The present invention provides that the optical axis of the optical microscope is arranged to correspond to the observation section of the sample, and the ultrasonic transmitting/receiving element is arranged so as to correspond to the observation section of the first wipe, and is movably arranged. Accordingly, the present invention is characterized in that it has a configuration in which H detection can be performed satisfactorily by the optical system and the ultrasonic system simply by moving the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving element.

[Embodiments of the invention]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. First, the basic configuration of an ultrasonic microscope will be explained with reference to FIG. In the same figure, I is the high frequency pulse 2
The pulse oscillator 3 is a spherical lens made of fused silica or the like with a concave spherical surface formed at one end and a piezoelectric material 4 at the other end. The piezoelectric material 4 is formed by vapor deposition or the like, and when a high frequency pulse 2 from a pulse oscillator 1 is applied thereto, an ultrasonic wave is generated and propagated to the spherical lens 3 . 5 is a sound wave propagation medium (
For example, water). 7 is a spherical I/lens holder that supports the spherical lens 3 and scans in one direction, for example, the X direction; 8 supports the sample 6 and scans in one direction, for example, the Y direction;
This is a sample stage that scans in the direction. The spherical lens holder and the sample stage 8 are spherical in two orthogonal directions, that is, the X and Y directions, and the spherical lens 3 and sample 6 are synchronously scanned relative to each other.

The control is performed by the scan controller 11 t). In addition,
The ultrasonic beam irradiated onto the sample 6 from the sonic lens 3 is reflected by the sample 6, propagates into the spherical 1m lens 3, and is converted into an electrical signal 41m by the piezoelectric material 4. 9 is ni
'f' is a receiver that receives the electrical signal converted by the piezoelectric material 4, and converts the electrical signal into a video signal. 10 f, t iffff This is a display device that synchronizes the video signal of the receiver 9 and the scanning information of the scan controller 11 to form and display an image.

With this basic configuration, the elasticity of the sample 6 itself can be improved.

It draws a fine structure that reflects physical properties such as density and viscosity.

Next, one embodiment of an ultrasonic microscope according to the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. In C5- of the same figure, the same reference numerals as those in the basic configuration indicate the same members. 13
is a spherical lens support stand that supports the spherical lens 3 so as to be able to scan in one direction, and both ends thereof are supported by hydrostatic air bearings. The hydrostatic air bearing has a compressed air intake port 1.
5 to the vertical and lateral directions 1 of the spherical lens support 13
Air is uniformly discharged through the compressed air discharge port 14 thus formed, and supports the spherical lens support base 3 with high precision.

The spherical lens support 13 is connected at one end in the scanning direction to a scanner 17 via a detachable magnetic joint 18, and is scanned by the scanner 171. Further, in the scanning direction of the spherical lens support stand 130 where the three spherical lenses are held, there are holes 16 that are light transmitting portions and are spaced apart by a predetermined distance from each other.
is formed. Note that it is not necessary to provide the hole 16 in the bait light transmitting part (it may be formed using a light transmitting material that does not have an optical effect. In the scanning direction, an interval of at least half the width of the spherical lens 3 is required.Additionally, an optical microscope is arranged so that the optical axis of the spherical lens 3 of the sample 6 is aligned with the sound beam irradiation position, that is, the observation position t. This optical microscope is designed to allow observation of the surface of the sample 6.The optical microscope is used to observe the sample 6 through the hole 16 of the spherical lens support 13.

In such a configuration, when observing using an ultrasonic system, that is, when observing by irradiating ultrasonic waves with the spherical lens 3, the spherical lens support stand 13 must be moved so that the spherical lens 3 corresponds to the observation position of the sample 6. let

(State v3 shown in FIG. 1) That is, the state shown in FIG. 1 is set. In this state, the one-spherical lens support stand 13 and the scanner 17 are connected via the magnetic joint 18, and the scanner 17
The spherical lens support base 13 is caused to scan. and,
Observation using the ultrasonic system is performed three times in the same manner as in II above-mentioned basic configuration. Next, observation of the optical system using an optical microscope is as follows.
The connection between the spherical lens support 13 and the scanner 17 is disconnected, and the spherical lens support 13 is moved to open the hole 16.
is aligned with the optical axis of the optical microscope corresponding to the observation position of the sample 6. (The state shown in FIG. 3) Then, the optical microscope is focused and observed.

According to such a configuration, the scanning position of the spherical lens 3 and the optical axis of the optical microscope J, that is, the observation positions of the ultrasonic system and the optical system are arranged to coincide with each other, so that the scanning position of the spherical lens 3 is aligned with the sample 6 at each observation point. Relative positioning can be done easily,
Efficient observation can be performed. Further, since each observation of the ultrasonic system and the optical system can be easily switched by simply moving the spherical lens support stand 13, operability can be improved. Sara·
As mentioned above, the hole 16 is provided in the spherical lens support 13, and the hole 16 can be moved to align with the optical axis of the optical microscope, and the structure is simple as a whole. .

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform good observation of an optical system and an ultrasonic system with a simple configuration.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of the ultrasonic microscope according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view showing the spherical lens support part of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is the same part as FIG. 1. Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of the ultrasound microscope, Figure 5 is a perspective view of a conventional ultrasound microscope, and Figure 6 is a diagram of another conventional ultrasound microscope. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the ultrasonic microscope. FIG. 7 is a side view showing the arrangement of lenses in the ultrasonic microscope of FIG. 3... Spherical lens, 5... Sound wave propagation medium, 6... Sample, 7... Spherical lens support,
8... Sample stand, 13... Spherical lens support stand, 16... Hole, 17... Scanner,
18...Magnetic coupling agent Patent attorney Katsutoshi Ogawa □, Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A sample stage that supports a sample, a spherical lens that is placed opposite to the sample and performs ultrasonic observation, and a spherical lens that supports the spherical lens so that it can be scanned and is movable by a distance shifted from the sample observation position. and a spherical lens support stand provided with a light transmitting part near the spherical lens support position;
An ultrasonic microscope comprising: an optical microscope arranged with its optical axis aligned with the observation position of the sample.