KR101587344B1 - Multifocal and multiphoton microscope having optics based array and apparatus and method to manufacture the array - Google Patents

Abstract

An optical-based multi-focus multi-photon microscope according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a light source for generating a pulsed laser beam; And an optical fiber array in which a plurality of optical fibers having different optical waveguide lengths are aligned so that the pulsed laser beam is passed from the light source so as to have different visual fields, An area scan for the measurement object can be made. According to the embodiment of the present invention, since the optical fibers constituting the optical fiber array have different length differences, they have different field openings, and when the pulsed laser beam is incident on the object to be measured, And it is possible to suppress the interference phenomenon occurring between adjacent foci by using different optical paths of the optical fiber array.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a light-based multi-focus multi-photon microscope with a light-based array and an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a light-

An apparatus and method for fabricating a light-based multi-focus multiphoton microscope and a light-based array having a light-based array is disclosed. More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a light-based multi-focus multi-photon microscope and a light-based array having different field sequences because the optical fibers constituting the optical fiber array have different length differences.

In recent years, high-speed, high-resolution microscopes have been developed and used. Such microscopes include multiphoton microscopes, multifocal microscopes, and multifocal multiphoton photomicroscopes.

In this regard, Korean Patent Application No. 2012-0044245 discloses a high-speed imaging apparatus using the two-photon microscope and a method thereof, and a confocal microscope having a multi-lens array in Korean Patent Application No. 2010- 0044126 Method and the like.

Among them, there is a technique using a microlens array to realize a multi-focus multi-photon microscope.

However, most of the above-described microscopic techniques can cause optical damage and heat damage to the bio sample because a large amount of light must be irradiated on the sample to implement the 3D image. Multi-focus multi-photon microscopy techniques have been proposed that use multi-photon technology to reduce damage caused by high light intensity and multi-focal techniques to improve scanning speed. However, as the distances of the multiple focal points become closer to each other, background noise is generated in the depth direction due to the interference between the multiple focal points, resulting in a poor signal-to-noise ratio and thus it may be difficult to recover a clear 3D image.

In order to solve this problem, a time-division multi-focus multi-photon microscope technique, which is a technique to reduce the interference phenomenon by using a special microlens array that has a focal length focal length, has been introduced. However, it is not easy to fabricate a special microlens array to have a sufficient field angle to reduce the interference phenomenon with current micro-optics fabrication technology.

The object of the present invention is to provide a method and a device for measuring an optical fiber array in which the optical fibers constituting the optical fiber array have different lengths of difference, Based multi-focus multi-photon microscope with a light-based array and a device and method for manufacturing a light-based array.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an optical-based multi-focus multi-photon microscope having a light-based array capable of suppressing an interference phenomenon occurring between adjacent foci using different optical paths of the optical fiber array And an apparatus and method for fabricating a light-based array.

An optical-based multi-focus multi-photon microscope according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a light source for generating a pulsed laser beam; And an optical fiber array in which a plurality of optical fibers having different optical waveguide lengths are aligned so that the pulsed laser beam is passed from the light source so as to have different signal streaks, wherein the pulse laser beam passed through the optical fiber array Since the optical fibers constituting the optical fiber array have different length differences, they have different signal openings, through which pulsed laser beams are incident on the object to be measured The area scan can be accurately performed and the interference phenomenon occurring between adjacent foci can be suppressed by using different optical fields of the optical fiber array.

According to one aspect, the optical fiber of the optical fiber array can be determined to have a length of twice the minimum pulse width when the pulsed laser beam is incident on the measurement object.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the optical fiber arrays may be arranged such that positions of both ends of the optical fibers having different lengths coincide with each other.

According to one aspect, both ends of the optical fiber array can be flattened by polishing means to match the positions of both ends of the optical fibers.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the optical fiber included in the optical fiber array may be any one of a single-mode optical fiber, a multimode optical fiber, a hollow optical fiber, a multi-core optical fiber, a photonic crystal optical fiber, and a photonic bandgap optical fiber.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a condenser lens provided at the back of the optical fiber array to collect the pulsed laser beam provided from the optical fiber array, A beam splitter provided at the rear of the condenser lens and splitting the pulsed laser beam; An objective lens disposed between the beam splitter and the object to be measured at one side of the beam splitter; And a photographing unit which is disposed on the other side of the beam splitter and branched from the beam splitter and acquires an image of the object to be measured through the pulsed laser beam that has passed through the object to be measured and passed through the beam splitter, ; ≪ / RTI >

An apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber array according to an embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber array of a light based multi-focus multi-photon microscope, wherein a plurality of optical fibers having different optical waveguide lengths are aligned and provided, A pair of fixing parts for fixing the fixing part; A moving unit for adjusting the severance of the optical fiber by moving one of the pair of fixing units; A reference plane aligning unit for confirming whether one side of the optical fiber is positioned on a reference plane of the pair of the fixing units; And a cutting unit cutting the optical fiber, wherein the optical fiber array cut to a predetermined length is aligned to manufacture the optical fiber array.

Meanwhile, a method of manufacturing an optical fiber array according to an embodiment of the present invention includes arranging a plurality of optical fibers having different optical waveguide lengths so as to allow the pulse laser beams provided from a light source to pass through different optical fiber arrays The optical fiber array can be manufactured by sequentially aligning the optical fibers provided with different lengths or randomly arranging the optical fibers.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the optical fibers are stacked or randomly aligned by sequentially aligning the optical fibers in the optical fiber fixture accommodating the optical fibers having different lengths to laminate the optical fibers, and then the adhesive is injected to fix the optical fibers, Can be produced.

According to one aspect, a plurality of optical fibers having different lengths may be bundled to manufacture a unit optical fiber array, or a plurality of optical fiber arrays of the unit sets may be bundled to manufacture multiple sets of optical fiber arrays.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the optical fibers are sequentially aligned and inserted into insertion fiber-optic fixing pits into which the optical fibers having different lengths can be inserted, or are randomly aligned to laminate the optical fibers, and then the optical fibers are fixed by injecting an adhesive The optical fiber array can be manufactured.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the optical fibers having different lengths may be sequentially aligned or randomly aligned by length to manufacture a single-layer optical fiber array, or the single-layer optical fiber array may be laminated to produce a multi-layered optical fiber array.

Meanwhile, a method of manufacturing an optical waveguide array according to an embodiment of the present invention includes arranging optical waveguides having different lengths so as to allow a pulsed laser beam provided from a light source to pass therethrough with different signal streaks A material for forming an optical waveguide is injected into a multi-hole forming portion having multiple holes to form the optical waveguide having different lengths, and then the optical waveguide array is aligned by aligning the optical waveguide.

According to one aspect, the material forming the optical waveguide may be a polymer material.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of injecting a material for forming the optical waveguide into the multi-hole forming part, the method comprising: injecting a material for forming the optical waveguide into the hole in a different amount to differentiate the effective refractive index of light; A material for forming the optical waveguide having different refractive indexes may be injected into the plurality of holes to make a time difference for guiding the light or a variable heater may be attached to the multiple hole forming portions to form the optical waveguide, A method of changing the effective refractive index of the material to be formed may be selectively applied.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, since the optical fibers constituting the optical fiber array have different length differences, they have different field openings, and when the pulsed laser beam is incident on the object to be measured, Lt; / RTI >

Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the interference phenomenon occurring between adjacent foci by using different optical fiber arrays.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a configuration of an optical-based multi-focus multi-photon microscope according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.
Fig. 2 is a view for explaining the grinding of one side of the optical fiber array shown in Fig.
3 is a view schematically showing an apparatus for manufacturing the optical fiber array of FIG.
4A to 4D are views showing various examples of a method of manufacturing an optical fiber array according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5A to 5C are views showing various examples of a method of manufacturing an optical waveguide array according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, configurations and applications according to embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The following description is one of many aspects of the claimed invention and the following description forms part of a detailed description of the present invention.

In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail for the sake of clarity and conciseness.

FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing the configuration of an optical-based multi-focus multi-photon photomicroscope according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a view for explaining one side of the optical fiber array shown in FIG.

As shown therein, the optical-based multi-focus multi-photon microscope 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a light source (not shown) for generating a pulsed laser beam, and a pulsed laser beam And may include an optical fiber array 110 that passes through the optical fiber array 110 to have different visual fields. Accordingly, the pulsed laser beam passing through the optical fiber array 110 is incident on the measurement target object 101 in multiple focuses, and the area scan of the measurement target object 101 can be accurately performed.

The beam splitter 160 splits the pulsed laser beam at the tail of the condenser lens. The beam splitter 160 splits the pulsed laser beam into a plurality of beams, An objective lens 170 disposed between the beam splitter and the measurement target 101 on one side of the beam splitter, a pulsed laser beam disposed on the other side of the beam splitter and branched from the beam splitter and the measurement target 101, And an image capturing unit 180 for acquiring an image of the measurement target object 101 through the introduced pulsed laser beam.

With such a configuration, it is possible to sufficiently suppress mutual interference between foci, thereby realizing high-speed 3D biomicroscope 100 by improving optical sectioning performance and acquiring high-speed image information due to high signal detection efficiency , Can be widely used for various bio-studies, for example.

As shown in FIG. 1, the optical fiber array 110 of the present embodiment is formed of a combination of different optical fibers 111, so that the pulsed laser beam can be passed through the optical fiber array 110 in different directions. That is, the pulsed laser beam passing through the optical fiber array 110 has a different optical path due to different lengths of the optical fibers 111.

Since the pulsed laser beam having passed through the optical fiber array 110 is incident on the measurement target 101 through the above-described configurations, the beam splitter 160, and the objective lens 170, 101 may be performed. At this time, since the optical fibers 111 of the optical fiber array 110 have different lengths, it is possible to suppress the interference phenomenon generated between adjacent foci.

Here, the length of the optical fiber 111 of the optical fiber array 110 may be determined so as to have a double pulse duration of the minimum pulse width when the pulsed laser beam is incident on the measurement object 101. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

In addition, the positions of both ends of the optical fiber array 110 in which the different optical fibers 111 are aligned are manufactured. Since the optical fibers 111 have different lengths, a part of the optical fiber 111 forms a curved section as shown in FIG. Accordingly, one curved section overlaps another curved section, and another curved section covers another curved section. This is because of the difference in the lengths of the optical fibers 111, as described above. Due to the alignment structure of the optical fibers 111, the pulsed laser beams can pass the optical fibers 111 through different optical fibers.

As described above, the optical fiber array 110 is positioned at both ends in order to improve the optical coupling efficiency. To this end, both ends of the optical fiber array 110 are flattened through the polishing means 190, . As the polishing means 190, for example, abrasive paper, abrasive powder, or the like may be used. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, the optical fiber 111 constituting the optical fiber array 110 may be composed of various optical fibers 111. For example, the optical fiber 111 may be a single mode optical fiber, a multimode optical fiber, a hollow optical fiber, a multi-core optical fiber, a photonic crystal optical fiber, or a photonic bandgap optical fiber. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the optical fibers 111 constituting the optical fiber array 110 have different length differences, they have different visual fields, and a pulse laser beam is transmitted through the measurement object 101 Since the beam is incident at multiple focal points when incident, it is advantageous that the area scan can be accurately performed. In addition, there is an advantage that interference phenomena occurring between adjacent foci can be suppressed by using different optical paths of the optical fiber array 110. [

Hereinafter, an apparatus for manufacturing the above-described optical fiber array 110 will be described.

3 is a view schematically showing an apparatus for manufacturing the optical fiber array of FIG.

As shown, the optical fiber array manufacturing apparatus 200 of the present embodiment includes a pair of fixing portions 210 for fixing both ends of the optical fiber 111, and a fixing portion 210 of the pair of fixing portions A movable part 220 for adjusting the degree of severance of the optical fiber 111 by moving the optical fiber 111 and a movable part 220 for indicating whether the optical fiber 111 is located on a reference plane provided on one of the pair of fixed parts 210 A reference plane aligning unit 230, and a cutting unit 250 for cutting the optical fiber 111. [

With such a configuration, the optical fiber array 110 can be manufactured by aligning the optical fibers 111 cut to a predetermined length. That is, the optical fibers 111 are cut to different lengths, and then they are aligned, so that the optical fiber array 110 as shown in FIG. 1 can be manufactured.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the length of the optical fiber 111 can be precisely cut to a predetermined length by the optical fiber array manufacturing apparatus 200, and the optical fiber array 110 can be manufactured by aligning the cut optical fibers 111 can do.

In the following, a method of manufacturing the optical fiber array will be described.

4A to 4D are views showing various examples of a method of manufacturing an optical fiber array according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The optical fiber array 110 of this embodiment can be manufactured by sequentially aligning the optical fibers 111 having different lengths by length or randomly arranging the optical fibers 111.

4A, after the optical fibers 111 are stacked or randomly aligned by sequentially aligning the optical fibers 111 in an optical fiber fixture 310 capable of accommodating the optical fibers 111 having different lengths, the optical fibers 111 are stacked, The optical fiber array 110 can be manufactured by fixing the optical fibers 111.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4B, a plurality of optical fibers 111 having different lengths may be bundled to manufacture a unit optical fiber array 110a, or a plurality of unit sets may be bundled to manufacture multiple sets of optical fiber arrays 110b You may.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4C, the optical fibers 111 are sequentially aligned and inserted into the insertion type optical fiber fixture 410 into which the optical fibers 111 having different lengths can be inserted, or are randomly aligned, And then an adhesive is injected to fix the optical fibers 111, thereby fabricating the optical fiber array.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4D, the optical fibers 111 having different lengths are sequentially aligned or randomly aligned by length to manufacture a single-layer optical fiber array 110c, or a single-layer optical fiber array 110c is laminated, The optical fiber array 110d of the structure shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing an optical waveguide array according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

5A to 5C are views showing various examples of a method of manufacturing an optical waveguide array according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The optical waveguide arrays of this embodiment may be provided with optical waveguides 511 having different lengths arranged so as to allow the pulsed laser beams provided from the light source to have different visual fields.

The optical waveguide array may be manufactured by injecting a material for forming the optical waveguide 511 into the multi-hole forming portion 600 having the multiple holes 610, and then aligning the optical waveguide 511. Here, the material forming the optical waveguide 511 may be a polymer material including acrylic, PMMA, polypropylene, PET and the like. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

Here, there are a number of methods for injecting the material for forming the optical waveguide 511 into the multi-hole forming portion 600.

First, as shown in FIG. 5A, the optical waveguide array can be manufactured by injecting a different amount of material into the multiple holes 610 to differentiate the effective refractive index of light.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5B, an optical waveguide array may be fabricated by injecting a material for forming the optical waveguide 511a having a different refractive index in the multiple holes 610a to make a time difference in the light propagation.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5C, a variable heater 650b may be mounted on the multiple hole forming part 600b to vary the effective refractive index of the optical waveguide 511b injected into the multiple holes 610b, Can be produced. However, the method of manufacturing the optical waveguide array is not limited thereto.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the optical waveguide array 511 having different effective refractive indexes makes it possible to make a time difference in which light is guided, thereby suppressing the interference phenomenon occurring between adjacent foci .

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, such modifications or variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

100: Light Based Multifocal Multiphoton Microscope
110: Optical fiber array
111: Optical fiber
190: Polishing means
200: Optical fiber array manufacturing apparatus
210:
220:
230: Reference plane alignment section
250:

Claims (9)

A light source for generating a pulsed laser beam; And
An optical fiber array in which a plurality of optical fibers having different optical waveguide lengths are aligned and passed from the light source so that the pulsed laser beam has different visual fields;
/ RTI >
The pulsed laser beam having passed through the optical fiber array is incident on the object to be measured in multiple focuses, and an area scan is performed on the object to be measured,
Wherein the optical fiber array is provided such that the positions of both ends of the optical fibers having different lengths coincide with each other.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the optical fiber of the optical fiber array is determined to have a length of twice the minimum pulse width when the pulsed laser beam is incident on the measurement object.
delete The method according to claim 1,
Based multifocal photon microscope for planarizing both ends of the optical fiber array through polishing means to align the positions of both ends of the optical fibers.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the optical fiber included in the optical fiber array is any one of a single mode optical fiber, a multimode optical fiber, a hollow optical fiber, a multi-core optical fiber, a photonic crystal optical fiber, and a photonic bandgap optical fiber.
The method according to claim 1,
A condenser lens provided at the rear of the optical fiber array to collect the pulsed laser beam provided from the optical fiber array;
A beam splitter provided at the rear of the condenser lens and splitting the pulsed laser beam;
An objective lens disposed between the beam splitter and the object to be measured at one side of the beam splitter; And
A photographing unit disposed on the other side of the beam splitter, for acquiring an image of the measurement object through the pulse laser beam branched from the beam splitter and the pulsed laser beam introduced through the beam splitter after passing through the measurement object;
Based multi-photon photomicroscope.
An apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber array of a light based multi-focus multi-photon microscope, in which a plurality of optical fibers having different optical waveguide lengths are arranged in an aligned manner,
A pair of fixing parts fixing both ends of the optical fiber;
A moving unit for adjusting the severance of the optical fiber by moving one of the pair of fixing units;
A reference plane aligning unit for confirming whether one side of the optical fiber is positioned on a reference plane of the pair of the fixing units; And
A cutting portion for cutting the optical fiber;
/ RTI >
And arranging the optical fibers cut to a predetermined length to manufacture the optical fiber array.
A method of fabricating an optical fiber array in which a plurality of optical fibers having different optical waveguide lengths are aligned so as to allow a pulsed laser beam provided from a light source to pass therethrough with different visual fields,
Wherein the plurality of optical fibers arranged in different lengths are sequentially aligned by length or the plurality of optical fibers are randomly aligned to manufacture the optical fiber array so that positions of both ends of the plurality of optical fibers match.
1. A method of manufacturing an optical waveguide array in which optical waveguides having different lengths are aligned and provided so that a pulsed laser beam provided from a light source passes through the optical waveguide,
A material for forming an optical waveguide is injected into a multi-hole forming part having multiple holes to form the optical waveguides having different lengths, and then the optical waveguides are aligned to align the positions of both ends of the optical waveguides, To form an array.

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