WO1992002838A1 - Confocal imaging system for microscopy - Google Patents
Confocal imaging system for microscopy Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO1992002838A1 WO1992002838A1 PCT/GB1991/001268 GB9101268W WO9202838A1 WO 1992002838 A1 WO1992002838 A1 WO 1992002838A1 GB 9101268 W GB9101268 W GB 9101268W WO 9202838 A1 WO9202838 A1 WO 9202838A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- combination
- slit
- reflective
- shaped
- mask
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B21/00—Microscopes
- G02B21/0004—Microscopes specially adapted for specific applications
- G02B21/002—Scanning microscopes
- G02B21/0024—Confocal scanning microscopes (CSOMs) or confocal "macroscopes"; Accessories which are not restricted to use with CSOMs, e.g. sample holders
- G02B21/0036—Scanning details, e.g. scanning stages
- G02B21/0048—Scanning details, e.g. scanning stages scanning mirrors, e.g. rotating or galvanomirrors, MEMS mirrors
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B17/00—Systems with reflecting surfaces, with or without refracting elements
- G02B17/02—Catoptric systems, e.g. image erecting and reversing system
- G02B17/06—Catoptric systems, e.g. image erecting and reversing system using mirrors only, i.e. having only one curved mirror
- G02B17/0647—Catoptric systems, e.g. image erecting and reversing system using mirrors only, i.e. having only one curved mirror using more than three curved mirrors
- G02B17/0652—Catoptric systems, e.g. image erecting and reversing system using mirrors only, i.e. having only one curved mirror using more than three curved mirrors on-axis systems with at least one of the mirrors having a central aperture
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B21/00—Microscopes
- G02B21/0004—Microscopes specially adapted for specific applications
- G02B21/002—Scanning microscopes
- G02B21/0024—Confocal scanning microscopes (CSOMs) or confocal "macroscopes"; Accessories which are not restricted to use with CSOMs, e.g. sample holders
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B21/00—Microscopes
- G02B21/0004—Microscopes specially adapted for specific applications
- G02B21/002—Scanning microscopes
- G02B21/0024—Confocal scanning microscopes (CSOMs) or confocal "macroscopes"; Accessories which are not restricted to use with CSOMs, e.g. sample holders
- G02B21/0028—Confocal scanning microscopes (CSOMs) or confocal "macroscopes"; Accessories which are not restricted to use with CSOMs, e.g. sample holders specially adapted for specific applications, e.g. for endoscopes, ophthalmoscopes, attachments to conventional microscopes
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B21/00—Microscopes
- G02B21/0004—Microscopes specially adapted for specific applications
- G02B21/002—Scanning microscopes
- G02B21/0024—Confocal scanning microscopes (CSOMs) or confocal "macroscopes"; Accessories which are not restricted to use with CSOMs, e.g. sample holders
- G02B21/0032—Optical details of illumination, e.g. light-sources, pinholes, beam splitters, slits, fibers
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B26/00—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements
- G02B26/08—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements for controlling the direction of light
- G02B26/10—Scanning systems
Definitions
- This invention relates to a confocal imaging system for microscopy and, in particular, to such a system which utilises slit scanning.
- Confocal imaging systems have become established as an effective means of eliminating out-of-focus interference in optical microscopy.
- the illumination in the object plane may be in the form of a single point, an array of points, a single line or an array of lines.
- a mask with the same geometrical form as the illuminating pattern is incorporated in a plane conjugate with the object plane, so that only signals from the immediate vicinity of the illuminated regions are admitted through the mask into the viewing system. In this way, interfering signals emanating away from the illuminated regions are rejected.
- a complete image is built up by scanning the illuminating pattern in such a way as to cover the whole of the area of the object plane, whilst keeping the mask in register with the illumination.
- a confocal imaging system comprising means for forming a slit-shaped or bar-shaped illuminating beam, or an array of such beams, a beam- splitting means by which the light is directed into an optical microscope having an objective lens, and an optical scanning means means whereby the illuminating beam or beams is or are caused to scan and be directed into the objection lens of the microscope in order to scan the specimen, such optical scanning means consisting of a wholly reflective optical system for both focussing and scanning .
- the same reflective optical system causes the emitted or reflected beam to be descanned (ie brought to a stationary state) and focussed upon a stationary confocal mask such as a slit of variable width, or an array of such slits.
- the stationary slit image delimited by the mask can then be rescanned by a second wholly reflective optical system and brought to focus within an eyepiece or upon the photosensitive surface of a video camera as a two- dimensional image.
- the first-mentioned reflective system and likewise the second reflective system, consists of a modified Offner autocolli ation system, in which the inner element of the Offner system is caused to oscillate. This modification converts the known Offner relay into a, unique reflective scanning system.
- the confocal imaging system is exemplified in the following description, making reference to the single figure of drawings, in which a preferred system is shown schematically.
- the system is interposed between the objective (OBJ) and the eyepiece (EYE) of a conventional microscope. It includes two Offner reflecting autocollimation units (A1,B1 and A2,B2) .
- An Offner autocollimation system consists of a pair of mirrors with radii of curvature in the ratio 1:2.
- the mirror of smaller radius is convex, the other concave.
- this system functions as a 1:1 optical relay if light is reflected through it in the manner shown in the drawing.
- the Offner system consisting of mirrors Al and Bl focusses the slit C at the plane shown as a dotted line in the eyepiece (EYE).
- the other Offner system consisting of mirrors A2 and B2, creates conjugate foci in the plane OP and on the median plane MP at the slit C and within the lens LI.
- the value of the Offner system in the present context is its ease of fabrication, total achromatism and freedom from primary aberrations.
- Illumination is injected via a beam splitter (BS) .
- the light could be provided by an illuminated slit.
- a slit is not used. Instead a parallel laser beam is passed through a cylindrical lens (CL) and then through a conventional spherical lens ( 2) to provide a focussed line of laser light in the plane OP which is conjugate with the object plane.
- the illuminating beam is directed through the Offner unit proximal to the microscope (B2, A2) .
- the Offner units are modified in that the convex mirrors Bl and B2 are each caused to oscillate about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the diagram, whereby the beam is caused to scan.
- Both of the convex mirrors shown in Figure 1 lie in the aperture planes in relation to the microscope rather than in image planes and they are therefore -ideally placed to serve as scaning elements.
- the light passes from B2 in a scanning state and enters the objective lens (OBJ) via a coupling lens l, which functions to bring the back aperture of the objective into a plane conjugate with that of B2.
- OBJ objective lens
- the signal from the object being illuminated then traverses this path in reverse and is scanned by the mirror B2. It then passes through the beam splitter BS to the masking slit C where it is brought into focus and traverses the slit. Interfering signals emanating from regions away from the illuminated line are rejected by the slit.
- the slit is adjustable in width to allow stringent confocal conditions to be imposed (slit narrow) or a brighter image of a less confocal nature to be formed (slit wide).
- the oscillating mirror Bl in the second Offner unit acts to descan the signal, recreating a stationary two-dimensional image at the mid-plane (MP) which can be viewed directly with the eyepiece or be recorded in a camera.
- the movement of the convex mirrors Bl and B2 may take any form that scans the whole field, but sweeps of uniform angular velocity in alternate directions are preferable as this reduces dead time and gives an image of uniform brightness.
- the mirror B2 works in synchronism but antiphase to the oscillating mirror Bl .
- the beam splitter BS could be either a simple device producing any desired ratio of reflected and transmitted intensities, or alternatively a dichromatic reflector (dichroic) as is conventional in fluorescence microscopy.
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Optics & Photonics (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Ophthalmology & Optometry (AREA)
- Radiology & Medical Imaging (AREA)
- Surgery (AREA)
- Microscoopes, Condenser (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US07/969,142 US5452125A (en) | 1990-07-28 | 1991-07-26 | Confocal imaging system for microscopy |
EP91913800A EP0541625B1 (en) | 1990-07-28 | 1991-07-26 | Confocal imaging system for microscopy |
DE69117761T DE69117761T2 (en) | 1990-07-28 | 1991-07-26 | CONFOCAL IMAGING SYSTEM FOR MICROSCOPY |
US08/388,145 US5561554A (en) | 1990-07-28 | 1995-02-13 | Confocal imaging system for microscopy |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB9016632.3 | 1990-07-28 | ||
GB909016632A GB9016632D0 (en) | 1990-07-28 | 1990-07-28 | Confocal imaging system for microscopy |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO1992002838A1 true WO1992002838A1 (en) | 1992-02-20 |
Family
ID=10679843
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/GB1991/001268 WO1992002838A1 (en) | 1990-07-28 | 1991-07-26 | Confocal imaging system for microscopy |
Country Status (8)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (2) | US5452125A (en) |
EP (1) | EP0541625B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JPH05509178A (en) |
AT (1) | ATE135116T1 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2088267A1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE69117761T2 (en) |
GB (1) | GB9016632D0 (en) |
WO (1) | WO1992002838A1 (en) |
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO1995030167A1 (en) * | 1994-04-30 | 1995-11-09 | Medical Research Council | Scanning confocal optical microscope |
US6548796B1 (en) | 1999-06-23 | 2003-04-15 | Regents Of The University Of Minnesota | Confocal macroscope |
US7173686B2 (en) | 2004-09-02 | 2007-02-06 | Agilent Technologies, Inc. | Offner imaging system with reduced-diameter reflectors |
US7315352B2 (en) | 2004-09-02 | 2008-01-01 | Avago Technologies General Ip (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. | Offner imaging system with reduced-diameter reflectors |
WO2008006957A2 (en) * | 2006-07-13 | 2008-01-17 | Beamind | Method and device for deflecting a light beam in order to scan a target surface |
Families Citing this family (16)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5923466A (en) * | 1993-10-20 | 1999-07-13 | Biophysica Technologies, Inc. | Light modulated confocal optical instruments and method |
US5880465A (en) * | 1996-05-31 | 1999-03-09 | Kovex Corporation | Scanning confocal microscope with oscillating objective lens |
DE19654208C2 (en) * | 1996-12-24 | 2001-05-10 | Leica Microsystems | microscope |
US6388788B1 (en) | 1998-03-16 | 2002-05-14 | Praelux, Inc. | Method and apparatus for screening chemical compounds |
US20030036855A1 (en) * | 1998-03-16 | 2003-02-20 | Praelux Incorporated, A Corporation Of New Jersey | Method and apparatus for screening chemical compounds |
AU2000268695A1 (en) * | 2000-09-04 | 2002-03-22 | Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. | Imaging apparatus |
US6309078B1 (en) | 2000-12-08 | 2001-10-30 | Axon Instruments, Inc. | Wavelength-selective mirror selector |
US6856457B2 (en) * | 2001-03-27 | 2005-02-15 | Prairie Technologies, Inc. | Single and multi-aperture, translationally-coupled confocal microscope |
AU2002332802A1 (en) * | 2001-08-29 | 2003-03-10 | Musc Foundation For Research Development | Line scanning confocal microscope |
WO2005083352A1 (en) * | 2004-02-11 | 2005-09-09 | Filmetrics, Inc. | Method and apparatus for high-speed thickness mapping of patterned thin films |
US20050237530A1 (en) * | 2004-04-26 | 2005-10-27 | Schnittker Mark V | Imaging apparatus for small spot optical characterization |
US7221449B2 (en) * | 2004-06-28 | 2007-05-22 | Applera Corporation | Apparatus for assaying fluorophores in a biological sample |
DE102004034970A1 (en) * | 2004-07-16 | 2006-02-02 | Carl Zeiss Jena Gmbh | Scanning microscope and use |
US7545446B2 (en) * | 2005-08-27 | 2009-06-09 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Offner relay for projection system |
KR20140093818A (en) * | 2013-01-17 | 2014-07-29 | 삼성전자주식회사 | System of Measuring Surface Profile |
DE102019115931A1 (en) * | 2019-06-12 | 2020-12-17 | Carl Zeiss Microscopy Gmbh | Optical arrangement for a microscope |
Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE1918704A1 (en) * | 1968-04-16 | 1969-10-30 | Research Corp | Optical device for illuminating certain levels |
US3669522A (en) * | 1970-03-20 | 1972-06-13 | Singer Co | Reflective relay optical system for two-axis deflection |
US4170398A (en) * | 1978-05-03 | 1979-10-09 | Koester Charles J | Scanning microscopic apparatus with three synchronously rotating reflecting surfaces |
WO1990000755A1 (en) * | 1988-07-06 | 1990-01-25 | Medical Research Council | Achromatic scanning system |
Family Cites Families (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3951546A (en) * | 1974-09-26 | 1976-04-20 | The Perkin-Elmer Corporation | Three-fold mirror assembly for a scanning projection system |
US5032720A (en) * | 1988-04-21 | 1991-07-16 | White John G | Confocal imaging system |
US5020891A (en) * | 1988-09-14 | 1991-06-04 | Washington University | Single aperture confocal scanning biomicroscope and kit for converting single lamp biomicroscope thereto |
US5035476A (en) * | 1990-06-15 | 1991-07-30 | Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. | Confocal laser scanning transmission microscope |
US5225923A (en) * | 1992-07-09 | 1993-07-06 | General Scanning, Inc. | Scanning microscope employing improved scanning mechanism |
-
1990
- 1990-07-28 GB GB909016632A patent/GB9016632D0/en active Pending
-
1991
- 1991-07-26 CA CA002088267A patent/CA2088267A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 1991-07-26 AT AT91913800T patent/ATE135116T1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1991-07-26 WO PCT/GB1991/001268 patent/WO1992002838A1/en active IP Right Grant
- 1991-07-26 DE DE69117761T patent/DE69117761T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1991-07-26 EP EP91913800A patent/EP0541625B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1991-07-26 JP JP3512831A patent/JPH05509178A/en active Pending
- 1991-07-26 US US07/969,142 patent/US5452125A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1995
- 1995-02-13 US US08/388,145 patent/US5561554A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE1918704A1 (en) * | 1968-04-16 | 1969-10-30 | Research Corp | Optical device for illuminating certain levels |
US3669522A (en) * | 1970-03-20 | 1972-06-13 | Singer Co | Reflective relay optical system for two-axis deflection |
US4170398A (en) * | 1978-05-03 | 1979-10-09 | Koester Charles J | Scanning microscopic apparatus with three synchronously rotating reflecting surfaces |
WO1990000755A1 (en) * | 1988-07-06 | 1990-01-25 | Medical Research Council | Achromatic scanning system |
Non-Patent Citations (5)
Title |
---|
(cited in the application) * |
Optical Engineering, volume 14, no. 2, March-April 1975, A. Offner: "New concepts in projection mask aligners", pages 130-132, see page 131, column 2 - page 132, column 2; figures 3-5 (cited in the application) * |
Proceedings of SPIE, volume 695, Optical Mass Data Storage II, 1986, D.K. Towner: "Scanning techniques for optical data storage", pages 172-180, see page 177; figures 9,10 * |
Scanning, volume 12, May-June 1990, D.H. Burns et al.: "Scanning slit aperture confocal microscopy for three-dimensional imaging", pages 156-160, see pages 156-158 (cited in the application) * |
Transactions Royal Microscopic Society, chapter 9, 2-6 July 1990, G.J. Brakenhoff et al.: "Novel confocal imaging and visualization techniques", pages 247-250, see the whole article (cited in the application) * |
Cited By (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO1995030167A1 (en) * | 1994-04-30 | 1995-11-09 | Medical Research Council | Scanning confocal optical microscope |
US6548796B1 (en) | 1999-06-23 | 2003-04-15 | Regents Of The University Of Minnesota | Confocal macroscope |
US7173686B2 (en) | 2004-09-02 | 2007-02-06 | Agilent Technologies, Inc. | Offner imaging system with reduced-diameter reflectors |
US7315352B2 (en) | 2004-09-02 | 2008-01-01 | Avago Technologies General Ip (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. | Offner imaging system with reduced-diameter reflectors |
WO2008006957A2 (en) * | 2006-07-13 | 2008-01-17 | Beamind | Method and device for deflecting a light beam in order to scan a target surface |
FR2903785A1 (en) * | 2006-07-13 | 2008-01-18 | Beamind Soc Par Actions Simpli | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DEFLECTING A LIGHT BEAM TO SCAN A TARGET SURFACE |
WO2008006957A3 (en) * | 2006-07-13 | 2008-03-13 | Beamind | Method and device for deflecting a light beam in order to scan a target surface |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP0541625A1 (en) | 1993-05-19 |
ATE135116T1 (en) | 1996-03-15 |
US5561554A (en) | 1996-10-01 |
JPH05509178A (en) | 1993-12-16 |
DE69117761D1 (en) | 1996-04-11 |
GB9016632D0 (en) | 1990-09-12 |
US5452125A (en) | 1995-09-19 |
EP0541625B1 (en) | 1996-03-06 |
CA2088267A1 (en) | 1992-01-29 |
DE69117761T2 (en) | 1996-09-19 |
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