Radiant energy – Photocells; circuits and apparatus – Optical or pre-photocell system
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-15
2002-11-19
Sugarman, Scott J. (Department: 2873)
Radiant energy
Photocells; circuits and apparatus
Optical or pre-photocell system
C356S326000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06483103
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This invention claims priority of a German patent application DE 100 06 800.6 which is incorporated by reference herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns an apparatus for selecting and detecting at least one spectral region of a spectrally spread light beam, preferably in the beam path of a confocal scanning microscope, the spread light beam being focussable in a focal line.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Apparatuses of the generic type are known from DE 43 30 347 and DE 199 02 625. These apparatuses are preferably used in the beam path of confocal laser scanning microscopes, in which context a light beam passing through the detection pinhole is spectrally spread with a dispersive optical component. One part of the spectrally spread light beam can then pass through a first variably arranged mirror stop arrangement. The corresponding spectral region is then detected by a detector. The portion of the spread light beam that strikes the first mirror stop arrangement is reflected at the latter to a further mirror stop arrangement. One part of the originally reflected spectrally spread light beam can pass through the further mirror stop arrangement as well, and is detected with a further detector. The remaining part is reflected by the further mirror stop device to a third detector. Apparatuses of the generic. type have several disadvantages. Strictly speaking, spectrally exact detection of the spectrally spread light beam is possible only if the spread light beam is focused directly onto a focal line, on which a selection of the spectral regions to be detected is performed. The spectral regions of the spectrally spread light beam overlap in front of or behind the focal line, so that sharp spectral detection is possible only to a limited extent. The apparatuses known from the existing art provide for division into the individual spectral regions only in the closer vicinity of the focus line, where selection of the spectral regions to be detected is still tolerable in terms of spectral overlap. When a larger number of regions needs to be detected, refocusing of the selected spectral region is moreover necessary because of the cascaded detector arrangement, since otherwise the optical paths of the diverging light beam can no longer be imaged onto a detector having a limited area. The three-dimensional arrangement of the optical components and detectors, in particular, is extremely problematic in this context because of the optical boundary conditions, so that only a limited number of different spectral regions is detectable. In addition, the error tolerance for positioning the optical components of the apparatuses known hitherto is extremely small due to their cascaded arrangement. For example, misalignment of a first mirror stop arranged in the spectrally spread light beam has a negative effect on all the detectors downstream from it, thus reducing their detection efficiency.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore the object of the invention to configure and further develop an apparatus for selecting and detecting at least one spectral region of a spectrally spread light beam.
The object is achieved by an apparatus for selecting and detecting at least one spectral region of a spectrally spread light beam comprising: a focal line defined by the apparatus wherein the spread light beam being focussable in said focal line, an optical component being arranged in the spread light beam wherein the optical component changes the direction of at least a portion of the spread light beam; and wherein the superposition of the portion of the spread light beam and the optical component defines an active region, and a detector being arranged with respect to the optical component and receiving a smaller or larger portion of a spectral region depending on the size of the active region.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus to configure and further develop an apparatus for selecting and detecting at least one spectral region of a spectrally spread light beam. Furthermore, detection with more than the hitherto achievable number of detectors is also intended to be possible.
The object is achieved by an apparatus for selecting and detecting at least one spectral region of a spectrally spread light beam comprising: a focal line defined by the apparatus wherein the spread light beam being focussable in said focal line, a plurality of optical components being arranged in the spread light beam wherein the optical components change the direction of at least a portion of the spread light beam, the optical components are arranged in such a way that they contact one another at the location of the focal line, so that uninterrupted detection of the portion of spectral spread light beam is possible; and wherein the superposition of the portion of the spread light beam with each the optical component defines an active region, and at least one detector being arranged with respect to the optical components and receiving a smaller or larger portion of a spectral region depending on the size of the active regions.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a confocal scanning microscope which selects a spectrally spread light beam and the spectral regions do not overlap. It is also intended to increase the error tolerance relating to the arrangement of the optical components of the confocal scanning microscope.
The object is achieved by a confocal scanning microscope for selecting and detecting at least one spectral region of a spectrally spread light beam comprising: a focal line defined by the confocal scanning microscope wherein the spread light beam being focussable in said focal line, an optical component being arranged in the spread light beam wherein the optical component changes the direction of at least a portion of the spread light beam; and wherein the superposition of the portion of the spread light beam and the optical component defines an active region, and at least one detector being arranged with respect to the optical component and receiving a smaller or larger portion of a spectral region depending on the size of the active region.
What has been recognized firstly according to the present invention is that with a mirror stop and detector apparatus that is not arranged in cascaded fashion, the entire apparatus can be considerably simplified. Additional focusing can be eliminated because the optical paths of the divergently extending light are reduced in proportion to the portion to be provided for cascading of the detector arrangement. The divergently extending light then no longer needs to be focused in order to be imaged onto a detector having a limited detection area. In addition, the error tolerance for positioning the optical components can be enhanced by eliminating the cascaded detection apparatus, since it is no longer necessary to provide so many mutually dependent optical components in the beam path. In the same fashion, this is very advantageous for the chain of tolerances in the positioning and alignment accuracy of the individual optical components.
According to the present invention, a cascaded arrangement of the optical components can be dispensed with because of the particular orientation of a reflective and/or refractive optical component. That optical component is arranged and oriented, relative to the focal line of the spectrally spread light beam, in such a way that only the spectral region resulting from the superposition of the focal line and the surface of the optical component is reflected and/or refracted to the detector. Cascading of multiple optical components arranged one behind another can thereby be eliminated, so that it is advantageously possible to dispense with any additional focusing of the reflected or refracted light beam.
The optical component is configured in such a way that its optically effective region becomes smaller or larger along its surface. As a result, the portion of the spectrally spread light reflected or refracted by the optical component can be made smaller
Engelhardt Johann
Hay William C.
Hoffmann Juergen
Hanig Richard
Leica Microsystems Heidelberg GmbH
Sugarman Scott J.
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