Optical waveguides – With optical coupler – Input/output coupler
Patent
1997-02-06
1999-05-11
Palmer, Phan T.H.
Optical waveguides
With optical coupler
Input/output coupler
385147, 359384, G02B6/42
Patent
active
059036885
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a device for feeding the a UV laser beam into a confocal scanning laser microscope, having a device for the parallel alignment of the UV laser beam with the beam path of the scanning laser microscope, and having a flexible optical fiber element arranged between the UV laser and an adjusting device. The element guides the UV laser beam to the scanning laser microscope and in so doing reduces the transmission of mechanical vibrations of the UV laser to the scanning laser microscope.
BACKGROUND
Two different possibilities for feeding the light beam of a laser into a scanning laser microscope are known in principle from the prior art. For example, reference may be made here to the published application of the International Patent Application WO 92/18850 and to the published application of the European Patent Application 0 592 089. Both publications describe direct feeding of the UV laser light via a mechanically rigid arrangement of optical modules such as lenses, filters, pinhole diaphragms, etc. This type of feeding gives rise to very large systems which are held together optomechanically and necessarily have long beam paths. Long beam paths lead, in turn, to instabilities of adjustment in the system. The vibrations of the laser caused by cooling represent a large problem in the adjustment of such systems. In the case of direct opto-mechanical feeding of the laser light beam into the scanning microscope, the vibrations of the laser cooling are frequently transmitted onto the microscope, thereby producing image interference and rendering permanent adjustment substantially difficult.
As an alternative to direct feeding, there is the possibility of fiber-optic feeding of light such as is described, for example, in the U.S. Pat. No. 5 161 053, for feeding UV laser light. The laser light is guided into the beam path of the microscope via a flexible optical fiber element. The laser can be quasimechanically decoupled in this way from the microscope, with the result that the vibrations of the laser caused by cooling are not transmitted onto the microscope, but instead are absorbed by the flexible optical fiber element. Furthermore, the beam lengths of the system can be substantially shortened thereby. Optical fibers for UV laser light are already on the market. However, tests have shown that their transparency drops back to less than 10% of the original transparency irreversibly after only a few hours when they are irradiated with more than 10 mW. This is presumably to be ascribed to chemical and photochemical reactions between the actual light-guiding fiber and its coating. For this reason UV lasers have up to now been fed directly into the microscope as a rule.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to increase both the measuring accuracy and the service life of a UV scanning laser microscope.
The device according to the invention for feeding a UV laser beam into a confocal scanning laser microscope achieves the foregoing object by means of the features described below. The device is designed in such a way that mounted between the output of the UV laser and the input of the optical fiber element is a beam interrupter which only uncovers the UV laser beam to the optical fiber element when the UV laser beam is actually required for image recording, and hence reduces the UV loading of the optical fiber element/
It has been realized according to the invention, first of all, that the laser must be mechanically decoupled from the microscope in order to minimize the outlay on adjustment. It has been realized, furthermore, that optical fiber elements which have proved themselves for light of other wavelengths are also the means of choice in the context of UV laser light. Proceeding on this basis, it has been realized that the worsening of the transparency of an optical fiber is a function, on the one hand, of the power of irradiation and, on the other hand, of the period of irradiation, with the result that the service life of an optical fiber and its usefulness for feedin
REFERENCES:
patent: 3339370 (1967-09-01), Streich
patent: 4500204 (1985-02-01), Ogura
patent: 4626679 (1986-12-01), Kuwayama et al.
patent: 5161053 (1992-11-01), Dabbs
patent: 5233197 (1993-08-01), Bowman et al.
patent: 5400176 (1995-03-01), Dreessen et al.
patent: 5404238 (1995-04-01), Dressen et al.
patent: 5535052 (1996-07-01), Jorgens
Barber et al., "Spatial distribution of protein in interstital matrix of rat mesenteric tissue," American Physiological Society, pp. H556-H564, 1990.
DIN-Norm EN 60825-1 "Safety of laser devices" of 1994 (corresponding to IEC Standard 825-1-1993 of Nov. 1993).
A. Christyne Bliton et al., "Optical Considerations at Ultraviolet Wavelengths in Confocal Microscopy," Handbook of Biological Confocal Microscopy, Second Edition, Plenum Press, New York, 1995, pp. 431-444. No Month.
Engelhardt Johann
Kierschke Klaus
Ulrich Heinrich
Leica Lasertechnik GmbH
Palmer Phan T.H.
LandOfFree
Device for feeding a UV laser into a confocal laser scanning mic does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Device for feeding a UV laser into a confocal laser scanning mic, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Device for feeding a UV laser into a confocal laser scanning mic will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-252399