Converter, illuminator, and light sheet fluorescence microscope

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10310246-B2
Application number	US-201715466930-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2017
Priority date	Sep 28, 2016
Publication date	Jun 4, 2019
Grant date	Jun 4, 2019

Abstract

Improved image quality by structured illumination or pivoting illumination and faster image acquisition are both achieved. A line light enters first to fifth virtual pixels of a grating light valve, and first to fifth lights are emitted respectively from the first to fifth virtual pixels. The intensities and phases of the first to fifth 0th-order lights respectively depend on the arrangements of sub-pixels included in the first to fifth virtual pixels. The first to n-th 0th-order lights are extracted respectively from the first to n-th lights, and the first to n-th 0th-order lights are converted respectively into first to fifth light sheets. The first to fifth light sheets are created at a portion to be illuminated. The arrangements of the sub-pixels included in the first to fifth pixels are controlled such that a structured light sheet or pivoting light sheet is created at the portion to be illuminated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A converter for converting a line light into a structured light sheet or a pivoting light sheet, said converter comprising:
a spatial light modulator including first to n-th pixels, wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to 2, said first to n-th pixels respectively include first to n-th groups of sub-pixels, each group of sub-pixels comprises reflection surfaces, first to n-th lights are emitted respectively from said first to n-th pixels when a line light enters said first to n-th pixels, said first to n-th lights respectively include first to n-th specific-order lights, and intensities and phases of said first to n-th specific-order lights respectively depend on arrangements of said first to n-th groups of sub-pixels;
an optical system that extracts said first to n-th specific-order lights respectively from said first to n-th lights and converts said first to n-th specific-order lights respectively into first to n-th light sheets to create the first to n-th light sheets at a portion to be illuminated; and
a controller that performs processing of controlling the arrangements of said first to n-th groups of sub-pixels such that a structured light sheet or a pivoting light sheet is created at said portion to be illuminated, an arrangement of said each group of sub-pixels comprises an arrangement when no modulation is performed in which said reflection surfaces are positioned at first positions that are flush with each other, an arrangement when phase modulation is performed in which said reflection surfaces are displaced from said first positions and are flush with each other, and an arrangement when amplitude modulation is performed in which said reflection surfaces create a periodic roughness.

2. The converter according to claim 1 , wherein said processing includes first processing of controlling the arrangements of said first to n-th groups of sub-pixels such that i 1-th and i2-th specific-order lights are emitted at a time respectively from i 1-th and i2-th pixels that are two pixels included in said first to n-th pixels to create said structured light sheet at said portion to be illuminated.

3. The converter according to claim 2 , wherein said first processing controls arrangements of i1-th and i2-th groups of sub-pixels such that a phase difference between said i1-th and i2-th specific-order lights changes during said i1-th and i2-th specific-order lights are emitted respectively from said i1-th and i2-th pixels.

4. The converter according to claim 1 , wherein said processing includes second processing of controlling the arrangements of said first to n-th groups of sub-pixels such that a j1-th specific-order light is emitted from a j1-th pixel that is one pixel included in said first to n-th pixels and said j1-th pixel is switched in a cyclical fashion to create said pivoting light sheet at said portion to be illuminated.

5. The converter according to claim 1 , wherein
said first to n-th specific-order lights are respectively first to n-th 0th-order lights, and
said processing controls, when causing a k-th 0th-order light to be emitted from a k-th pixel included in said first to n-th pixels, arrangements of a k-th group of sub-pixels such that said k-th group of sub-pixels do not form a diffraction grating, and controls, when causing said k-th 0th-order light not to be emitted from said k-th pixel, the arrangements of said k-th group of sub-pixels such that said k-th group of sub-pixels form a diffracting grating.

6. The converter according to claim 1 , wherein
said first to n-th specific-order lights are respectively first to n-th first-order diffracted lights, and
said processing controls, when causing a k-th first-order diffracted light to be emitted from a k-th pixel included in said first to n-th pixels, arrangements of a k-th group of sub-pixels such that said k-th group of sub-pixels form a diffraction grating, and controls, when causing said k-th first-order diffracted light not to be emitted from said k-th pixel, the arrangements of said k-th group of sub-pixels such that said k-th group of sub-pixels do not form a diffracting grating.

7. The converter according claim 1 , wherein
an i-th group of sub-pixels respectively include an i-th group of reflection surfaces that reflect said line light, where i is each of integers from 1 to n, and
said processing controls, when changing a phase of an m-th specific-order light emitted from an m-th pixel included in said first to n-th pixels, arrangements of an m-th group of sub-pixels such that positions of said m-th group of sub-pixels change for a direction perpendicular to an m-th group of reflection surfaces.

8. The converter according to claim 1 , wherein said optical system includes
a Fourier transform lens that causes said first to n-th lights to pass therethrough and guides said first to n-th specific-order lights to a common position,
a spatial filter with a pass-through portion that is arranged at said common position and selectively causes said first to n-th specific-order lights to pass therethrough,
an inverse Fourier transform lens that causes said first to n-th specific-order lights to pass therethrough and said first to n-th specific-order lights to travel in a common direction after said first to n-th specific-order lights pass through said pass-through portion,
first to n-th cylindrical lenses that respectively cause said first to n-th specific-order lights to pass therethrough and respectively focus said first to n-th specific-order lights after said first to n-th specific-order lights pass through said inverse Fourier transform lens, and
an objective lens that causes said first to n-th specific-order lights to pass therethrough and guides said first to n-th specific-order lights to said portion to be illuminated after said first to n-th specific-order lights respectively pass through said first to n-th cylindrical lenses.

9. The converter according to claim 1 , wherein
said spatial light modulator comprises a grating light valve, and
an i-th group of sub-pixels respectively include an i-th group of ribbons that reflect said line light, and arrangements of said i-th group of sub-pixels are arrangements of said i-th group of ribbons, where i is each of integers from 1 to n.

10. An illuminator for creating a structured light sheet or a pivoting light sheet, said illuminator comprising:
the converter according claim 1 ;
a light source that emits a coherent light; and
an anamorphic optical system that converts said coherent light into said line light.

11. A light sheet fluorescence microscope comprising:
the illuminator according to claim 10 ; and
an imaging device that images a section of a sample illuminated by said structured light sheet or said pivoting light sheet.

Assignees

• Screen Holdings Co Ltd
• Univ Leland Stanford Junior

Inventors

• Itoh Ryosuke
• Solgaard Olav
• Sanborn Hamann Stephen

Classifications

• G02B21/0076

  arrangements using fluorescence or luminescence · CPC title

• G02B21/08 Primary

  Condensers · CPC title

• G02B21/367

  providing an output produced by processing a plurality of individual source images, e.g. image tiling, montage, composite images, depth sectioning, image comparison · CPC title

• G02B27/0911

  Anamorphotic systems · CPC title

• G02B27/0966

  Cylindrical lenses (cylindrical lenses per se G02B3/06) · CPC title