Microscope objective and microscope having such an objective

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11474335-B2
Application number	US-201816640706-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 6, 2018
Priority date	Aug 21, 2017
Publication date	Oct 18, 2022
Grant date	Oct 18, 2022

Abstract

A microscope objective for imaging a specimen using a microscope, the microscope objective being designed as an air objective for microscopy without an immersion medium or as an oil immersion objective for microscopy with an oil-based immersion medium or as a water immersion objective for microscopy with a water-based immersion medium. The front lens of the microscope objective is provided with a coating which repels an immersion medium and is lipophobic and hydrophobic if the objective is an air objective, only lipophobic if the objective is a water immersion objective, and only hydrophobic if the objective is an oil immersion objective.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A microscope objective for imaging a sample using a microscope, wherein the microscope objective comprises a front lens having a coating, wherein one of the following three combinations applies:
the microscope objective is configured as an air objective for microscopy without an immersion medium located between the front lens and the sample, and the coating is on the front lens of the microscope objective and is lipophobic and hydrophobic,
the microscope objective is configured as an oil immersion objective for microscopy with an oil-based immersion medium located between the front lens and the sample, and the coating is on the front lens of the microscope objective and is purely hydrophobic, and
the microscope objective is configured as a water immersion objective for microscopy with a water-based immersion medium located between the front lens and the sample, and the coating is on the front lens of the microscope objective and is purely lipophobic.

2. The microscope objective as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a lens mount and a lens casing, wherein at least one of the lens mount and the lens casing also comprises either the coating or a layer which is lipophobic.

3. The microscope objective as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a lens mount and a lens casing, wherein the lens mount and the lens casing also each comprise the coating with an area free of the coating that extends away from the front lens and acts as a drainage channel for repelled immersion medium.

4. The microscope objective as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a lens mount and a lens casing, wherein the lens mount and the lens casing each comprise a layer which is lipophobic and hydrophobic with an area free of the layer that extends away from the front lens and acts as a drainage channel for repelled immersion medium.

5. The microscope objective as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a receptacle for drained immersion medium.

6. The microscope objective as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the microscope objective further comprises a lens mount and a lens casing, each of the lens mount and the lens casing including an immersion medium-repellent layer, said layer configured to repel the immersion medium for which the microscope objective is configured, and the layer surrounds the front lens, and on the lens mount and the lens casing defines an area free of the immersion-medium repellent, the area extending away from the front lens and acting as a drainage channel for repelled immersion medium, wherein the drainage channel ends at the receptacle.

7. The microscope objective as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a joint of the microscope objective and/or lens mount of the microscope objective are/is lipophobic and hydrophobic.

8. A microscope comprising a microscope objective as claimed in claim 1 .

9. The microscope as claimed in claim 8 , wherein a connection point between the microscope objective and an objective holder is lipophobic and hydrophobic.

10. A microscope objective for imaging a sample using a microscope, wherein the microscope objective is configured as a multi-immersion objective for selectively carrying out microscopy without an immersion medium located between the front lens and the sample, or with an oil-based immersion medium located between the front lens and a cover slip of the sample, or with a water-based immersion medium located between the front lens and a cover slip of the sample, wherein the microscope objective also comprises a first cap provided for microscopy without an immersion medium, a second cap provided for microscopy with the water-based immersion medium and a third cap provided for microscopy with the oil-based immersion medium, the first cap, the second cap, and the third cap are each placeable over the front lens and are immersion medium-repellent, and wherein the first cap is lipophobic and hydrophobic, the second cap is only lipophobic and the third cap is only hydrophobic.

11. The microscope objective as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the first cap, the second cap, and the third cap are only placeable on the microscope objective at a predetermined angular position, and the microscope objective includes a lens casing that is lipophobic and hydrophobic.

12. The microscope objective as claimed in claim 11 , wherein a field that extends away from the front lens is not immersion-repellent and acts as a drainage channel for repelled immersion medium.

13. The microscope objective as claimed in claim 10 , comprising a receptacle for drained immersion medium.

14. The microscope objective as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the microscope objective further comprises a lens mount and a lens casing, each of the lens mount and the lens casing including an immersion medium-repellent layer, said layer configured to repel the immersion medium for which the microscope objective is designed, and the layer surrounds the front lens, and on the lens mount and the lens casing defines an area free of the immersion-medium repellent, the area extending away from the front lens and acting as a drainage channel for repelled immersion medium, wherein the drainage channel ends at the receptacle.

Assignees

• Zeiss Carl Microscopy Gmbh

Inventors

• Ohrt Thomas
• Goegler Michael
• Kues Thorsten

Classifications

• G02B21/0088

  Inverse microscopes · CPC title

• G02B1/18 Primary

  Coatings for keeping optical surfaces clean, e.g. hydrophobic or photo-catalytic films (G02B1/16 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B21/02

  Objectives · CPC title

• G02B21/33 Primary

  Immersion oils {, or microscope systems or objectives for use with immersion fluids} · CPC title