Immersion microscopy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11543643-B2
Application number	US-201816640714-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 6, 2018
Priority date	Aug 21, 2017
Publication date	Jan 3, 2023
Grant date	Jan 3, 2023

Abstract

A microscope objective for imaging a specimen using a microscope, the microscope objective having a front lens enclosed by a surround and being designed for microscopy with an immersion liquid. In the microscope objective, the front lens and/or the surround thereof is provided with a coating which can be switched between a state which repels the immersion liquid and a state which does not repel the immersion liquid.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A microscope objective for imaging a sample using a microscope, the microscope objective comprising a front lens enclosed by a mount and being configured for microscopy with an immersion liquid, wherein the front lens and/or the mount thereof comprise a coating which is switchable by an electrical or optical signal between a state that repels the immersion liquid and a state that does not repel the immersion liquid.

2. The microscope objective as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the switchable coating of the front lens and/or the mount thereof is at least partially surrounded by a border layer that permanently repels the immersion liquid, wherein an area of the objective which extends away from the front lens is not covered by the border layer, is not repulsive and acts as a drainage channel for draining repelled immersion liquid.

3. The microscope objective as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the border layer is lipophobic and hydrophobic.

4. The microscope objective as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the drainage channel terminates at a receptacle for drained immersion liquid.

5. A microscope comprising a microscope objective as claimed in claim 1 , and comprising a control device that is configured to clean the immersion liquid off the microscope objective following the completion of a microscopy process by virtue of switching the microscope objective into the state that repels the immersion liquid.

6. A combination of the microscope as claimed in claim 5 , and a sample carrier or cover slip, switchable between a state the repels the immersion liquid and a state that does not repel the immersion liquid, and
wherein the control device is configured to locate a region to be imaged on the sample, to switch the sample carrier or the cover slip into the state that repels the immersion liquid, at the same time switch the microscope objective into the state that does not repel the immersion liquid and displace the microscope objective and the sample relative to one another, and, after setting the region to be imaged on the sample, to switch the sample carrier or the cover slip into the state that does not repel the immersion liquid and to image by microscopy the region of the sample to be imaged.

7. The combination of the microscope and the sample carrier or cover slip, as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the state of the sample carrier or cover slip that does not repel the immersion liquid is a state that attracts the immersion liquid.

8. A combination of a switching device and a sample carrier or cover slip for examining a sample, to be disposed on the sample carrier or under the cover slip, by microscopy, wherein the sample carrier or the cover slip comprises a coating which is switchable by an electrical or optical signal between a state that repels an immersion liquid and a state that does not repel the immersion liquid,
wherein the switching device comprises wiring in contact with the coating so as to provide the electrical signal, or the switching device comprises a light source to provide the optical signal.

9. The sample carrier or cover slip of claim 8 , wherein the state that does not repel the immersion liquid is a state that attracts the immersion liquid.

10. A method for examining a sample by microscopy using a microscope in a microscopy process, wherein use is made of a microscope objective that comprises a front lens enclosed by a mount and that is used for microscopy with an immersion liquid, wherein the front lens and/or the mount comprise a coating which is switchable by an electrical or optical signal between a state that repels the immersion liquid and a state that does not repel the immersion liquid, the method comprising:
applying the electrical or optical signal to switch the front lens or the mount respectively into the state that repels the immersion liquid between a state that repels the immersion liquid and a state that does not repel the immersion liquid, and
cleaning the immersion liquid off of the microscope objective following the completion of the microscopy process.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising:
switching a state of a sample carrier or cover slip, for the purposes of locating a region to be imaged on the sample, into a state that repels the immersion liquid, at the same time the microscope objective is switched into the state that does not repel the immersion liquid,
displacing the microscope objective and the sample relative to one another,
switching the sample carrier or cover slip into the state that does not repel the immersion liquid, after the region to be imaged on the sample has been set, and
imaging the region of the sample to be imaged by microscopy.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the state of the sample carrier or cover slip that does not repel the immersion liquid is a state that attracts the immersion liquid.

Assignees

• Zeiss Carl Microscopy Gmbh

Inventors

• Ohrt Thomas
• Goegler Michael
• Kues Thorsten

Classifications

• G02B21/33 Primary

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

• G02B27/0006

  with means to keep optical surfaces clean, e.g. by preventing or removing dirt, stains, contamination, condensation (G02B1/18 takes precedence; cleaning in general B08B) · CPC title

• G02B21/34

  Microscope slides, e.g. mounting specimens on microscope slides · CPC title