Acousto-optical device and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11927735-B2
Application number	US-201916962245-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 15, 2019
Priority date	Jan 15, 2018
Publication date	Mar 12, 2024
Grant date	Mar 12, 2024

Abstract

An apparatus for reducing a chromatic spread angle of light diffracted at an acousto-optic element includes the acousto-optic element and a first and a second focusing optical unit. The acousto-optic element is disposed in a beam path of an incident light beam and is configured to generate the diffracted light from the incident light beam such that the diffracted light emanates from a virtual interaction point of the acousto-optic element. The first focusing optical unit is disposed in the beam path upstream of the acousto-optic element and the second focusing optical unit is disposed in the diffracted light such that a focus of the incident light beam is situated downstream of the first focusing optical unit in the acousto-optic element and the virtual interaction point is located in a front focus of the second focusing optical unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A microscope, comprising:
a pulsed light emitting laser light source with a pulse duration of ≤1000 fs, the pulsed light emitting laser light source being configured to provide an incident light beam; and
an apparatus for reducing a chromatic spread angle of light diffracted at an acousto-optic element, the apparatus comprising:
the acousto-optic element which is disposed in a beam path of the incident light beam and is configured to generate the diffracted light from the incident light beam such that the diffracted light emanates from a virtual interaction point of the acousto-optic element; and
a first and a second focusing optical unit, the first focusing optical unit being disposed in the beam path upstream of the acousto-optic element and the second focusing optical unit being disposed in the diffracted light such that a focus of the incident light beam is situated downstream of the first focusing optical unit in the acousto-optic element and the virtual interaction point is located in a front focus of the second focusing optical unit.

2. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein the diffracted light is diffracted light of the +1 st /—1 st order.

3. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein the first focusing optical unit and/or the second focusing optical unit comprises at least one mirror.

4. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein the first focusing optical unit and/or the second focusing optical unit comprises at least one lens.

5. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein the first focusing optical unit and/or the second focusing optical unit consists of a spherical lens or cylindrical lens.

6. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein the acousto-optic element comprises an acousto-optic modulator.

7. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein the microscope comprises a multiphoton microscope.

8. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein the pulse duration is ≤100 fs.

9. A method for reducing, in a microscope, a chromatic spread angle of light diffracted at an acousto-optic element which is disposed in a beam path of an incident light beam generating the diffracted light from the incident light beam such that the diffracted light emanates from a virtual interaction point of the acousto-optic element, the method comprising:
emitting light from a pulsed light emitting laser light source with a pulse duration of ≤1000 fs so as to provide the incident light beam;
focusing the incident light beam through a first focusing optical unit at a focus, wherein the focus is situated in the acousto-optic element;
generating the diffracted light from the incident light beam by the acousto-optic element, wherein the diffracted light emanates from the virtual interaction point of the acousto-optic element; and
passing the diffracted light through a second focusing optical unit, wherein the virtual interaction point is located in a front focus of the second focusing optical unit.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the diffracted light is diffracted light of the +1 st /—1 st order.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first focusing optical unit and/or the second focusing optical unit comprises at least one mirror.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first focusing optical unit and/or the second focusing optical unit comprises at least one lens.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first focusing optical unit and/or the second focusing optical unit consists of a cylindrical lens.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the acousto-optic element comprises an acousto-optic modulator.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the pulse duration is ≤100 fs.

Assignees

• Leica Microsystems

Inventors

• Kremer Manuel
• Neugart Felix

Classifications

• G02B21/0064 Primary

  multi-spectral or wavelength-selective arrangements, e.g. wavelength fan-out, chromatic profiling (G02B21/0076 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B21/0032 Primary

  Optical details of illumination, e.g. light-sources, pinholes, beam splitters, slits, fibers (G02B21/0036 - G02B21/008; means for illumination of specimens in general G02B21/06) · CPC title

• G02B21/0036

  Scanning details, e.g. scanning stages · CPC title

• G02F1/116

  using an optically anisotropic medium, wherein the incident and the diffracted light waves have different polarizations, e.g. acousto-optic tunable filter [AOTF] (G02F1/125 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02F1/33

  Acousto-optical deflection devices {(circuit or control arrangements therefor G02F1/113)} · CPC title