Laser microscope using phase-modulation type spatial light modulator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9158100-B2
Application number	US-91672510-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2010
Priority date	Nov 6, 2009
Publication date	Oct 13, 2015
Grant date	Oct 13, 2015

Abstract

A laser microscope comprises a laser light source emitting illumination light; an objective applying the illumination light on a sample; a light path compounding unit compounding a first illumination light path and a second illumination path between the laser light source and the objective; a phase-modulation type spatial light modulator placed on a position on the first illumination path, the position also being optically conjugate with a pupil position of the objective, modulating a phase of the illumination light; and a two-dimensional scanning unit placed on the second illumination light path, scanning the sample in a plane orthogonal to an optical axis of the objective.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laser microscope comprising:
a first laser light source which emits first illumination light;
a second laser light source which emits second illumination light;
an objective which applies the first illumination light and the second illumination light on a sample;
a light path compounding unit which compounds a first illumination light path of the first illumination light and a second illumination light path of the second illumination light;
a phase-modulation type spatial light modulator which (i) is placed at a position on the first illumination light path between the first laser light source and the light path compounding unit, (ii) modulates a phase of the first illumination light, and (iii) is one of a reflection-type liquid crystal phase modulator, a transmission-type liquid crystal phase modulator, and a reflection-type mirror phase modulator, wherein the position of the spatial light modulator is optically conjugate with a pupil position of the objective;
a two-dimensional scanning unit which is placed on the second illumination light path between the second laser light source and the light path compounding unit, and which scans the sample in a plane orthogonal to an optical axis of the objective;
a first relay optical system which relays a pupil of the objective to a first position between the light path compounding unit and the phase-modulation type spatial light modulator; and
a second relay optical system which relays the pupil relayed to the first position by the first relay optical system to the phase-modulation type spatial light modulator.

2. The laser microscope according to claim 1 , wherein the light path compounding unit is changeable according to a wavelength of incoming light.

3. The laser microscope according to claim 1 , further comprising, on the first illumination light path and between the phase-modulation type spatial light modulator and the light path compounding unit, a first scanning unit which scans the sample in a first direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the objective.

4. The laser microscope according to claim 3 , wherein the first scanning unit scans the sample in the first direction with a pattern of the first illumination light formed on the sample by modulating the phase of the first illumination light by the phase-modulation type spatial light modulator.

5. The laser microscope according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a detection light path separation unit which separates detection light from at least one of the first illumination light and the second illumination light, and which guides the detection light to a detection light path, wherein the detection light is generated from the sample by application of the first illumination light or the second illumination light; and
a light detector which is placed in the detection light path, and which detects the detection light.

6. The laser microscope according to claim 5 , wherein the light detector comprises a two-dimensional sensor which is placed on a position that is optically conjugate with the sample, and which detects a spatial distribution of intensity of the detection light.

7. The laser microscope according to claim 6 , wherein the detection light path separation unit is placed between the objective and the two-dimensional scanning unit.

8. The laser microscope according to claim 5 , wherein the light detector is placed in a vicinity of a position that is optically conjugate with the pupil position of the objective.

9. The laser microscope according to claim 5 , further comprising a confocal stop which is placed at a position between the detection light path separation unit and the light detector, wherein the position of the confocal stop is optically conjugate with the sample, and wherein the detection light path separation unit is placed between the second laser light source and the two-dimensional scanning unit.

10. The laser microscope according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a transmission detection optical system in which light which has passed through the sample enters; and
a light detector which detects detection light generated from the sample with application of the first illumination light or the second illumination light, through the transmission detection optical system.

11. The laser microscope according to claim 1 , further comprising a storage unit which stores, for each image height and each wavelength of the first illumination light, aberration information related to distortion and chromatic aberration of magnification generated in optical systems placed between the objective and the phase-modulation type spatial light modulator and generated in the objective,
wherein the phase-modulation type spatial light modulator modulates the phase of the first illumination light based on the aberration information obtained from the storage unit.

12. The laser microscope according to claim 1 , further comprising a storage unit which stores, for each image height and each wavelength of the first illumination light, aberration information related to wavefront aberration generated in optical systems placed between the objective and the phase-modulation type spatial light modulator and generated in the objective,
wherein the phase-modulation type spatial light modulator modulates the phase of the first illumination light based on the aberration information obtained from the storage unit.

13. The laser microscope according to claim 1 , further comprising an imaging unit which images the sample on which the first illumination light whose phase has been modulated by the phase-modulation type spatial light modulator is applied, to obtain a light application pattern formed on the sample,
wherein the phase-modulation type spatial light modulator adjusts modulation of the phase of the first illumination light so as to reduce the difference between a desired pattern and the light application pattern obtained by the imaging unit.

14. The laser microscope according to claim 1 , further comprising an imaging unit which has a plurality of pixel parts and which images the sample on which the first illumination light whose phase has been modulated by the phase-modulation type spatial light modulator is applied, to obtain a light application pattern formed on the sample,
wherein the laser microscope stores a position of the pixel parts in which the second illumination light deflected by the two-dimensional scanning unit enters, in association with a parameter for controlling a scanning position of the two-dimensional scanning unit at a time when the second illumination light enters the pixel parts.

Assignees

• Yokoi Eiji
• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Yokoi Eiji

Classifications

• G02B21/06

  Means for illuminating specimens · CPC title

• G02B21/16

  adapted for ultraviolet illumination {; Fluorescence microscopes (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