Integrated illuminator and condenser for microscopes

An integrated illuminator and condenser for microscopes, in which illuminator and condenser functions are coupled, comprising:

• a single lens wherein the number of lenses with refractive power in the integrated illuminator and condenser is equal to one, and wherein said single lens is a convergent lens;
• at least one multiwavelength light-emitting diode for bright field illumination passing through said single lens;
• a first circular array of green light-emitting diodes for low-magnification phase contrast illumination passing through said single lens;
• at least one second circular array of green light-emitting diodes for high-magnification phase contrast illumination passing through said single lens, said at least one second circular array of green light-emitting diodes for high-magnification phase contrast illumination having a diameter greater than said first circular array of green light-emitting diodes for low-magnification phase contrast illumination;
• a third circular array having at least one of multiwavelength light-emitting diodes for dark field illumination, single-wavelength light-emitting diodes for fluorescence illumination, or a combination thereof, and wherein the dark field illumination, the fluorescence illumination, or the combination thereof from said third circular array does not pass through any lens element with refractive power;
• and
• one or more light-absorbing annular masks having a fixed aperture geometry to limit light from one or more of said circular arrays of light-emitting diodes.