Phase object visualization apparatus and phase object visualization method
AssigneeOlympus Corporation
InventorHiroshi Ishiwata
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A phase object visualization apparatus includes: an illumination optical system 11 that illuminates a phase object; an image formation optical system 12 that forms an image from light from sample S that corresponds to the phase object; and light blocking unit 10 for blocking light, the light blocking unit 10 being disposed between the sample S and an image plane formed by the image formation optical system 12, and including an aperture at a position decentered from the optical axis of the image formation optical system 12. The position of the aperture is such that an area occupied on the aperture by 0-order diffraction light from the sample S illuminated by the illumination optical system 11 becomes smaller than the total area of the aperture.
Claims7
A phase object visualization apparatus comprising:
- an illumination optical system that illuminates a phase object;
- an image formation optical system that forms an image from light from the phase object;
- and
- a light blocking unit for blocking light, the light blocking unit being disposed in the image formation optical system between the phase object and an image plane formed by the image formation optical system, and the light blocking unit including an aperture at a position decentered from an optical axis of the image formation optical system,
- wherein the aperture is a physical aperture comprising an opening in the light blocking member,
- wherein the aperture is provided at the position decentered from the optical axis of the image formation optical system such that an area occupied on the aperture by 0-order diffraction light from the phase object illuminated by the illumination optical system is smaller than a total area of the aperture, and
- wherein the illumination optical system does not have an aperture decentered from an optical axis of the illumination optical system.
A method of visualizing a phase object by illuminating the phase object using an illumination optical system and by forming an image on an image plane from light from the phase object using an image formation optical system, the method comprising:
- blocking light between the phase object and the image plane, and causing 0-order diffraction light from the phase object illuminated by the illumination optical system to pass through an aperture located at a position decentered from an optical axis of the image formation optical system, wherein the aperture is a physical aperture comprising an opening in a light blocking member;
- and
- positioning the aperture in a manner such that an area of the 0-order diffraction light passing through the aperture is smaller than an area of the aperture,
- wherein the illumination optical system does not have an aperture decentered from an optical axis of the illumination optical system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.