# US 12,000,999 B2 · Koehler integrator device and application thereof in a multi-focal confocal microscope

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- Number: US 12,000,999 B2
- Document ID: US12000999B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/413,699
- Filed: 2018-12-17
- Published: 2022-01-27
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2018-12-17
- Assignees: Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne (Epfl)
- Applicants: Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne (Epfl)
- Inventors: Dora Mahecic; Kyle Douglass; Suliana Manley
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12000999B2

## CPC

- G02B 21/0032: {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)}
- B23K 26/0648: {comprising lenses}
- B23K 26/0652: {comprising prisms}
- B23K 26/0676: {into dependently operating sub-beams, e.g. an array of spots with fixed spatial relationship or for performing simultaneously identical operations}
- B23K 26/082: Scanning systems, i.e. devices involving movement of the laser beam relative to the laser head
- G02B 21/0044: {moving apertures, e.g. Nipkow disks, rotating lens arrays}
- G02B 21/008: {Details of detection or image processing, including general computer control}
- G02B 27/0927: {Systems for changing the beam intensity distribution, e.g. Gaussian to top-hat}
- G02B 27/0961: {Lens arrays (lens arrays per se G02B3/0006)}
- G02B 27/0988: {Diaphragms, spatial filters, masks for removing or filtering a part of the beam}
- G02B 27/30: Collimators
- G03F 7/70075: {Homogenization of illumination intensity in the mask plane by using an integrator, e.g. fly's eye lens, facet mirror or glass rod, by using a diffusing optical element or by beam deflection}
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G)

## Abstract

A Koehler integrator device includes a collimating lens for collimating a light field from an incoherent or partially coherent light source, planar first and second micro-lens arrays for relaying portions of the collimated light field along separate imaging channels, wherein all the micro-lenses have equal focal length and pitch and the arrays are arranged with a mutual distance equal to the focal length, and a collecting Fourier lens having a Fourier lens diameter and focal length defining front and back focal planes, wherein the Fourier lens is for superimposing light from all imaging channels in the front focal plane and wherein the second micro-lens array is in the back focal plane, wherein a third micro-lens array is in the front focal plane for creating a wavelength independent array of illumination spots. Furthermore, a confocal microscope apparatus, including the device, and a method of using the apparatus are described.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A Koehler integrator device, comprising
a collimating lens being arranged for collimating a light field created by a light source device to provide a collimated light field,
a pair of planar first and second micro-lens arrays, being arranged for relaying portions of the collimated light field along separate imaging channels, wherein all micro-lenses of the first and second micro-lens arrays have an equal micro-lens focal length and pitch and the micro-lens arrays are arranged with a mutual distance equal to the micro-lens focal length,
a collecting Fourier lens having a Fourier lens diameter and a Fourier lens focal length defining a Fourier lens front focal plane and a Fourier lens back focal plane, wherein the Fourier lens is arranged for superimposing light from all imaging channels in the Fourier lens front focal plane and wherein the second micro-lens array is arranged in the Fourier lens back focal plane, and
a third micro-lens array being arranged in the Fourier lens front focal plane for creating a wavelength independent array of illumination spots.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The Koehler integrator device according to claim 1, wherein
the third micro-lens array has a pitch in a range from 50 μm to 1500 μm.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The Koehler integrator device according to claim 1, wherein
the third micro-lens array comprises at least 5*5 micro-lenses.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The Koehler integrator device according to claim 1, wherein
the third micro-lens array is fixed.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The Koehler integrator device according to claim 1, wherein
the third micro-lens array is scannable.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The Koehler integrator device according to claim 1, wherein
each of the first and second micro-lens arrays have a common a pitch in a range from 50 μm to 1500 μm.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The Koehler integrator device according to claim 1, wherein
each of the first and second micro-lens arrays comprises at least 5*5 micro-lenses.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The Koehler integrator device according to claim 1, further comprising
a beam sizing optic being arranged between the collimating lens and the first micro-lens array for changing a diameter of the collimated light field.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The Koehler integrator device according to claim 8, wherein
the beam sizing optic is arranged for contracting the diameter of the collimated light field and comprises a first beam de-expander lens having a first beam de-expander lens focal length and a second beam de-expander lens having a second beam de-expander lens focal length, which is smaller than the first beam de-expander lens focal length.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The Koehler integrator device according to claim 8, wherein
the beam sizing optic comprises a variable beam expander.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The Koehler integrator device according to claim 8, wherein
the beam sizing optic is arranged for expanding the diameter of the collimated light field and comprises a first beam expander lens having a first beam expander lens focal length and a second beam expander lens having a second beam expander lens focal length, which is larger than the first beam expander lens focal length.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The Koehler integrator device according to claim 8, wherein
the beam sizing optic is adjustable for controlling the diameter of the collimated light field.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The Koehler integrator device according to claim 1, further comprising
a hard aperture being arranged between the collimating lens and the first micro-lens array for limiting a diameter of the collimated light field.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The Koehler integrator device according to claim 13, wherein
the hard aperture comprises an iris diaphragm.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The Koehler integrator device according to claim 1, further comprising
a pinhole array being arranged in a front focal plane of the third micro-lens array for limiting a diameter of the illumination spots.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

A method of using a Koehler integrator device according to claim 1, said method comprising creating a pattern of illumination spots in a multi-focal confocal microscope.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

A confocal microscope apparatus, being arranged for multi-focal sample illumination, comprising
a light source device being arranged for creating an excitation light field,
a Koehler integrator device according to claim 1, being arranged for creating the array of illumination spots,
a scanning device being arranged for creating a scanning pattern of the illumination spots,
a focusing optic for focusing the scanning pattern of the illumination spots to a sample to be imaged, and
a detector device being arranged for detecting a pattern of emission spots excited by the pattern of illumination spots.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The confocal microscope apparatus according to claim 17, wherein
the light source device comprises a coherent light source, and
a focusing lens and a light scrambling device are arranged between the coherent light source and the collimating lens of the Koehler integrator device.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The confocal microscope apparatus according to claim 18, wherein
the focusing lens and the collimating lens provide an imaging optic including the light scrambling device.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The confocal microscope apparatus according to claim 17, wherein
the light source device comprises an incoherent light source.

### Claim 21 (depends on 17)

The confocal microscope apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising
a pinhole array being arranged in a front focal plane of the third micro-lens array for limiting a diameter of the generated illumination spots.

### Claim 22 (depends on 17)

A method of using a confocal microscope apparatus according to claim 17, said method comprising imaging a sample to be investigated.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The method according to claim 22, wherein the Koehler integrator device includes a beam sizing optic arranged between the collimating lens and the first micro-lens array for changing a diameter of the collimated light field, wherein the beam sizing optic is arranged for contracting the diameter of the collimated light field and comprises a first beam de-expander lens having a first beam de-expander lens focal length and a second beam de-expander lens having a second beam de-expander lens focal length, which is smaller than the first beam de-expander lens focal length, and the method comprises the step of controlling the diameter of the collimated excitation light field by adjusting the beam sizing optic such that both of a homogeneity of the illumination and a spot size of the illumination spots are sufficient for the imaging of the sample to be investigated.

### Claim 24 (depends on 22)

The method according to claim 22, wherein the Koehler integrator device includes a hard aperture arranged between the collimating lens and the first micro-lens array for limiting a diameter of the collimated light field, wherein the hard aperture comprises an iris diaphragm with a variable diameter and the method comprises the step of controlling the diameter of the collimated excitation light field by changing a size of the iris diaphragm.