# US 2018/0321480 A1 · Specimen delimiting element, microscopy method and microscope > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0321480 A1 - Document ID: US20180321480A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/771,644 - Filed: 2016-10-14 - Published: 2018-11-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-10-28 - Assignees: Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH - Applicants: Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH - Inventors: Dr. Thomas OHRT; Thomas KALKBRENNER - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180321480A1 ## CPC - G02B 21/33: Immersion oils {, or microscope systems or objectives for use with immersion fluids} - G01N 1/30: Staining; Impregnating {; Fixation; Dehydration; Multistep processes for preparing samples of tissue, cell or nucleic acid material and the like for analysis} - G02B 21/002: {Scanning microscopes (scanning near field optical microscopes G01Q60/18)} - G02B 21/02: Objectives - G02B 21/26: Stages; Adjusting means therefor - G02B 21/34: Microscope slides, e.g. mounting specimens on microscope slides - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) ## Abstract Specimen delimiting element which, at least in one region, has a nano-porous material which is transparent to at least one observation radiation which is capturable by means of a microscope. The nano-porous material has pores, the mean pore diameter of which is smaller than the wavelength of the observation radiation, and a proportion of at least 5% of the volume of the nano-porous material is taken up by the pores at least in portions of said nano-porous material. The material has an open porosity, the mean pore diameter is at most 1000 nm, and the number of pores per unit volume of the nano-porous material and/or the mean pore diameter changes/change along at least one extent of the specimen delimiting element, such that a pore gradient is formed in the specimen delimiting element, and has at least one gradient portion in which no porosity is present, such that a separation of a specimen medium on one side surface of the specimen delimiting element and an immersion medium on an opposite side surface of the specimen delimiting element is effected by means of the specimen delimiting element. The invention furthermore relates to a microscopy method and to a microscope using the specimen delimiting element. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A specimen delimiting element comprising: at least in one region, a nano-porous material which is transparent to at least one observation radiation which is capturable by means of a microscope, wherein the mean pore diameter of said non-porous material is smaller than the wavelength of the observation radiation wherein a proportion of at least 5% of the volume of the nano-porous material is taken up by the pores at least in portions of said nano-porous material, said nano-porous material having an open porosity, said mean pore diameter being at most 1000 nm, the number of pores per unit volume of the nano-porous material and/or the mean pore diameter changes or change along at least one extent of the specimen delimiting element, such that a pore gradient is formed in the specimen delimiting element, and said pore gradient has at least one gradient portion in which no porosity is present, such that a separation of a specimen medium on one side surface of the specimen delimiting element and an immersion medium on an opposite side surface of the specimen delimiting element is effected by means of the specimen delimiting element. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The specimen delimiting element as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mean pore diameter is in a value range of 0.5 nm to 100 nm. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The specimen delimiting element as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mean pore diameter is in a value range of 1 nm to 10 nm. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The specimen delimiting element as claimed in claim 1, wherein said observation radiation has a wavelength selected from a wavelength range of 200 to 2000 nm. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The specimen delimiting element as claimed in claim 4, wherein a respective pore gradient is formed proceeding from two mutually opposite side surfaces of the specimen delimiting element, wherein the pore gradients are formed in a mutually opposing fashion with regard to the number of pores per unit volume of the material and/or the mean pore diameter. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The specimen delimiting element as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a solidified or liquid medium having known optical properties filing said pores, wherein the solidified or liquid medium remains in the specimen delimiting element. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The specimen delimiting element as claimed in claim 1, wherein said nano-porous material is a glass, a plastic or a plastics mixture. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A microscopy method comprising the following steps: providing a specimen delimiting element as claimed in claim 1, providing a specimen, covering the specimen with said specimen delimiting element, filling the pores of the specimen delimiting element with an immersion medium and/or with a specimen medium, wetting the specimen delimiting element with an immersion medium, contacting an immersion objective with the immersion medium, and observing the specimen by detecting at least one beam of the observation radiation through the immersion objective and through the specimen delimiting element. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The microscopy method as claimed in claim 8, wherein a specimen embedded in an embedding medium is provided as the specimen. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1, 8) A microscope for carrying out the method as claimed in claim 8 comprising a specimen slide mount for mounting a specimen slide, said specimen slide being provided with a specimen delimiting element as claimed in claim 1. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The microscope as claimed in claim 10, further comprising an immersion media interchange device, said immersion media interchange device having an immersion media feed for feeding an immersion medium to said specimen delimiting element, a pump unit for the controlled transport of the immersion medium from a supply container through the immersion media feed to the specimen delimiting element, and a control unit for driving the pump unit.