Near-infrared microscope
AssigneeOlympus Optical Co., Ltd.
InventorKatsuyuki Abe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A near-intfrared microscope has a light source device for illumination for emitting near-infrared rays, an illuminating optical system for illuminating a specimen with illumination light from the light source device for illumination, and an observing optical system for observing the specimen. The light source device for illumination selectively produces an arbitrary wavelength in a wavelength region ranging from 600 to 900 nm. The illuminating optical system and the observing optical system include a contrast producing unit for yielding a contrast of the specimen. In this way, cells lying at a depth of at least 100 .mu.m below the surface of the specimen can be observed, and even when an ordinary objective lens is used in the near-infrared region, imaging performance is not affected.
Claims26
A near-infrared microscope comprising:
- a light source device for illumination;
- an illuminating optical system for illuminating a specimen with illumination light from said light source device for illumination;
- and
- an observing optical system for observing the specimen,
- said light source device for illumination selectively producing light substantially totally within a wavelength region ranging from 600 to 900 nm, and
- said illuminating optical system and said observing optical system include a contrast producing unit for yielding a contrast of the specimen.
An interference microscope, comprising:
- a light source device;
- a specimen stage disposed proximate to said light source device;
- an illuminating optical system disposed between said light source device and said specimen stage such that it receives light from said light source device and outputs illumination light directed onto said specimen stage;
- and
- an observing optical system disposed proximate to said specimen stage on a side opposite to said illuminating optical system in the sense that it receives light from said illuminating optical system that has passed at least partially through a specimen disposed on said specimen stage,
- wherein said illuminating optical system and said observing optical system include a contrast producing unit, and said light source device includes a light source of near-infrared light and a near-infrared transmitting filter that has a passband substantially totally within a wavelength region ranging from 600 nm to 900 nm.
An infrared microscopic method, comprising:
- illuminating a biological specimen with infrared radiation from an illuminating optical system;
- and
- imaging a portion of said infrared radiation that has passed through at least a portion of said specimen with an observing optical system,
- wherein said infrared radiation is preselected to produce light substantially totally within a wavelength range of 600 nm to 900 nm, and
- said illuminating and observing optical systems include a contrast producing unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.