Scanning optical apparatus

A scanning optical apparatus comprising:

• a light source unit;
• an objective lens for collecting illumination light emitted from said light source unit on a specimen;
• scanning means for relatively scanning said specimen with collected illumination light;
• an imaging optical system for imaging light emanating from said specimen;
• a confocal aperture placed at a position conjugate with a focal point of said objective lens;
• a plurality of photodetectors for detecting the light from the specimen, passing through said confocal aperture;
• a dispersion element for spatially decomposing a light beam passing through said confocal aperture into a spectrum;
• and
• wavelength selective means for receiving a part of the light beam decomposed into a spectrum to deflect said part toward any of said plurality of photodetectors,
• wherein an apodization filter is interposed between said confocal aperture and said dispersion element.

A scanning optical apparatus comprising:

• a light source unit;
• an objective lens for collecting illumination light emitted from said light source unit on a specimen;
• scanning means for relatively scanning said specimen with collected illumination light;
• an imaging optical system for imaging light emanating from said specimen;
• a confocal aperture placed at a position conjugate with a focal point of said objective lens;
• a plurality of photodetectors for detecting the light from the specimen, passing through said confocal aperture;
• a dispersion element for spatially decomposing a light beam passing through said confocal aperture into a spectrum;
• and
• a light-deflecting microelement array arranged, at least, in a direction of spectral decomposition and receiving a part of the light beam decomposed into a spectrum to deflect said part toward any of said plurality of photodetectors,
• wherein individual light-deflecting microelements have a plurality of deflection angles which cause light beams to be selectively received by said plurality of photodetectors, and an apodization filter is interposed between said confocal aperture and said dispersion element.

A scanning optical apparatus comprising:

• a light source unit;
• an objective lens for collecting illumination light emitted from said laser light source unit on a specimen;
• scanning means for relatively scanning said specimen with collected illumination light;
• an imaging optical system for imaging light emanating from said specimen;
• a confocal aperture placed at a position conjugate with a focal point of said objective lens;
• a plurality of photodetectors for detecting the light from said specimen, passing through said confocal aperture;
• a dispersion element for spatially decomposing a light beam passing through said confocal aperture into a spectrum;
• and
• wavelength selective means for receiving a part of the light beam decomposed into a spectrum to deflect said part toward any of said plurality of photodetectors,
• wherein an amplitude distribution of illumination light incident on a pupil of said objective lens is a substantial Gaussian distribution and a beam diameter defined as 1/e is smaller than a pupil diameter of said objective lens.