Method, apparatus and scanning microscope with means for stabilizing the temperature of optical components
AssigneeLeica Microsystems Heidelberg GmbH
InventorJohann Engelhardt
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Abstract
The present invention concerns a method and an apparatus for stabilizing the temperature of optical, in particular optically active, electrooptical, or acoustooptical components, preferably in scanning microscopy, in particular in confocal scanning microscopy, such that the temperature of the component can be held in stable fashion at a constant value in a space-saving manner, as simply as possible, and with as few additional assemblies as possible, and is characterized in that the energy that interacts with the component serves for stabilization.
Claims24
A method for stabilizing the temperature of at least one optically active component, comprising the steps of:
- impinging an optically active component with an interacting energy comprising a drive energy and light beam;
- determining the temperature of said optically active component by means of a temperature control loop comprising a temperature sensor;
- determining said interacting energy impinging said optically active component based on said temperature;
- applying a different interacting energy impinging to said optically active component, according to said temperature control loop, such that the temperature of said optically active component is maintained at a constant level.
An apparatus for stabilizing the temperature of an optically active component comprises:
- a temperature control loop;
- a temperature sensor secured to said optically active component for measuring the temperature of said optically active component;
- means for determining an interacting energy interacting with the optically active component, wherein the interacting energy is a drive energy of the optically active component and a light beam that interacts with the optically active component;
- and,
- means for applying a different interacting energy to said optically active component, according to said temperature control loop, such that the temperature of said optically active component is maintained at a constant level.
A scanning microscope, comprising:
- a light source defining a light beam,
- a dicbroic beam splitter for directing the light beam to a scanning device and via a optical system to a specimen,
- an optically active component being arranged in the path of the light beam,
- a temperature control loop,
- a temperature sensor secured to said optically active component for measuring the temperature of the optically active component;
- wherein the temperature control loop and temperature sensor determine the temperature and an interacting energy for the optically active component;
- and,
- means for applying a different interacting energy, according to the determination of the temperature control loop, to the optically active component such that the temperature of the optically active component is maintained at a constant level.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.