Speckle reduction method and apparatus
AssigneeCadent Ltd.
InventorsNoam Babayoff, Yossef Atiya, Tzvi Philipp
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus adapted for confocal imaging of a non-flat specimen comprising a coherent light source for producing a light beam, imaging optics adapted to focus the light beam into at least one spot on a surface of a specimen, and a detector adapted to receive and detect light reflected from the specimen surface. The imaging optics comprise at least one optical component located so that the light reflected from the specimen surface passes therethrough on its way to the detector. The optical component is movable so as to move the at least one spot, within a range of movement, to a number of distinct locations in a plane perpendicular to the apparatus' optical axis, within the detector's integration time.
Claims18
An apparatus adapted for confocal imaging of a non-flat specimen, said apparatus having an optical axis and a predetermined lateral resolution and comprising
- a coherent light source for producing a light beam,
- imaging optics adapted to focus the light beam into at least one spot on a surface of a specimen, and a detector having an integration time and adapted to receive and detect light reflected from said surface;
- said imaging optics comprising at least one optical component located so that the light reflected from the specimen surface passes therethrough on its way to the detector,
- said optical component being movable so as to move the at least one spot, within a range of movement, to a number of distinct locations in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, within said integration time of the detector,
- wherein a distance between the most remote said distinct locations is smaller than said lateral resolution.
A method for confocal imaging of a non-flat specimen, the method comprising:
- providing an apparatus comprising a source of coherent light and a detector;
- focusing the coherent light into at least one spot on a surface of the specimen by means of imaging optics comprising a movable optical component;
- directing light reflected by the surface toward the detector via the movable optical component;
- detecting the light by the detector;
- and
- moving the movable optical component so as to move the at least one spot to a number of distinct locations within the integration time of the detector,
- wherein a distance between the most remote said distinct locations is smaller than a lateral resolution of said apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.