Superresolution in microlithography and fluorescence microscopy

A microscope for imaging a selected region of a specimen which contains excitable species and for increasing the resolution of said microscope, said microscope having a plane of focus and comprising:

• a source of radiation adapted to excite members of said species and means to focus said radiation to a pattern having a central maximum in said selected region,
• a source of quenching radiation adapted to quench the excitation of said members;
• means for shaping said quenching radiation into a pattern with a central minimum, whereby the intensity of quenching radiation generally increases with distance from the center of the central minimum;
• said means for shaping said quenching radiation further having means for generating at least two beam portions of said quenching radiation that arrive at said plane of focus substantially out-of-phase;
• means for applying said quenching radiation having said minimum portion to at least a portion of said selected region;
• means for overlapping said central minimum with said central maximum, whereby an excited member of said species is quenched by said quenching radiation with an efficiency which generally increases with the distance of said member from the center of said central minimum;
• means for scanning said overlapped central minimum and central maximum relative to said specimen, to successively irradiate different portions of said specimen within said selected region;
• means for measuring radiation emitted by the successively irradiated portions of said specimen during said scanning;
• and
• means for creating an image of said selected region, based on such measurements, such that each portion of said image has properties which depend on the measured radiation emitted by a corresponding irradiated portion of said specimen.

A method for irradiating a selected region of a target material in order to excite members of an excitable species contained within said region to a particular state of excitation, comprising:

• generating in an apparatus having a plane of focus a first radiation adapted to excite said members to said particular state of excitation;
• directing said first radiation to said selected region;
• reducing the ratio of excited members in said particular state of excitation to members not in said particular state of excitation at said selected region using a second radiation;
• shaping said second radiation into a pattern with a minimum portion having a central region;
• generating at least two beam portions of said second radiation that arrive at said plane of focus substantially out-of-phase;
• and applying said pattern of second radiation having said minimum portion to at least a portion of said selected region;
• thereby increasing the resolution of the apparatus.

A method of increasing the resolution of a microscope having a focus plane for imaging a selected region of a specimen which contains excitable species, including a source of radiation adapted to excite members of said species and means to focus said radiation to a pattern having a central maximum at said selected region, comprising the steps of:

• providing a source of quenching radiation adapted to quench the excitation of at least some of said excited members;
• shaping said quenching radiation into a pattern with a central minimum, whereby the intensity of quenching radiation generally increases with distance from the center of the central minimum;
• generating at least two beam portions of said quenching radiation that arrive at said plane of focus substantially out-of-phase;
• applying said pattern of quenching radiation having said minimum portion to at least a portion of said selected region;
• overlapping at least a portion of said central minimum with at least a portion of said central maximum, whereby within said central minimum, an excited member of said species is quenched by said quenching radiation with an efficiency which generally increases with the distance of said member from the center of said central minimum;
• scanning said overlapped central minimum and central maximum relative to said specimen, to successively irradiate different portions of said specimen within said selected region;
• measuring emitted radiation from irradiated portions of said specimen, during such scanning;
• and
• creating an image of said selected region, each portion of said image having at least one property which depends on the measured radiation emitted by a corresponding irradiated portion of said specimen.