Immersion objective lens, retention mechanism for immersion medium, and manufacturing method
AssigneeOlympus Corporation
InventorsMitsuo Harada, Akihiro Namba, Morinao Fukuoka
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
There is provided a retention mechanism for an immersion medium, for use in a device which observes/measures a sample by use of an immersion objective lens, includes a member which retains the immersion medium near a tip portion of the objective lens, wherein the member is configured to include at least first and second materials.
Claims9
An immersion objective lens for use in a device which maintains the immersion medium between a sample and a tip portion of the immersion objective lens and observes/measures the sample via the immersion medium,
- wherein the immersion medium is brought into contact with the tip portion of the immersion objective lens and maintained,
- the immersion objective lens being formed of the tip portion, a lens ring portion and a lens outer frame, the lens ring portion being formed of an entire surface inclined from the lens of the tip portion to the lens outer frame,
- the immersion objective lens comprising a retention mechanism for an immersion medium comprising a first ring-member as a region surface-processed with a material for retaining the immersion medium so as to surround the lens in a region including the tip portion and the lens ring portion of the immersion objective lens,
- an affinity of the first ring-member with the immersion medium being lower than an affinity of a region connected to an inner side of the surface-processed region with the immersion medium.
An immersion objective lens for use in a device which maintains the immersion medium between a sample and a tip portion of the immersion objective lens and observes/measures the sample via the immersion medium,
- wherein the immersion medium is brought into contact with the tip portion of the immersion objective lens and maintained,
- the immersion objective lens being formed of the tip portion, a lens ring portion and a lens outer frame, the lens ring portion being formed of an entire surface inclined from the lens of the tip portion to the lens outer frame,
- the immersion objective lens comprising a retention mechanism for an immersion medium comprising a first ring-member as a region surface-processed with a material for retaining the immersion medium so as to surround the lens in a region including the tip portion and the lens ring portion of the immersion objective lens,
- the surface processing of the first ring-member having a water repellency.
An immersion objective lens for use in a device which maintains the immersion medium between a sample and a tip portion of the immersion objective lens and observes/measures the sample via the immersion medium,
- wherein the immersion medium is brought into contact with the tip portion of the immersion objective lens and maintained,
- the immersion objective lens being formed of the tip portion, a lens ring portion and a lens outer frame, the lens ring portion being formed of an entire surface inclined from the lens of the tip portion to the lens outer frame,
- the immersion objective lens comprising a retention mechanism for an immersion medium comprising a first ring-member as a region surface-processed with a first material for retaining the immersion medium so as to surround the lens in a region including the tip portion and the lens ring portion of the immersion objective lens, and a second ring-member as a region surface-processed with a second material for discharging the immersion medium so as to surround the first ring-member in a region connected to an outer side of the first ring-member,
- an affinity of the first ring-member with the immersion medium being lower than an affinity of the second ring-member with the immersion medium.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.