Laser scanning microscope having a microelement array

A laser scanning microscope comprising:

• a stage that moves a sample placeable thereon;
• a laser light source that emits laser light;
• a line-focus optical system that focuses the laser light from the laser light source into a line shape;
• a photodetector comprising a plurality of channels that detect light from the sample and that are arrayed in one column;
• a microelement array having a first plurality of microelements that are arrayed in a lengthwise direction of the line shape of the laser light and that reflect or transmit the laser light focused into the line shape by the line-focus optical system;
• and
• an irradiation optical system that irradiates the sample with the laser light reflected or transmitted by the microelement array;
• wherein the photodetector is disposed at a position conjugate with the microelement array and a second plurality of microelements of the microelement array are allocated to each of the plurality of channels of the photodetector such that spots of light from each of the second plurality of microelements allocated to a given channel enter said given channel,
• wherein the microelement array is driven so that the laser light is reflected or transmitted simultaneously by a third plurality of microelements disposed at intervals on one straight line, so that one of the second plurality of microelements allocated to said given channel reflects or transmits the light to said given channel and the third plurality of microelements reflect or transmit the light respectively to the plurality of channels simultaneously, and so that the third plurality of microelements that reflect or transmit the laser light are switched sequentially,
• wherein the stage moves the sample in a direction crossing an array direction of a plurality of light spots formed on the sample to obtain a two-dimensional scan image of the sample,
• wherein the plurality of channels of the photodetector are arrayed in said one column at a pitch greater than a pitch of the first plurality of microelements of the microelement array, and
• wherein the laser scanning microscope further comprises a controller that drives the microelement array.