Raman microscope

Abstract

This microscopic Raman device (100) comprises: a sample set unit (70) that has an openable / closable cover (72) and contains a sample (S); a first laser light source (10) that generates a first laser beam (L1) with which the sample is irradiated; a shutter (90) that is disposed on a first light path that is the light path of the first laser beam from the first laser light source to the sample; a shutter drive unit (91) that opens / closes the shutter; and a sensor (80). The shutter drive unit is configured to close the shutter when the sensor has detected that the cover has started to open. The shutter blocks the first laser beam when closed.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a Raman microscope. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-90064 (Patent Document 1) describes a micro-Raman microscope. The micro-Raman microscope described in Patent Document 1 has an excitation laser, a spectrometer, and a detector. In the micro-Raman microscope described in Patent Document 1, laser light from the excitation laser is irradiated onto a sample, causing Raman scattered light to be generated from the sample. This Raman scattered light is dispersed in the spectrometer, and the intensity distribution of the dispersed Raman scattered light is detected by the detector. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-90064 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the Raman microscope described in Patent Document 1, the sample is stored, for example, in a sample setting section having an openable cover. Depending on the class of laser light, exposure to laser light is prohibited. Therefore, when opening the cover and performing operations on the inside of the sample setting section, the excitation laser must be turned off. However, once the excitation laser is turned off, it takes time for the output of the excitation laser to stabilize even if it is turned on again.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-described problems of the conventional techniques. More specifically, the present disclosure provides a Raman microscope that allows operation of the inside of a sample setting unit without turning off a laser light source. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The Raman microscope apparatus of the present disclosure includes a sample setting unit having an openable cover and configured to accommodate a sample, a first laser light source that generates a first laser beam to be irradiated onto the sample, a shutter disposed on a first optical path that is the optical path of the first laser beam from the first laser light source to the sample, a shutter driver that opens and closes the shutter, and a sensor. The shutter driver is configured to close the shutter when the sensor detects that the cover has begun to open. When closed, the shutter blocks the first laser beam.

[0007] In the above-mentioned Raman microscope, the shutter driver may be a solenoid. The above-mentioned Raman microscope may further include a second laser light source that generates a second laser light to be irradiated onto the sample. The shutter may be disposed on a portion of the first optical path that overlaps with a second optical path, which is the optical path of the second laser light from the second laser light source to the sample. When closed, the shutter blocks the first laser light and the second laser light.

[0008] The Raman microscope may further include a beam splitter disposed on the first optical path, an illumination light source that generates illumination light to be irradiated onto the sample, and a camera. The beam splitter may transmit the first laser light and reflect the illumination light reflected by the sample to be incident on the camera. The shutter may be disposed on a portion of the first optical path closer to the first laser light source than the beam splitter. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the Raman microscope of the present disclosure, it is possible to perform operations on the inside of the sample setting section without turning off the laser light source. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a Raman microscope apparatus 100. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a Raman microscope apparatus 200. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a Raman microscope 300. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The details of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will not be repeated.

[0012] (First embodiment) A Raman microscope according to a first embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "Raman microscope 100") will be described below.

[0013] <Configuration of the Raman microscope apparatus 100> The configuration of the Raman microscope 100 will be described below.

[0014] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a Raman microscope apparatus 100. As shown in Fig. 1, the Raman microscope apparatus 100 includes a first laser light source 10 and an illumination light source 20. The Raman microscope apparatus 100 also includes a beam splitter 31, a beam splitter 32, an objective lens 33, and a camera lens 40.

[0015] The Raman microscope apparatus 100 further includes a Raman spectrometer 50, a camera 60, a sample setting unit 70, a sensor 80, a controller 81, a shutter 90, and a shutter driving unit 91. The sample setting unit 70 stores a sample S.

[0016] The first laser light source 10 generates a first laser light L1. The wavelength of the first laser light L1 is a first wavelength. The illumination light source 20 generates an illumination light L2. The illumination light L2 is visible light. The wavelength of the illumination light L2 is a second wavelength. The second wavelength is different from the first wavelength.

[0017] Beam splitter 31 reflects light having a wavelength equal to or shorter than a first wavelength and transmits light having a wavelength greater than the first wavelength. Beam splitter 32 reflects light having a wavelength close to a second wavelength and transmits light having wavelengths other than the second wavelength.

[0018] The first laser light L1 generated by the first laser light source 10 is reflected by the beam splitter 31. The first laser light L1 reflected by the beam splitter 31 passes through the beam splitter 32, and is collected by the objective lens 33 and irradiated onto the sample S. In the following, the optical path of the first laser light L1 from the first laser light source 10 to the sample S is referred to as the first optical path.

[0019] When the first laser light L1 is irradiated onto the sample S, first Raman scattered light L3 is generated from the sample S. The wavelength of the first Raman scattered light L3 is shifted from the first wavelength to the longer wavelength side. The first Raman scattered light L3 passes through the objective lens 33, the beam splitter 32, and the beam splitter 31 in this order.

[0020] The first Raman scattered light L3 that has passed through the beam splitter 31 is incident on the Raman spectrometer 50. Although not shown, the Raman spectrometer 50 has a collimator lens, a grating, a camera lens, and a detector. The detector is, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera.

[0021] The first Raman scattered light L3 that enters the Raman spectrometer 50 is collimated by a collimator lens. The first Raman scattered light L3 that passes through the collimator lens is dispersed by a grating and focused onto a detector by a camera lens. As a result, the spectrum of the first Raman scattered light L3 is measured by the detector.

[0022] Although not shown, the Raman microscope apparatus 100 may further include a second laser light source. The second laser light source generates a second laser light. The wavelength of the second laser light is a third wavelength. The third wavelength is different from the first wavelength and the second wavelength. The second laser light passes through a second optical path and is irradiated onto the sample S. The second optical path may partially overlap with the first optical path. For example, the second optical path overlaps with the first optical path between the beam splitter 31 and the sample S.

[0023] When the second laser light is irradiated onto the sample S, second Raman scattered light is generated from the sample S. The wavelength of the second Raman scattered light is shifted from the third wavelength to the longer wavelength side. The second Raman scattered light is collected on a detector of the Raman spectrometer 50 via an appropriate optical system, and the spectrum of the second Raman scattered light is measured.

[0024] Illumination light L2 generated by the illumination light source 20 is irradiated onto the sample S and is reflected by the sample S. The illumination light L2 reflected by the sample S passes through the objective lens 33 and is reflected by the beam splitter 32. The illumination light L2 reflected by the beam splitter 32 is collected by the camera lens 40 and irradiated onto the camera 60. The camera 60 is, for example, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) camera. By connecting the camera 60 to a monitor (not shown), the inside of the sample setting unit 70 can be observed.

[0025] The sample setting section 70 has a stage 71 and a cover 72. The stage 71 is located inside the sample setting section 70. A sample S is placed on the stage 71. The cover 72 can be opened and closed. By opening the cover 72, operations inside the sample setting section 70 (for example, operations on the sample S) become possible.

[0026] The sensor 80 is attached to, for example, the sample setting unit 70. The sensor 80 detects that the cover 72 has begun to open and outputs a signal indicating that the cover 72 has begun to open. For example, the sensor 80 is a magnetic sensor that detects a change in the magnetic field from a magnet attached to the cover 72 and outputs a signal corresponding to the change in the magnetic field. The sensor 80 is connected to a controller 81. The controller 81 is configured by, for example, a microcontroller.

[0027] The shutter 90 is disposed on the first optical path. Preferably, the shutter 90 is disposed on a portion of the first optical path that overlaps with the second optical path. It is more preferable that the shutter 90 is disposed on a portion of the first optical path that is between the beam splitter 31 and the beam splitter 32. From another perspective, it is preferable that the shutter 90 is disposed on the first optical path (second optical path) closer to the first laser light source 10 (second laser light source) than the beam splitter 32.

[0028] The shutter 90 is opened and closed by a shutter driver 91. When closed, the shutter 90 blocks the first laser light L1. If the Raman microscopy apparatus 100 further includes a second laser light source, the shutter 90 also blocks the second laser light. The shutter driver 91 is, for example, a solenoid. The shutter driver 91 may also be a motor. Although not shown, the shutter driver 91 is connected to the controller 81.

[0029] As described above, when sensor 80 detects that cover 72 has started to open, it outputs a signal indicating that cover 72 has started to open. When controller 81 receives a signal from sensor 80 indicating that cover 72 has started to open, controller 81 controls shutter driver 91 to close shutter 90. For example, if shutter driver 91 is a solenoid, when controller 81 receives a signal from sensor 80 indicating that cover 72 has started to open, controller 81 closes shutter 90 by switching the polarity of current supplied to shutter driver 91. On the other hand, when sensor 80 outputs a signal indicating that cover 72 has been closed, controller 81 controls shutter driver 91 to open shutter 90.

[0030] <Effects of the Raman microscope 100> The effects of the Raman microscope 100 will be described below in comparison with a Raman microscope according to a comparative example (hereinafter referred to as "Raman microscope 200").

[0031] Depending on the class of laser light, exposure to the laser light is prohibited, so devices that use lasers must have a mechanism to prevent exposure to the laser light.

[0032] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the Raman microscope apparatus 200. As shown in Fig. 2, the configuration of the Raman microscope apparatus 200 is the same as the configuration of the Raman microscope apparatus 100, except that the Raman microscope apparatus 200 does not include the sensor 80, the controller 81, the shutter 90, and the shutter driver 91.

[0033] In the Raman microscope 200, in order to prevent exposure to the first laser light L1, it is necessary to turn off the first laser light source 10 when opening the cover 72 to perform an operation on the inside of the sample setting unit 70. When the cover 72 is closed, the first laser light source 10 is turned on again.

[0034] However, since it takes time for the output of the first laser light source 10 to stabilize, a waiting time occurs after the cover 72 is opened to perform an operation on the inside of the sample setting unit 70, and before the cover 72 is closed again to perform analysis using the Raman microscope device 200. Usually, operations on the inside of the sample setting unit 70 by opening the cover 72 are performed repeatedly, and therefore, the analysis efficiency of the Raman microscope device 200 is low due to the waiting time.

[0035] On the other hand, in the Raman microscope apparatus 100, when the cover 72 is opened to perform an operation on the inside of the sample setting unit 70, the sensor 80 detects that the cover 72 has begun to be opened, and the shutter 90 is closed by the shutter driving unit 91. As a result, the first laser light L1 is blocked by the shutter 90, and therefore exposure to the first laser light L1 when the cover 72 is opened is prevented even without turning off the first laser light source 10.

[0036] As a result, there is no waiting time before opening the cover 72 to perform an operation on the inside of the sample setting unit 70 and then closing the cover 72 again to perform analysis using the Raman microscope 100. In this way, the Raman microscope 100 can eliminate the waiting time involved in switching the first laser light source 10 between the on state and the off state, thereby improving analysis efficiency.

[0037] If the shutter driver 91 is a solenoid, the shutter 90 will be quickly closed when the sensor 80 detects that the cover 72 has begun to open. Therefore, in this case, exposure to the first laser light L1 when the cover 72 is opened is more reliably prevented.

[0038] When the shutter 90 is positioned on the portion of the first optical path that overlaps with the second optical path, both the first laser light L1 and the second laser light can be blocked by a single shutter 90, thereby reducing the number of parts in the micro-Raman microscope 100 and the manufacturing cost of the micro-Raman microscope 100.

[0039] For example, if the shutter 90 is disposed closer to the sample S than the beam splitter 32 on the first optical path, the illumination light L2 reflected by the sample S will be blocked by the shutter 90. Therefore, in this case, when the cover 72 is opened and an operation is being performed on the inside of the sample setting unit 70, the inside of the sample setting unit 70 cannot be observed.

[0040] On the other hand, when the shutter 90 is disposed on the first optical path closer to the first laser light source 10 than the beam splitter 32 (disposed farther from the sample S), even when the cover 72 is opened and an operation is being performed on the inside of the sample setting unit 70, the illumination light L2 reflected by the sample S is not blocked by the shutter 90. Therefore, in this case, the inside of the sample setting unit 70 can be observed while the cover 72 is opened and an operation is being performed on the inside of the sample setting unit 70.

[0041] (Second embodiment) A Raman microscope according to the second embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "Raman microscope 300") will be described below. Here, differences from the Raman microscope 100 will be mainly described, and overlapping descriptions will not be repeated.

[0042] <Configuration of the Raman microscope apparatus 300> The configuration of the Raman microscope 300 will be described below.

[0043] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a Raman microscope apparatus 300. As shown in Fig. 3, the Raman microscope apparatus 300 has a first laser light source 10 and an illumination light source 20. The Raman microscope apparatus 300 has a beam splitter 31, a beam splitter 32, an objective lens 33, and a camera lens 40.

[0044] The Raman microscope apparatus 300 further includes a Raman spectrometer 50, a camera 60, a sample setting unit 70, a sensor 80, a controller 81, a shutter 90, and a shutter driver 91. The Raman spectrometer 50 includes a collimator lens, a grating, a camera lens, and a detector. The sample setting unit 70 includes a stage 71 and a cover 72. In these respects, the configuration of the Raman microscope apparatus 300 is common to the configuration of the Raman microscope apparatus 100.

[0045] In the Raman microscope 300, the sample setting section 70 further includes a cover lock mechanism 73. The cover lock mechanism 73 is switchable between a first state that allows the cover 72 to be opened and closed, and a second state that prevents the cover 72 from being opened and closed. In the Raman microscope 300, the sensor 80 detects that the state of the cover lock mechanism 73 has switched from the second state to the first state, and outputs a signal indicating that the state of the cover lock mechanism 73 has switched from the second state to the first state.

[0046] In the Raman microscope 300, when a signal indicating that the state of the cover lock mechanism 73 has switched from the second state to the first state is input from the sensor 80, the controller 81 controls the shutter driver 91 to close the shutter 90. In these respects, the configuration of the Raman microscope 300 differs from the configuration of the Raman microscope 100.

[0047] <Effects of the Raman microscope 300> As described above, in the micro-Raman microscope 300, the shutter 90 is closed when the cover lock mechanism 73 switches from the second state to the first state, so that exposure to the first laser light L1 when the cover 72 is opened is prevented, just like in the micro-Raman microscope 100, even if the first laser light source 10 is not turned off.

[0048] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the above-described embodiments can be modified in various ways. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 100, 200, 300 Raman microscope apparatus, 10 first laser light source, 20 illumination light source, 31 beam splitter, 32 beam splitter, 33 objective lens, 40 camera lens, 50 Raman spectrometer 60 camera, 70 sample setting unit, 71 stage, 72 cover, 73 cover lock mechanism, 80 sensor, 81 controller, 90 shutter, 91 shutter drive unit, L1 first laser light, L2 illumination light, L3 first Raman scattered light, S sample.

Claims

1. a sample setting section having an openable cover and in which a sample is stored; a first laser light source that generates a first laser light to be irradiated onto the sample; a shutter disposed on a first optical path that is an optical path of the first laser light from the first laser light source to the sample; a shutter driver that opens and closes the shutter; a sensor; the shutter driving unit is configured to close the shutter when the sensor detects that the cover has begun to open, the shutter, when closed, blocks the first laser light; a beam splitter disposed on the first optical path; an illumination light source that generates illumination light to be irradiated onto the sample; It also has a camera, the illumination light source is arranged so that the illumination light is irradiated onto the sample without passing through the beam splitter; the beam splitter allows the first laser light to pass through and reflects the illumination light reflected by the sample so that the illumination light is incident on the camera; A Raman microscope apparatus, wherein the shutter is disposed on a portion of the first optical path closer to the first laser light source than the beam splitter.

2. The Raman microscope according to claim 1 , wherein the shutter driver is a solenoid.

3. further comprising a second laser light source that generates a second laser light to be irradiated onto the sample; the shutter is disposed on a portion of the first optical path that overlaps with a second optical path, which is an optical path of the second laser light from the second laser light source to the sample; 3. The Raman microscope according to claim 1, wherein the shutter blocks the first laser light and the second laser light when closed.

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