1896 results about "Optical microscope" patented technology

An optofluidic microscope device is disclosed. The device includes a fluid channel having a surface and an object such as a bacterium or virus may flow through the fluid channel. Light transmissive regions of different sizes may be used to image the object.

A scanning optical microscope including: a light source; a lens for altering the cross-sectional shape aspect ratio of a beam of light emitted from the light source; at least one lens for converging beams of light of different cross-sectional shape aspect ratio to create a linear light; a first light modulation member able to impart shade to the converged linear light; a lens that can form the light to which the shade has been imparted as a parallel light; a scanning member that can alter the angle of illumination; a lens for focusing the light to which the shade has been imparted; an objective lens for projecting the light to which the shading has been imparted to a sample body; and a lens for imaging the reflected light from the sample body or the light generated by the sample body on to a sensor.

A method for manufacturing carbon nanotubes with an integrally attached outer graphitic layer is disclosed. The graphitic layer improves the ability to handle and manipulate the nanometer size nanotube device in various applications, such as a probe tip in scanning probe microscopes and optical microscopes, or as an electron emitting device. A thermal chemical vapor deposition reactor is the preferred reaction vessel in which a transition metal catalyst with an inert gas, hydrogen gas and a carbon-containing gas mixture are heated at various temperatures in a range between 500° C. and 1000° C. with gases and temperatures being adjusted periodically during the reaction times required to grow the nanotube core and subsequently grow the desired outer graphitic layer.

Sample preparation apparatus and method includes a wafer stage platform with an optical microscope and integrated pattern recognition to automatically address specific locations on the wafer sample of interest. A laser attaches to the optical microscope to mill a set pattern around the area of interest. A precision micro-manipulator engages the sample support structure, extracts the structure, and places the structure in a TEM holder or holder tip. The holder or holder tip can then be placed inside a FIB for final thinning, followed by direct transfer into the TEM.

A method for observing and determining the size of individual molecules and for determining the weight distribution of a sample containing molecules of varying size, which involves placing a deformable or nondeformable molecule in a medium, subjecting the molecule to an external force, thereby causing conformational and/or positional changes, and then measuring these changes. Preferred ways to measure conformational and positional changes include: (1) determining the rate at which a deformable molecule returns to a relaxed state after termination of the external force, (2) determining the rate at which a molecule becomes oriented in a new direction when the direction of the perturbing force is changed, (3) determining the rate at which a molecule rotates, (4) measuring the length of a molecule, particularly when it is at least partially stretched, or (5) measuring at least one diameter of a spherical or ellipsoidal molecule. Measurements of relaxation, reorientation, and rotation rates, as well as length and diameter can be made using a light microscope connected to an image processor. Molecule relaxation, reorientation and rotation also can be determined using a microscope combined with a spectroscopic device. The invention is particularly useful for measuring polymer molecules, such as nucleic acids, and can be used to determine the size and map location of restriction digests. Breakage of large polymer molecules mounted on a microscope slide is prevented by condensing the molecules before mounting and unfolding the molecules after they have been placed in a matrix.

An adaptive scanning optical microscope has a scanner lens assembly for acquiring images from different parts of an object plane and for forming a preferably curved image field having at least some aberration which varies as a function of the part of the object plane from which the image is acquired. A steering mirror selects the field of view and steers light from the object and along a light path from the object plane to a final image plane. An adaptive optics element receives the steered light from the object and compensates for the field position dependent optical aberrations and additional optics are along at least part of the light path for conditioning and focusing the light as it moves from the steering mirror, past the adaptive optics element and to the final image plane.

The disclosed device, which, using an electron microscope or the like, minutely observes defects detected by an optical appearance-inspecting device or an optical defect-inspecting device, can reliably insert a defect to be observed into the field of an electron microscope or the like, and can be a device of a smaller scale. The electron microscope (5), which observes defects detected by an optical appearance-inspecting device or by an optical defect-inspecting device, has a configuration wherein an optimal microscope (14) that re-detects defects is incorporated, and a spatial filter and a distribution polarization element are inserted at the pupil plane when making dark-field observations using this optical microscope (14). The electron microscope (5), which observes defects detected by an optical appearance-inspecting device or an optical defect-inspecting device, has a configuration wherein an optimal microscope (14) that re-detects defects is incorporated, and a distribution filter is inserted at the pupil plane when making dark-field observations using this optical microscope (14).

An optical microscope is provided with an adjustable optical phase ring. The adjustable ring provides a way to compensate for distortion in the visible phase ring before the light reaches the sample. In an inverted microscope, when observing transparent cells under a liquid, the visible light phase ring is distorted. By the use of a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) in place of a fixed ring, the projected ring is adjusted to realign the light and produce phase. In a typical micro plate, the meniscus formed produces a lens effect that is realigned by providing changes in the position and pattern, to allow phase imaging over a wider portion of the well. The realignment of the ring can be manual or automated and can be dynamically adjusted based upon an observed image of the sample.

An optical microscope according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes: a laser light source; a Y-directional scanning unit moving the light beam in a Y direction; an objective lens; a X-directional scanning unit moving the light beam in a X direction; a beam splitter provided in an optical path from the Y-directional scanning unit to the sample, and separating outgoing light out of the light beam incident on the sample, which exits from the sample toward the objective lens from the light beam incident on the sample from the laser light source; a spectroscope having an entrance slit extending along the Y direction and spatially dispersing the outgoing light passed through the entrance slit in accordance with a wavelength of the light; and a detector detecting the outgoing light dispersed by the spectroscope.

This invention provides a method of detecting pathogens comprising the steps of: (a) contacting a sufficient amount of biofunctional magnetic nanoparticles with an appropriate sample for an appropriate period of time to permit the formation of complexes between the pathogens in the sample and the nanoparticles; (b) using a magnetic field to aggregate said complexes; and (c) detecting said complexes. The method may further comprise the additional step of removing said complexes. The biofunctional magnetic nanoparticles are preferably a conjugate of vancomycin and FePt. The pathogens may be bacteria or viruses, and the sample may be a solid, liquid, or gas. Detection may involve conventional fluorescence assay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), optical microscope, electron microscope, or a combination thereof. The sensitivity of detection for the method is at least as low as 10 colony forming units (cfu) of the pathogens in one milliliter of solution within one hour.

A broad-spectrum, high spatial and time resolution contact-field optical microscope comprises a fiber optical taper, a vacuum chamber, a photocathode, a magnetic lens photoelectron image enlarger, a micro-channel plate image intensifier, a phosphor screen and a CCD. Sample is placed directly in contact with a smaller sampling face of the optical taper. Light which is emitted, reflected or transmitted by the sample is launched into each of the fiber core ends on the sampling face and conveyed by the optical fibers to a larger imaging face of the optical taper, thereby presenting an enlarged image at the imaging face. The image is converted into a photoelectron image by photocathode which is deposited on the surface of the imaging face. The photoelectron image is further enlarged by magnetic lenses and intensified by micro-channel plate. The enlarged and enhanced electron image is displayed on phosphor screen and coupled through faceplate to CCD.

The invention relates to an online material biaxial static-dynamic performance test platform under service temperature, belonging to the field of precision drive. The large-stroke biaxial synchronous identical-speed or synchronous different-speed displacement output is realized by virtue of four groups of piezoelectric actuators which are orthogonally distributed, and the biaxial static tensile test or dynamic fatigue test for a block-shaped material or a film material with a characteristic size being in a millimeter scale can be carried out under a high/low temperature service condition by combining with an embedded high temperature electrothermal alloy sheet/parr patch. The online material biaxial static-dynamic performance test platform is likely to use in conjunction with a scanning electron microscope with a relatively-large vacuum cavity or other microimaging device with an open-type carrier space, such as an optical microscope, an atomic power microscope and a high speed camera, so that the multimode biaxial static tensile test or the large-frequency-range biaxial dynamic fatigue test can be carried out, and the research for the microstructure evolution behavior and fatigue failure mechanism of various structural materials or functional materials under a complicated service condition such as a high/low temperature condition and a static-dynamic plane stress condition can be facilitated.

A digital optical microscope includes a primary image sensor that generates a primary image of a sample at a primary frame rate, an auxiliary image sensor that generates an auxiliary image of the sample at an auxiliary frame rate that is faster than the primary frame rate, and a controller that adjusts a focal distance between an objective lens and the sample along an optical axis in response to the auxiliary image, thereby autofocusing the primary image on the sample. The primary image sensor generates the primary image in response to the autofocusing.