Microscope Objective Immersion Coating and Drainage
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing variety of immersion liquids and specialization of microscope objectives for specific media make it difficult for users to avoid incorrect use, leading to insufficient imaging quality.
Innovation Solution
The microscope objective is designed to be immersion medium-repellent, with hydrophobic and lipophobic coatings on the front lens and casing, preventing unsuitable immersion media from being applied, and featuring drainage channels and caps for selective use with water or oil-based media, ensuring correct usage and high optical quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the variety of immersion liquids and specialization of microscope objectives increases to achieve higher resolution, then imaging quality is improved, but the difficulty of correct usage increases and user error becomes more likely
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by pre-equipping the front lens with hydrophobic and lipophobic coatings that automatically repel incompatible immersion media. This preventive measure is applied in advance during manufacturing, so that when a user mistakenly applies the wrong immersion liquid, the coating immediately prevents adhesion and causes the liquid to bead up and run off, thereby preventing contamination and damage before it can occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by modifying the surface properties of the front lens through hydrophobic and lipophobic coatings. These coatings change the surface energy parameters of the lens, creating high contact angles with immersion liquids. This parameter change enables the lens to differentiate between compatible and incompatible immersion media, with suitable liquids being able to wet the surface while incompatible liquids are repelled.
2Measurement precision
If the front lens is made wettable with immersion medium to improve aperture, then imaging quality is improved, but contamination of the objective interior with immersion liquid occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating different surface properties in different zones of the front lens. The central optical zone maintains high wettability to ensure complete immersion medium coverage for maximum aperture, while the peripheral edge zone is treated with hydrophobic and lipophobic coatings to repel immersion liquids and prevent them from running over the lens rim into the objective interior.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the front lens surface into functionally distinct zones: a central wettable zone for optimal optical performance and a peripheral repellent zone for protection. This segmentation allows each zone to perform its specific function independently, with the boundary between zones preventing liquid migration from the optical zone to the objective interior.
3Measurement precision
If correction mechanisms are added to water immersion objectives to correct spherical aberrations, then imaging quality is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-correcting spherical aberrations through optimized lens design and selection of immersion media with matched refractive indices during the manufacturing process. This eliminates the need for complex mechanical correction mechanisms, as the optical correction is built into the objective's fundamental design rather than requiring adjustable components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution prevents the use of incorrect immersion media, maintaining consistently high imaging quality, avoiding damage to components and eliminating the need for cleaning, while ensuring safe disposal of unsuitable liquids.
Implementation Method 1
the front lens is provided with a coating 10 which repels an immersion liquid for which the objective 7 is not designed
Implementation Method 2
The microscope objective is designed to be immersion medium-repellent, with hydrophobic and lipophobic coatings on the front lens and casing
Implementation Method 3
drainage channels and caps for selective use with water or oil-based media
Data Source
AI summary
A microscope objective for imaging a specimen using a microscope, the microscope objective being designed as an air objective for microscopy without an immersion medium or as an oil immersion objective for microscopy with an oil-based immersion medium or as a water immersion objective for microscopy with a water-based immersion medium. The front lens of the microscope objective is provided with a coating which repels an immersion medium and is lipophobic and hydrophobic if the objective is an air objective, only lipophobic if the objective is a water immersion objective, and only hydrophobic if the objective is an oil immersion objective.