Fluorescence Microscope Telescope Beam Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Scanning laser fluorescence microscopes face challenges in minimizing the impact of angle offsets between illumination and detection beam paths on imaging quality and in adjusting beam paths for precise alignment, particularly in maintaining focus accuracy during operation.
Innovation Solution
A fluorescence microscope design that includes an illumination beam path with a first wave front modulator creating a focus with a central intensity minimum and a detection beam path with a second wave front modulator, where a telescope narrows beam bundles to minimize position deviations due to angle deviations, ensuring accurate confocal imaging despite beam path misalignments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If beam paths are adjusted for precise alignment, then imaging quality is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-alignment through the telescope's beam-narrowing function, which automatically compensates for angle offsets between illumination and detection beam paths without requiring external adjustment mechanisms. The beam bundles are narrowed by the telescope to minimize position deviations, enabling the system to correct its own alignment issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses confocal detection to provide feedback on beam path alignment. The confocal arrangement detects position deviations of beam focuses and enables automatic adjustment mechanisms to correct misalignments, creating a closed-loop control system that maintains imaging quality.
2Stability of the object's composition
If telescope narrows beam bundles to minimize position deviations, then alignment stability is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional optical elements
Solution Approach 1:
The telescope serves multiple functions: it narrows beam bundles to minimize position deviations, images pupils between beam paths, and contributes to the confocal detection arrangement. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate alignment-stabilizing components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the alignment-stabilizing function with the existing pupil imaging optics. The telescope is integrated into the common beam path section where it simultaneously performs beam narrowing and pupil imaging, merging multiple optical functions into a single component arrangement.
3Measurement precision
If angle offsets between beam paths are minimized, then focus accuracy is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to stricter alignment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically compensates for angle offsets through the telescope's beam-narrowing effect, reducing position deviations without requiring manual adjustment. This self-correcting mechanism maintains focus accuracy while simplifying operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the beam parameter (beam diameter) by narrowing it through the telescope. This parameter change reduces the impact of angle offsets on focus accuracy, allowing for more tolerant alignment during operation.
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
The design effectively reduces position deviations of beam focuses, maintaining high imaging quality and precise alignment of beam paths, even with angle errors, thereby enhancing the overall performance of scanning laser fluorescence microscopes.
Implementation Method 1
a first wave front modulator for spatially modulating the illumination light, and configured for modulating the illumination light in such a way that the modulated illumination light focused by means of the objective subjects the sample to an intensity distribution of the illumination light comprising a central intensity minimum
Implementation Method 2
a first telescope in the first section between the second wave front modulator and the beam splitter such that the first telescope images the first pupil in the direction of the detection beam path in a second pupil, the second pupil being smaller than the first pupil, and transfers a beam of the illumination light collimated in the second pupil into an expanded beam of the illumination light collimated in the first pupil
Implementation Method 3
a second wave front modulator for further spatially modulating the illumination light, and adjustable, wherein an active area of the second wave front modulator is arranged in a pupil plane of the objective or intersects a pupil plane of the objective at an angle
Implementation Method 4
a beam splitter, wherein a first pupil appears at a location of the active area of the second wave front modulator, ii) a detection beam path for confocally detecting luminescence light emitted out of the sample, the detection beam path comprising a first section and a second section, wherein the first section of the detection beam path including the second wave front modulator and ending at the beam splitter coincides with the illumination beam path
Implementation Method 5
the modulated illumination light focused by means of the objective subjects the sample to an intensity distribution of the illumination light comprising a central intensity minimum
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
A fluorescence microscope (10) comprises a sample illumination beam path including a source (9) for illumination light, a first wave front modulator (24) for providing the focused illumination light (8) with a central intensity minimum, a beam splitter (26) and a second adjustable wave front modulator (34) arranged in a pupil plane (30) of an objective (20). A first detection beam path section including the second wave front modulator (34) and a telescope (11) and ending at the beam splitter (26) coincides with the sample illumination beam path. A separate second detection beam path section includes a detector (38) for luminescence light from a sample. The telescope (11) images a first pupil (31) formed in the pupil plane (30) in a smaller second pupil (32), and transfers a beam of the illumination light (8) collimated in the second pupil (32) into an expanded beam collimated in the first pupil (31).