JP2002090640A - Ultraviolet microscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultraviolet microscope which is easily constituted, and is inexpensive, whose power consumption is reduced and where heat generation from a light source can be reduced to a low level. SOLUTION: Light, emitted from the light source 6 emitting the light from an ultraviolet wavelength region to a visible wavelength region, is separated to light in the ultraviolet wavelength region and light in the visible wavelength region by a dichroic mirror 8, and the light in the ultraviolet wavelength region, separated by the mirror 8, is made incident on an ultraviolet illumination optical system 9 so as to illuminate a sample, and also the light in the visible wavelength region separated by the mirror 8 is made incident on a visible light illumination optical system 10 to illuminate the specimen.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultraviolet microscope capable of observing an ultraviolet light image and a visible light image of a specimen.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an ultraviolet microscope capable of observing not only an ultraviolet light image of a specimen but also a visible light image, a light source for visible light and a light source for ultraviolet light as disclosed in JP-A-11-052253 have been disclosed. And a visible light illumination optical system that guides light from a light source for visible light to an objective lens,
A wavelength selecting means for extracting only light in a wavelength range necessary for illumination from light from the ultraviolet light source, and an ultraviolet light illuminating optical system for guiding ultraviolet light in the selected wavelength range to an objective lens; When observing an image, the ultraviolet light source is turned on, only the light in the required wavelength range is extracted by the wavelength selecting means, and the sample is illuminated from the ultraviolet light illuminating optical system via the objective lens and reflected from the sample. When observing an ultraviolet light image by condensing light with an objective lens, on the other hand, when observing a visible light image of the sample, turn on the light source for visible light and turn the sample from the visible light illumination optical system through the objective lens. And illuminates the reflected light with an objective lens to observe a visible light image. In this case, when observing the ultraviolet light image and the visible light image simultaneously, it is necessary to turn on the ultraviolet light source and the visible light source simultaneously,
Even when observation is not performed at the same time, the respective light paths are blocked by shutters provided in the ultraviolet light illuminating optical system and the visible light illuminating optical system while the ultraviolet light source and the visible light source are both turned on. I am trying to do it.

[0003]

However, according to such a configuration, the ultraviolet light source and the visible light source are provided independently for observing the ultraviolet light image and the visible light image of the specimen. Therefore, there is a problem that the configuration becomes large and the price is also effective. In addition, when observing an ultraviolet light image, a high-magnification objective lens is generally used, so it is necessary to equip a sufficiently bright light source and its power supply. For this reason, the ultraviolet light source and the visible light source are independently provided. If these are turned on at the same time, the power consumption will increase and the heat generated from the power supply of these light sources will also increase, causing problems such as the need for sufficient heat generation measures for the entire microscope for safety reasons. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide an ultraviolet microscope which can have a simple structure, is inexpensive, can reduce power consumption, and can generate less heat from a light source. .

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A light source that emits light from the ultraviolet wavelength range to the visible wavelength range, light separating means for separating light emitted from the light source into light in the ultraviolet wavelength range and light in the visible wavelength range, and light separated by the light separating means. An ultraviolet light illumination optical system for illuminating the sample with light in the ultraviolet wavelength range, and a visible light illumination optical system for illuminating the sample with light in the visible wavelength range separated by the light separating means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, there is provided an optical fiber for causing the light in the visible wavelength range separated by the light separating means to enter the visible light illumination optical system.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a light source that emits light in two different ultraviolet wavelength ranges, and light emitted from the light source is converted into light in a first ultraviolet wavelength range and light in a second ultraviolet wavelength range. A light separating means for separating light, a first ultraviolet light illuminating optical system for illuminating a sample with light in a first ultraviolet wavelength range separated by the light separating means, and a second ultraviolet light separated by the light separating means A second ultraviolet light optical system for illuminating the sample with light in a wavelength range.

As a result, according to the present invention, illumination with light in the ultraviolet wavelength range and illumination with visible light can be performed with a single light source. Since it can be inexpensive and effectively uses light in the ultraviolet wavelength range and light in the visible range from a single light source, it is possible to effectively use the power of the light source, reduce power consumption, and further reduce the number of light sources by one. By using only the individual pieces, heat generation can be reduced, and safety measures for safety of the microscope main body can be minimized.

Further, according to the present invention, the visible light from the light source is made to enter the visible light illumination optical system by the optical fiber, so that the optical adjustment of the visible light illumination optical system can be performed independently of the position of the light source. As a result, the visible light illumination optical system can be simplified, and the optical adjustment becomes easy.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an ultraviolet microscope having an illumination wavelength of 248 nm to which the present invention is applied. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a microscope main body. The microscope main body 1 has an arm 1c protruding in a direction parallel to the base 1a on a support 1b provided upright on the base 1a. A stage 3 on which the sample 2 is placed is provided on the base 1a, and an objective lens 5 supported by a revolver 4 is arranged on the arm 1c so as to correspond to the stage 3. In this case, the stage 3 moves up and down along the optical axis direction of the objective lens 5.

A light source 6 for illuminating the specimen 2 is provided above the microscope main body 1. As the light source 6, a mercury lamp that emits light in the ultraviolet wavelength range to the visible wavelength range is used.
Then, the light emitted from the light source 6 is
Is incident on. The collector lens 7 converts light from the light source 6 into a parallel light beam.

The parallel light beam from the collector lens 7 is incident on a dichroic mirror 8 as light separating means.
As shown in FIG. 2, the dichroic mirror 8 has such characteristics that the reflectance R is large and the transmittance T is small in the ultraviolet wavelength range, and the transmittance T is large and the reflectance R is small in the visible wavelength range. It reflects light in the ultraviolet wavelength range (here, light including 248 nm) necessary to illuminate the specimen 2 and transmits light including wavelengths in the visible range.

The light in the ultraviolet wavelength range reflected by the dichroic mirror 8 is incident on the ultraviolet light illumination optical system 9, and the light in the visible range transmitted through the dichroic mirror 8 is converted into a visible light illumination optical system for epi-illumination. 10 is incident.

The ultraviolet light illuminating optical system 9 has a wavelength 248 of the light in the ultraviolet wavelength range reflected by the dichroic mirror 8.
a band-pass filter 91 that passes only the illumination ultraviolet light of nm, a projection lens 92 that guides a light source image of the illumination ultraviolet light that has passed through the band-pass filter 91 to the pupil plane of the objective lens 5, and an illumination ultraviolet light that passes through the projection lens 92. A half mirror 93 for reflecting light toward the objective lens 5 is provided. Further, the ultraviolet light illuminating optical system 9 is provided with an ultraviolet light image observation unit 11 for observing an image by the ultraviolet light reflected from the sample 2. This ultraviolet light image observation unit 11 is inserted into the optical path of the ultraviolet light illumination optical system 9 and transmits the illumination ultraviolet light from the projection lens 92,
Half mirror 11 that reflects ultraviolet light reflected from specimen 2
1 and an imaging unit 112 that captures an ultraviolet light image reflected by the half mirror 111.

The visible light illuminating optical system 10 reflects a visible light source image of the visible light reflected by the reflecting mirror 101 on the pupil plane of the objective lens 5 by reflecting a visible light transmitted through the dichroic mirror 8. It has a projection lens 102 for guiding, a half mirror 103 for reflecting the visible light passing through the projection lens 102 toward the objective lens 5 and transmitting the visible light reflected from the sample 2. Further, the visible light illumination optical system 10 has a visible light image observing unit 121 that receives the visible light reflected from the sample 2 via the half mirror 103 and the half mirror 93 and observes the visible light as a visible light image.

Next, the operation of the embodiment configured as described above will be described.

When the light source 6 is turned on, the light emitted from the light source 6 is converted into a parallel light beam by the collector lens 7 and is incident on the dichroic mirror 8, where the sample 2
The light in the ultraviolet wavelength range including 248 nm necessary for the illumination is reflected and incident on the ultraviolet light illumination optical system 9. Then, only the illuminating ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 248 nm is extracted through the band-pass filter 91, passes through the projection lens 92, is reflected by the half mirror 93, is incident on the objective lens 5, and illuminates the sample 2. The ultraviolet light reflected from the sample 2 is reflected by the half mirror 93 and the half mirror 111, and is captured by the imaging unit 112 as an ultraviolet light image.

On the other hand, light in the visible region that passes through the dichroic mirror 8 is incident on the visible light illumination optical system 10, is reflected by the reflection mirror 101, passes through the projection lens 102, is reflected by the half mirror 103, and is reflected by the objective lens 5. It is incident and illuminates the specimen 2. Further, the visible light reflected from the sample 2 passes through the half mirror 103 and the half mirror 93, enters the visible light image observation unit 121, and is observed as a visible light image.

In the above description, the sample 2 is simultaneously illuminated with the light in the ultraviolet wavelength range and the light in the visible range extracted from the light source 6, and the ultraviolet light image and the visible light image are observed. An independent shutter (not shown) is arranged in each of the optical paths of the optical system 9 and the visible light illumination optical system 10, and these shutters are selectively opened and closed to observe only one of the ultraviolet light image and the visible light image. You can make it possible.

Therefore, in this way, one light source 6
Only, it is possible to perform illumination with light in the ultraviolet wavelength range and illumination with light in the visible range, so that the device can be easily configured,
It can be cheaper in price. Further, since the light in the ultraviolet wavelength range and the light in the visible range are effectively used from one light source 6, the power of the light source 6 can be effectively used, the power consumption can be reduced, and one light source 6 By using only the above, heat generation can be reduced, so that safety measures for safety of the microscope main body can be minimized.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention, and the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In this case, the incident end 1 of the optical fiber 12 is placed on the optical path of the light in the visible region transmitted through the dichroic mirror 8.
2a is disposed, and the output end 1
The visible light emitted from 2b is transmitted through the projection lens 102 of the visible light illumination optical system 10, reflected by the half mirror 103, and made incident on the objective lens 5. Further, the ultraviolet light illuminating optical system 9 and the ultraviolet light image observing section 11 are configured in an ultraviolet light illuminating unit 13, and the ultraviolet light illuminating unit 13, the visible light illuminating optical system 10 and the optical fiber 12 are connected to the microscope main body 1.
It has a structure that can be removed.

According to such a configuration, the sample 2 is illuminated with respect to light in the ultraviolet wavelength range including 248 nm reflected by the dichroic mirror 8 in the same manner as described in the first embodiment. Light in the visible range that passes through the mirror 8 is incident on the incident end 12a of the optical fiber 12, passes through the optical fiber 12, enters the projection lens 102 from the emission end 12b, passes through the projection lens 102, and is reflected by the half mirror 103. Incident on the objective lens 5 and the specimen 2
Will be illuminated.

In this way, the visible light from the light source 6 is made incident on the projection lens 102 by the optical fiber 12, and the light source image is projected on the pupil plane of the objective lens 5.
The optical adjustment of the visible light illumination optical system 10 can be performed independently of the position of the light source 6, and as a result, the visible light illumination optical system 10 can be simplified and the optical adjustment can be easily performed.

Further, since the ultraviolet light illuminating unit 13, the visible light illuminating optical system 10 and the optical fiber 12 can be removed from the microscope main body 1, for example, if the ultraviolet light illuminating unit 13 is removed, the ordinary It can be used as an optical microscope for visible light. In this case, a halogen light source for the optical fiber 12 or the like may be separately prepared as a light source. Also, when constructing a microscope system,
If the ultraviolet light illumination unit 13 is treated as an optional product, the microscope user can freely select the system.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 4 shows a schematic configuration of a third embodiment of the present invention, and the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In this case, a visible light illumination optical system 14 for transmission is arranged inside the base 1a of the microscope main body 1. The incident end 12a of the optical fiber 12 is disposed on the optical path of light in the visible region transmitted through the dichroic mirror 8, and the visible light emitted from the emitting end 12b through the optical fiber 12 is transmitted through the visible light. The sample 2 is made incident on the illumination optical system 14 so that the sample 2 can be transmitted and illuminated through the visible light illumination optical system 14.

In this case, the emission end 12b of the optical fiber 12
Can be attached to the visible light illumination optical system 10 for incident light as described in the second embodiment, and can be replaced by the user if necessary.

In this way, the illumination of visible light by the light source 6 can be used in the case of transmission illumination. As a result, in addition to illumination by ultraviolet light, only one light source 6 can be used.
Since a total of three types of illumination, that is, epi-illumination and transmitted illumination by visible light, can be performed, the apparatus can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

In the third embodiment, the visible light illuminating optical system 1 for transmitting the light through the exit end 12b of the optical fiber 12.
4 or a visible light illumination optical system 10 for epi-illumination, but a type in which the emission end 12b is bifurcated is used, and each branch end is a visible light illumination optical system for transmission. System 14 and visible light illumination optical system 1 for epi-illumination
0 may be attached. In this case, the switching between the transmission illumination and the epi-illumination can be performed without replacing the optical fiber 12.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 5 shows a schematic configuration of a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In this case, the light source 6 emits light in two different ultraviolet wavelength ranges. The collector lens 7
The dichroic mirror 15 on which the parallel light beam of
As shown in FIG. 6, for light in the first ultraviolet wavelength range (here, light including 248 nm) necessary to illuminate the specimen 2, the reflectance R is large and the transmittance T is small, For light in the ultraviolet wavelength range of 2 (here, light including 365 nm), a light having characteristics such that the transmittance T is large and the reflectance R is small is used.

The light in the first ultraviolet wavelength range reflected by the dichroic mirror 15 is incident on the first ultraviolet light illuminating optical system 16 and is transmitted through the dichroic mirror 15 in the second ultraviolet wavelength range. Is incident on the second ultraviolet light illumination optical system 17.

The first ultraviolet light illuminating optical system 16 includes a band-pass filter 161 and a band-pass filter that pass only the illumination ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 248 nm out of the light in the first ultraviolet wavelength range reflected by the dichroic mirror 15. A projection lens 162 that guides the light source image of the illumination ultraviolet light that has passed through 161 to the pupil plane of the objective lens 5, and a half mirror 16 that reflects the illumination ultraviolet light that has passed through the projection lens 162 to the objective lens 5 side
Three. Further, the first ultraviolet light illumination optical system 1
6 is provided with an ultraviolet light image observation unit 18 for observing an image formed by ultraviolet light reflected from the sample 2. The ultraviolet light image observation unit 18 is inserted into the optical path of the first ultraviolet light illumination optical system 16, transmits the illumination ultraviolet light from the projection lens 162, and reflects the ultraviolet light reflected from the sample 2.
And an imaging unit 182 that captures an ultraviolet light image reflected by the half mirror 181.

The second ultraviolet light illumination optical system 17 includes a reflection mirror 170 for reflecting the light in the second ultraviolet wavelength range transmitted through the dichroic mirror 15, and a band-pass filter 171 for passing only the illumination ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 365 nm. A projection lens 172 that guides the light source image of the illumination ultraviolet light that has passed through the bandpass filter 171 to the pupil plane of the objective lens 5, and a half mirror 173 that reflects the illumination ultraviolet light that has passed through the projection lens 172 toward the objective lens 5. ing. Also, this second
The ultraviolet light illumination optical system 17 is also provided with an ultraviolet light image observation unit 19 for observing an image formed by the ultraviolet light reflected from the sample 2. The ultraviolet light image observation unit 19 is provided with an imaging unit 191 that captures ultraviolet light reflected from the sample 2 through the half mirrors 173 and 163 and captures an ultraviolet light image.

According to such a configuration, the light emitted from the light source 6 is converted into a parallel light beam by the collector lens 7,
The light enters the dichroic mirror 15, where 248n
The light in the first ultraviolet wavelength range including m is reflected and incident on the first ultraviolet light illumination optical system 16. Then, only the illumination ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 248 nm is extracted through the bandpass filter 161, passes through the projection lens 162, is reflected by the half mirror 163, is incident on the objective lens 5, and illuminates the sample 2. The ultraviolet light reflected from the sample 2 is reflected by the half mirror 163 and the half mirror 181 and is captured by the imaging unit 182 as an ultraviolet light image.

On the other hand, the light in the second ultraviolet wavelength range including 365 nm transmitted through the dichroic mirror 15 is incident on the second ultraviolet light illumination optical system 17. Then, only the illumination ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 365 nm is extracted by the reflection mirror 170 via the band-pass filter 171, passes through the projection lens 172, is reflected by the half mirror 173, is incident on the objective lens 5, and illuminates the sample 2. I do. The ultraviolet light reflected from the sample 2 is taken into the imaging unit 191 via the half mirrors 173 and 163, and is captured as an ultraviolet light image.

In the above description, the specimen 2 is simultaneously illuminated with the light in the first and second ultraviolet wavelength ranges extracted from the light source 6, and the ultraviolet light images in the respective ultraviolet wavelength ranges are observed. Independent shutters (not shown) are arranged in the respective optical paths of the first ultraviolet light illumination optical system 16 and the second ultraviolet light illumination optical system 17, and these shutters are selectively opened and closed, thereby providing the first and second light sources. Only one of the ultraviolet light images according to the light in the ultraviolet wavelength range can be observed.

Therefore, even in this case, one light source 6
With only this, illumination with light in two different ultraviolet wavelength ranges can be performed, so that the device can be simply configured and the cost can be reduced. In addition, since light in two different ultraviolet wavelength ranges is effectively used from one light source 6, the power of the light source 6 can be effectively used, power consumption can be reduced, and only one light source 6 can be used. By doing so, the heat generation can be reduced,
Safety measures for safety of the microscope body can be minimized.

[0041]

As described above, according to the present invention, illumination with ultraviolet light and visible light or illumination with light in a different ultraviolet wavelength range can be performed with only one light source. It is possible to provide an ultraviolet microscope which can be configured, is inexpensive, can reduce power consumption, and can reduce heat generation from a light source.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining characteristics of a dichroic mirror used in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating characteristics of a dichroic mirror used in a fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Microscope main body 1a ... Base 1b ... Prop 1c ... Arm 2 ... Sample 3 ... Stage 4 ... Revolver 5 ... Objective lens 6 ... Light source 7 ... Collector lens 8 ... Dichroic mirror 9 ... Ultraviolet light illumination optical system 91 ... Bandpass filter 92 ... Projection lens 93 ... Half mirror 10 ... Visible light illumination optical system 101 ... Reflection mirror 102 ... Projection lens 103 ... Half mirror 11 ... Ultraviolet light image observation unit 111 ... Half mirror 112 ... Image pickup unit 121 ... Visible light image observation unit 12 ... Optical fiber 12a ... Incoming end 12b ... Outgoing end 13 ... Ultraviolet light illumination unit 14 ... Visible light illumination optical system 15 ... Dichroic mirror 16 ... First ultraviolet light illumination optical system 161 ... Band pass filter 162 ... Projection lens 163 ... Half mirror 17 ... second ultraviolet light illumination optical system 171 ... bandpass filter 17 ... projection lens 173 ... half mirror 18 ... ultraviolet light image observation unit 19 ... ultraviolet light image observation area 181 ... half mirror 182,191 ... imaging unit

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A light source for emitting light from an ultraviolet wavelength range to a visible wavelength range, light separating means for separating light emitted from the light source into light in an ultraviolet wavelength range and light in a visible wavelength range, An ultraviolet light illumination optical system for illuminating the sample with light in the ultraviolet wavelength range separated by the means, and a visible light illumination optical system for illuminating the sample with light in the visible wavelength range separated by the light separation means. An ultraviolet microscope characterized by the above. 2. An ultraviolet microscope according to claim 1, further comprising an optical fiber for causing light in a visible wavelength range separated by said light separating means to enter said visible light illumination optical system. 3. A light source that emits light in two different ultraviolet wavelength ranges, and a light separating unit that separates light emitted from the light source into light in a first ultraviolet wavelength range and light in a second ultraviolet wavelength range. A first ultraviolet light illuminating optical system for illuminating the sample with light in the first ultraviolet wavelength range separated by the light separating means; and a sample using light in the second ultraviolet wavelength range separated by the light separating means. And a second ultraviolet light illuminating optical system for illuminating the light source.