초록 ▼

Apparatus and methods relating to microscopes having specific control of the light that contacts a sample and/or a light detector, such as the eye of the user, a charge couple device or a video camera. The improved control includes enhanced, selective control of the angle of illumination, quantity o

Apparatus and methods relating to microscopes having specific control of the light that contacts a sample and/or a light detector, such as the eye of the user, a charge couple device or a video camera. The improved control includes enhanced, selective control of the angle of illumination, quantity of light and location of light reaching the sample and/or detector. The microscopes comprise one or more spatial light modulators in the illumination and/or detection light path of the microscope at one or both of the conjugate image plane of the aperture diaphragm of the objective lens and the conjugate image plane of the sample.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A microscope that provides a uniform intensity of illumination light to a sample, the microscope comprising a spatial light modulator comprising an illumination array of individual light transmission pixels and disposed in an illumination light path at a conjugate image plane

What is claimed is: 1. A microscope that provides a uniform intensity of illumination light to a sample, the microscope comprising a spatial light modulator comprising an illumination array of individual light transmission pixels and disposed in an illumination light path at a conjugate image plane of the sample, to provide an upstream spatial light modulator, and a light detector comprising a detection array of individual detection pixels and disposed downstream from the upstream spatial light modulator at a conjugate image plane of the sample and that receives light directly from the upstream spatial light modulator, wherein the spatial light modulator and the light detector are operably connected to at least one controller containing computer-implemented programming that controls transmissive characteristics of the upstream spatial light modulator and that compiles the light intensity detection data provided by the light detector, wherein the at least one controller selectively varies the on/off status of individual light transmission pixels of the spatial light modulator to compensate for non-uniform light intensities detected by the light detector, thereby providing a uniform intensity of illumination light that is transmitted to the sample, wherein the microscope further comprises a second spatial light modulator that is disposed in the detection light path, located at a downstream conjugate image plane of a sample and operably connected to a second modulator controller containing computer-implemented programming that controls transmissive characteristics of the second spatial light modulator, wherein the microscope is a confocal microscope, wherein the detection array of individual detection pixels corresponds to and is aligned with the illumination array of individual light transmission pixels in the upstream spatial light modulator and the at least one controller contains computer-implemented programming that controls transmissive characteristics of the upstream spatial light modulator to provide at least one illumination spot to the sample by causing at least one individual light transmission pixel of the upstream spatial light modulator to be on while adjacent pixels are off and the detection array selectively detects the illumination spot, wherein the at least one controller causes the upstream spatial light modulator to simultaneously form a plurality of the illumination spots and to provide sequential complementary patterns of the spots, and wherein the at least one controller causes the light detector to detect light impinging on a central detection pixel aligned with an individual light transmission pixel of the upstream spatial light modulator that is on and to detect light impinging on at least one detection pixel adjacent to the central detection pixel, and the controller contains computer-implemented programming that compiles the data provided by the at least one adjacent detection pixel and combines it with the data provided by the central detection pixel. 2. The microscope of claim 1 wherein the computer-implemented programming compiles the data provided by the adjacent detection pixels and combines it with the data provided by the central detection pixel such that the rejection of the out of focus information of the microscope is enhanced compared to the focus without the data from the adjacent detection pixels. 3. The microscope of claim 1 wherein the computer-implemented programming compiles the data provided by the adjacent detection pixels and combines it with the data provided by the central detection pixel to determine the light absorption characteristics of the sample. 4. A method for varying the intensity of light emanating from a sample to a light detector in a microscope, wherein the microscope comprises a spatial light modulator comprising an illumination array of individual light transmission pixels and disposed in an illumination light path at a conjugate image plane of the sample and a light detector that comprises a detection array of individual detection pixels and is disposed downstream from the sample in a detection light path at a conjugate image plane of the sample, wherein the spatial light modulator and the light detector are operably connected to at least one controller containing computer-implemented programming that controls transmissive characteristics of the spatial light modulator and that compiles the light intensity detection data provided by the light detector, the method comprising: varying an on/off status of individual light transmission pixels of the spatial light modulator to vary the light intensity impinging on selected spots of the sample and thereby varying the intensity of light emanating from the selected spots of the sample and impinging on at least one pixel of the light detector, wherein the method further comprises selectively varying the on/off status of individual light transmission pixels of the spatial light modulator such that when the light intensity impinging on a pixel of the light detector is greater than or equal to a threshold level that indicates that the light intensity significantly adversely affects adjacent pixels then turning off at least one corresponding pixel in the spatial light modulator for a time sufficient to reduce the light intensity impinging on the pixel of the light detector below the threshold level. 5. The method of claim 4 wherein the method further comprises selectively varying the on/off status of individual light transmission pixels of the spatial light modulator such the light intensity impinging on the detection array of pixels of the light detector is uniform across the detection array, and determining the light intensity characteristics of the sample by determining an amount of time individual pixels in the illumination array of the upstream spatial light modulator are on or off. 6. A method for varying the intensity of light emanating from a sample to a light detector in a microscope, wherein the microscope comprises a spatial light modulator comprising an illumination array of individual light transmission pixels and disposed in an illumination light path at a conjugate image plane of the sample and a light detector that comprises a detection array of individual detection pixels and is disposed downstream from the sample in a detection light path at a conjugate image plane of the sample, wherein the spatial light modulator and the light detector are operably connected to at least one controller containing computer-implemented programming that controls transmissive characteristics of the spatial light modulator and that compiles the light intensity detection data provided by the light detector, the method comprising: varying an on/off status of individual light transmission pixels of the spatial light modulator to vary the light intensity impinging on selected spots of the sample and thereby varying the intensity of light emanating from the selected spots of the sample and impinging on at least one pixel of the light detector, wherein the microscope is a confocal microscope, wherein the method further comprises providing at least one illumination spot to the sample by causing at least one individual light transmission pixel of the spatial light modulator to be on while adjacent pixels are off and the detection array selectively detects the illumination spot, wherein the spatial light modulator simultaneously forms a plurality of the illumination spots and provides sequential complementary patterns of the spots, and wherein the method further comprises detecting light impinging on a central detection pixel aligned with an individual light transmission pixel of the spatial light modulator that is on and detecting light impinging on at least one detection pixel adjacent to the central detection pixel, and compiling the data provided by the at least one adjacent detection pixel and combining it with the data provided by the central detection pixel. 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the method further comprises compiling the data provided by the adjacent detection pixels and combining it with the data provided by the central detection pixel such that the rejection of the out of focus information of the microscope is enhanced compared to the focus without the data from the adjacent detection pixels. 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the method further comprises compiling the data provided by the adjacent detection pixels and combining it with the data provided by the central detection pixel and therefrom determining the light absorption characteristics of the sample. 9. A microscope that varies the intensity of light emanating from a sample to a light detector, the microscope comprising a spatial light modulator comprising an illumination array of individual light transmission pixels and disposed in an illumination light path at a conjugate image plane of the sample, to provide an upstream spatial light modulator, and the light detector which comprises a detection array of individual detection pixels and is disposed downstream from the sample in a detection light path at a conjugate image plane of the sample, wherein the spatial light modulator and the light detector are operably connected to at least one controller containing computer-implemented programming that controls transmissive characteristics of the upstream spatial light modulator and that compiles the light intensity detection data provided by the light detector, wherein the controller selectively varies the on/off status of individual light transmission pixels of the spatial light modulator to vary the light intensity impinging on selected spots of the sample and thereby vary the intensity of light emanating from the selected spots of the sample and impinging on at least one pixel of the light detector, wherein the microscope further comprises a second spatial light modulator that is disposed in the detection light path, located at a downstream conjugate image plane of a sample and operably connected to a second modulator controller containing computer-implemented programming that controls transmissive characteristics of the second spatial light modulator, wherein the microscope is a confocal microscope, wherein the detection array of individual detection pixels corresponds to and is aligned with the illumination array of individual light transmission pixels in the upstream spatial light modulator and the at least one controller contains computer-implemented programming that controls transmissive characteristics of the upstream spatial light modulator to provide at least one illumination spot to the sample by causing at least one individual light transmission pixel of the upstream spatial light modulator to be on while adjacent pixels are off and the detection array selectively detects the illumination spot, wherein the at least one controller causes the upstream spatial light modulator to simultaneously form a plurality of the illumination spots and to provide sequential complementary patterns of the spots, and wherein the at least one controller causes the light detector to detect light impinging on a central detection pixel aligned with an individual light transmission pixel of the upstream spatial light modulator that is on and to detect light impinging on at least one detection pixel adjacent to the central detection pixel, and the controller contains computer-implemented programming that compiles the data provided by the at least one adjacent detection pixel and combines it with the data provided by the central detection pixel.