Arrangement for illumination and/or detection in a microscope

Abstract

A laser scanning microscope comprises at least one selectively switchable micro-mirror arrangement (DMD) in the illumination beam path and/or detection beam path which is used for the wavelength selection of dispersively divided illumination and/or object light such as reflection, fluorescence.

1 - 11 . (canceled)  
   
   
       12 . A laser scanning microscope comprising: 
 a micro-mirror arrangement acting as a confocal pinhole diaphragm in a detection beam path; and    a detector that receives a detection beam from the micro-mirror arrangement.    
   
   
       13 . The arrangement according to  claim 12 , wherein the micro-mirror arrangement is programmable with respect to a size and shape of the pinhole on the micro-mirror arrangement.  
   
   
       14 . The arrangement according to  claim 12 , wherein the micro-mirror arrangement is programmable with respect to a lateral position of the pinhole on the micro-mirror arrangement.  
   
   
       15 . The arrangement according to  claim 12 , wherein the micro-mirror arrangement is programmable with respect to a size of the pinhole on the micro-mirror arrangement in synchronization with a detected spectral band.  
   
   
       16 . The arrangement according to  claim 12 , further comprising: 
 a dispersive element positioned in the detection beam path between the micro-mirror arrangement and the detector, and operable to spatially disperse a detection beam from the micro-mirror arrangement;    wherein the micro-mirror arrangement is programmable with respect to a size, shape and lateral position of the pinhole on the micro-mirror arrangement in synchronization with a detected spectral band.    
   
   
       17 . The arrangement according to  claim 12 , further comprising: 
 a second micro-mirror arrangement and a second dispersive element acting together as a beam splitter for wavelength-selective coupling-in of an excitation beam in the direction of an object under study and wavelength-selective coupling-out of a detection beam in the direction of the detector.    
   
   
       18 . A laser scanning microscope comprising: 
 a micro-mirror arrangement acting as a slit pinhole in a detection beam path so as to receive a scanned line of an object; and    a detector that receives the scanned line from the micro-mirror arrangement.    
   
   
       19 . The arrangement according to  claim 18 , further comprising 
 a dispersive element positioned in the detection beam path between the micro-mirror arrangement and the detector;    wherein the detector is a two dimensional array of detector elements such that the scanned line is imaged in one dimension of the detector and the spectrum of the scanned line is imaged in the other dimension of the detector.    
   
   
       20 . A laser scanning microscope comprising: 
 a laser unit;    a scanning means;    a micro-mirror arrangement positioned in the scanning means and acting as a variable spatial pinhole diaphragm in a detection beam path; and    a detector that receives a detection beam from the micro-mirror arrangement    wherein the variable spatial pinhole represents the entrance aperture of a monochromator which divides the specimen radiation into spectral components through dispersion.    
   
   
       21 . The laser scanning microscope according to  claim 20 , wherein the micro-mirror arrangement is programmable with respect to a size and shape of the pinhole on the micro-mirror arrangement.  
   
   
       22 . The laser scanning microscope according to  claim 20 , wherein the micro-mirror arrangement is programmable with respect to a lateral position of the pinhole on the micro-mirror arrangement.  
   
   
       23 . The laser scanning microscope according to  claim 20 , wherein the micro-mirror arrangement is programmable with respect to a size of the pinhole on the micro-mirror arrangement in synchronization with a detected spectral band.  
   
   
       24 . The laser scanning microscope according to  claim 20 , further comprising: 
 a dispersive element positioned in the detection beam path between the micro-mirror arrangement and the detector, and operable to spatially disperse a detection beam from the micro-mirror arrangement;    wherein the micro-mirror arrangement is programmable with respect to a size, shape and lateral position of the pinhole on the micro-mirror arrangement in synchronization with a detected spectral band.    
   
   
       25 . The laser scanning microscope according to  claim 20 , further comprising: 
 a second micro-mirror arrangement and a second dispersive element acting together as a beam splitter for wavelength-selective coupling-in of an excitation beam in the direction of an object under study and wavelength-selective coupling-out of a detection beam in the direction of the detector.    
   
   
       26 . A laser scanning microscope comprising: 
 a laser source;    a scanning means;    a micro-mirror arrangement disposed in the scanning means acting as a slit pinhole in a detection beam path so as to receive a scanned line of an object; and    a detector that receives the scanned line from the micro-mirror arrangement.    
   
   
       27 . The arrangement according to  claim 26 , further comprising 
 a dispersive element positioned in the detection beam path between the micro-mirror arrangement and the detector;    wherein the detector is a two dimensional array of detector elements such that the scanned line is imaged in one dimension of the detector and the spectrum of the scanned line is imaged in the other dimension of the detector.    
   
   
       28 . A laser scanning microscope comprising: 
 a laser source;    a scanning means;    a micro-mirror arrangement disposed in the scanning means acting as a point pinhole in a detection beam path so as to receive a scanned line of an object; and    a detector that receives the scanned line from the micro-mirror arrangement.