Patent ID: 9507135
Filing Date: 2016-11-29
CPC Classification: G02B

Claim Text:
1. A super-resolution microscope for observing a sample including a molecule having at least two excited quantum states, the super-resolution microscope comprising: an illumination optical system configured to collect first illumination light and second illumination light on the sample by partially spatially overlapping the lights to irradiate the sample, the first illumination light being for exciting the molecule from a stable state to a first quantum state and the second illumination light being for causing the molecule to transition further to another quantum state; a scanning unit configured to scan the sample by displacing the sample relative to the first illumination light and the second illumination light; a detection unit configured to detect a light response signal generated by the sample due to irradiation with the first illumination light and the second illumination light; and a modulation optical element disposed in the illumination optical system along a light path traveled by the first illumination light and the second illumination light and configured to spatially modulate the second illumination light, wherein in the modulation optical element, a plurality of optical substrates exhibiting anisotropy in a refractive index distribution are joined in a coplanar manner, each optical substrate includes a birefringent medium, and at least two of the optical substrates have a different refractive index with respect to a polarization direction of the second illumination light, and wherein the optical substrates are quartz substrates, and at least two of the quartz substrates are joined so that directions of phase advancing axes thereof intersect.