Patent ID: 6751016
Filing Date: 2004-06-15
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
A scanning optical microscope comprising:a light source; a wavefront converting element for applying a desired wavefront conversion to illuminating light emitted from said light source; an objective for collecting wavefront-converted illuminating light emerging from said wavefront converting element onto a sample; a detector for detecting signal light emitted from said sample; and an actuator for scanning said objective alone a direction perpendicular to an optical axis, wherein when said actuator scans one section of the sample perpendicular to the optical axis with said objective, said wavefront converting element applies a constant wavefront conversion to said illuminating light, and wherein when an amount of movement of said objective along a direction perpendicular to the optical axis is denoted by &Dgr;X, the following condition (1) is satisfied: &Dgr;X&lE;0.66fOBÂ·&lgr;/(&Dgr;ZÂ·NA4)â€ƒâ€ƒ(1) where:fOB: a focal length of the objective; &Dgr;Z: an amount of focal point movement caused by the wavefront converting element; &lgr;: a wavelength of the illuminating light; NA: a numerical aperture of the objective.