Patent ID: 8446668
Filing Date: 2013-05-21
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
1. A microscope apparatus comprising: an illumination optical system that illuminates a sample with illumination light emitted from a light source; an imaging optical system that converges light emitted from the sample to form a sample image by an objective lens; an aperture member that is disposed in the illumination optical system in the vicinity of a conjugate plane of a rear focal plane of the objective lens and has a slit aperture for limiting the illumination light, the slit aperture being formed in the substantial center of the aperture member, with an optical axis passing through the slit aperture; and a filter member that includes a phase plate that is disposed in the imaging optical system in the vicinity of the rear focal plane of the objective lens or in the vicinity of the conjugate plane of the rear focal plane of the objective lens and has only two phase areas, the two phase areas dividing a light flux from the sample into two portions and introducing a phase difference of 180 degrees therebetween; a phase boundary portion between the two phase areas being disposed in an image of the slit aperture that is formed in a conjugate position of the slit aperture and extending substantially parallel to a lengthwise direction of the slit aperture; wherein the following conditional expression is satisfied: where d