Patent ID: 6812446
Filing Date: 2004-11-02
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
An autofocus module for a microscope-based system comprising:an objective that defines an image beam path which is perpendicular to a surface of a specimen and can be focused thereonto, and an illumination beam path that encompasses a light source for illumination of the specimen, a light source that generates a measurement light bundle for determining at least one focus position; an optical element for splitting the measurement light bundle in such a way that an eccentrically extending annularly divergent measurement light bundle is created; and for parallelizing a divergent measurement light bundle remitted from the microscope-based system; a first dichroic beam splitter positioned in the image beam path of the microscope-based system, for coupling the eccentrically extending measurement light bundle eccentrically into the microscope-based system and for directing it onto the surface of the specimen; and at least one optical means for directing the remitted measurement light beam bundle onto a differential diode.