Patent ID: 7315413
Filing Date: 2008-01-01
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
1. An illumination apparatus for a microscope, comprising: a light source portion that projects a light beam; a first light beam splitting element that splits the light beam projected from the light source portion into a first light beam and a second light beam; a second light beam splitting element that splits the first light beam into a third light beam and a fourth light beam; a first light beam combining element that combines the second light beam and the third light beam into a fifth light beam; a second light beam combining element that combines the fourth light beam and the fifth light beam; a plurality of transmission wavelength selection elements that independently select transmission wavelengths of the second light beam, the third light beam, and the fourth light beam, respectively; a plurality of light reduction filters that independently reduce the second light beam, the third light beam, and the fourth light beam, respectively; a plurality of shutters that independently shield or guide the second light beam, the third light beam, and the fourth light beam, respectively; a pinhole that has an aperture which selectively transmits only a part of the fifth light beam; and a projection optical system that applies a light beam from the second light beam combining element to a sample and projects the aperture of the pinhole onto the sample; wherein: (i) light of a desired wavelength range, corresponding to an excitation wavelength range of a fluorescent material of the sample, of the fourth light beam is transmitted by a first one of the plurality of transmission wavelength selection elements, (ii) a quantity of the light of the desired wavelength range of the fourth light beam is reduced to a predetermined quantity by a first one of the plurality of light reduction filters to become excitation light, and (iii) when one of the shutters corresponding to the fourth light beam is opened, the excitation light is applied to the sample; wherein: (i) light of a desired wavelength range, corresponding to a stimulus wavelength range, of the third light beam is transmitted by a second one of the plurality of transmission wavelength selection elements, (ii) a quantity of the light of the desired wavelength range of the third light beam is reduced to a predetermined quantity by a second one of the plurality of light reduction filters to become stimulus light, and (iii) when one of the shutters corresponding to third light beam is opened, the stimulus light is applied to the sample; and wherein: (i) light of a desired wavelength range, which is in a visible light range and excludes a fluorescence wavelength range of the fluorescent material of the sample, of the second light beam is transmitted by a third one of the plurality of transmission wavelength selection elements, (ii) a quantity of the light of the desired wavelength range of the second light beam is reduced to a predetermined quantity by a third one of the plurality of light reduction filters to become guide light, and (iii) when at least one of the shutters corresponding to the second light beam is opened, a position of the pinhole projected on the sample is confirmed using the guide light.