Patent ID: 6151127
Filing Date: 2000-11-21
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
A confocal microscope system for imaging sections of tissue below the surface of said tissue comprising:a light source for producing a single beam of long coherence length light of different wavelengths which represents the combination of a plurality of different beams of long coherence length light each of said different wavelengths;first optics for separating said single beam into an imaging beam and a reference beam;an optical modulator for modulating the phase of said reference beam;confocal optics for scanning and focusing said imaging beam below the surface of said tissue and collecting returned light of said imaging beam from said tissue;second optics for interacting said returned light with said modulated reference beam to provide a combined return beam which has heterodyne components;a detector which receives said return beam and produces electrical signals corresponding to said components; andmeans for processing said electrical signals to produce an image of said tissue section.