Patent ID: 7964853

Claim:
A laser scanning microscope comprising: a laser light source that emits laser light; a line-focusing optical system that focuses the laser light from the laser light source in the form of a line; a micro-element array including a plurality of micro-elements that are arrayed in the same direction of the line and reflect or transmit the laser light focused by the line-focusing optical system; a scanner that scans the laser light reflected or transmitted by the micro-element array in a orthogonal direction of the line; an irradiation optical system that irradiates a sample with the laser light scanned by the scanner; a photodetector disposed at a conjugate position with respect to the micro-element array and having a plurality of channels that detect light from the sample and that are arrayed in a single line at a pitch larger than that of the micro-elements of the micro-element array; and a controller that controls the micro-element array so as to cause the light reflected or transmitted by the different micro-elements to enter the respective channels, and that sequentially switches between the micro-elements that reflect or transmit the light that is to enter the channels so that the light from different positions on the sample enters the channels.