Patent ID: 7456378

Claim:
A confocal microscope comprising: a light source; a light scanning unit configured to scan illumination light from the light source in one direction on a specimen; an array device in which are two-dimensionally arrayed a plurality of elements whose light reflecting or transmitting state can be electrically controlled; a line-beam generating unit configured to image, on the array device, the illumination light from the light source in the form of a straight line extending in a direction intersecting a scanning direction of the light scanning unit; an objective lens configured to image the illumination light reflected or transmitted at the array device on the specimen; a beamsplitter, between the array device and the light scanning unit, configured to split off from the illumination light detection light returning from the specimen via the objective lens and the array device; a two-dimensional image-acquisition unit configured to acquire the detection light split off by the beamsplitter; and a control unit configured to control the light scanning unit and the array device, wherein the array device is disposed in an optically conjugate positional relationship with a focal plane of the objective lens, and the control unit performs control so as to synchronize the light scanning unit and the array device.