Patent ID: 8643947

Claim:
A confocal microscope system comprising: a laser unit comprising at least one unit of laser oscillator; a Nipkow disk type scanner unit for scanning with a laser beam from the laser unit; a projection optical system for projecting the laser beam for scanning by the Nipkow disk type scanner unit; an X-Y drive device for driving a specimen disposed opposite to an objective lens in X-Y directions on a table; a separation optical system for separating a portion of a fluorescent beam from the specimen, having passed through the scanner unit again; an imaging optical system for causing the portion of the fluorescent beam to form an image again; an image capture unit disposed on an imaging plane of the imaging optical system; and an optical-axis adjust unit capable of adjusting the axis of the laser beam outgoing from the laser unit in relation to the Nipkow disk type scanner unit, wherein respective units making up the confocal microscope system are integrally housed in a protection cabinet covering the confocal microscope system, wherein when the specimen is moved toward an external face of the protection cabinet, a side of the external face, adjacent to an opening through which the specimen is taken in or out, is defined as a front face, wherein the Nipkow disk type scanner unit is disposed backward of the objective lens, and wherein the optical-axis adjust unit is disposed within the laser unit, and wherein the optical-axis adjust unit comprises a plurality of adjustable mirrors, each mirror being independently adjustable to adjust orientation and position of the laser beam outgoing from the laser unit.