Patent ID: 8792162

Claim:
A microscope, comprising an illumination device, that generates a sheet of light extending in an illumination beam path for illuminating a sample region, the sheet of light having an illumination axis (X) in the direction of the illumination beam path and a transverse axis (Y) lying across the illumination axis (X), the sheet of light having an approximately planar extension, a detection device used to detect light that is radiated by the sample region along a detection beam path in a direction of a detection axis (Z), wherein the angle between the illumination axis (X) and the detection axis (Z) are unequal to zero and the angle between the transverse axis (Y) and the detection axis (Z) are unequal to zero, the illumination device generating another sheet of light extending in another illumination beam path, the another sheet of light having an illumination axis (X) in the direction of the another illumination beam path and a transverse axis (Y) lying across the illumination axis (X), the sheet of light having an approximately planar extension, the sheet of light and the another sheet of light are aligned relative to each other in such a way that the sheet of light and the another sheet of light illuminate the sample region from opposite directions on the same illumination axis (X), the detection device comprising a detection objective for imaging the light radiated by the sample region onto a spatially resolving array detector for locus-dependent detection of the light, wherein the illumination device further comprising switching means for switching the illuminating light between the illumination beam path and the another illumination beam path, the switching means comprising a rapidly switchable switching element with a switching interval of less than 10 ms, with a specified integration time of the array detector and the switching interval of the switching element being tuned to each other in such a way that the sample region is illuminated at least once from each direction on the illumination axis (X) during the integration time such that in an image of the sample captured during the integration time the sample appears as illuminated from both sides.