Patent ID: 7508582

Claim:
A confocal optical device for illuminating a plurality of illuminated points ( 309 ) using a plurality of illuminating beams coming from an illumination source ( 308 ) and focused on said plurality of illuminated points, and for focusing on a plurality of microscopic holes ( 306 ) associated with the plurality of illuminated points a plurality of beams to be detected coming from the plurality of illuminated points, comprising: a beamsplitter ( 321 ) passed through by a first plurality of beams (FD) and reflecting a second plurality of beams (FE), one of the first and second pluralities of beams being the plurality of illuminating beams (FE), and the other being the plurality of beams to be detected (FD), a redirection mirror ( 320 ) substantially parallel to the beamsplitter and attached to the beamsplitter, the assembly consisting of the beamsplitter and the redirection mirror being exchangeable, and the redirection mirror being disposed to reflect the second plurality of beams.