Patent ID: 7042621

Claim:
A scanning confocal probe for obtaining observation images of a tissue in a body cavity by scanning a beam emitted by a light source on the tissue, comprising: a micromirror device, comprising: a mirror layer including a mirror surface which is supported to be rotatable around a first axis passing through a center of the mirror surface; an upper substrate having transparency including a first upper electrode and a second upper electrode arranged on its surface facing the mirror layer to face each other via a first upper boundary passing through a center of the surface and parallel to the first axis, the upper substrate being stacked on one side of the mirror layer while securing a first space between the center of the mirror surface and the first and second upper electrodes; and a lower substrate including a first lower electrode and a second lower electrode arranged on its surface facing the mirror layer to face each other via a first lower boundary passing through a center of the surface and parallel to the first axis, the lower substrate being stacked on the other side of the mirror layer while securing a second space between the center of the mirror surface and the first and second lower electrodes, wherein the mirror surface is rotated around the first axis by applying voltage to a pair of electrodes, of the first and second upper electrodes and the first and second lower electrodes, placed diagonally with respect to the first axis; a single mode optical fiber which guides the beam emitted from the light source while guiding the beam reflected by the tissue to a photoreceptor unit; a deflector which deflects the beam emerging from the single mode optical fiber toward the micromirror device; and a mounting substrate having transparency which is used for installing the micromirror device and the deflector along an optical path of the beam, wherein the micromirror device and the deflector are mounted on opposite sides of the mounting substrate.