Patent ID: 8472113

Claim:
A scanning microscope ( 100 , 200 , 300 , 400 , 500 ); comprising: a light source ( 20 , 61 , 64 ) for emitting an illuminating light beam ( 12 ), illumination optics ( 10 ) for producing an elongated illumination focus ( 16 , 84 ) in an object ( 36 ) to be imaged, and a scanning device ( 33 ) for moving the illumination focus ( 16 , 84 ) across a target region to be illuminated of the object ( 36 ) to be imaged and doing so by varying the direction of incidence in which the illuminating light beam ( 12 ) enters an entrance pupil ( 14 ) of the illumination optics ( 10 ), wherein in order to incline the illumination focus ( 16 , 84 ) relative to the optical axis (O 1 ) of the illumination optics ( 10 ), the scanning device ( 33 ) directs the illuminating light beam ( 12 ) onto a portion of the entrance pupil ( 14 ) of the illumination optics ( 10 ) that is offset from the center of the pupil and, in order to move the illumination focus ( 16 , 84 ) across the target region to be illuminated, the scanning device varies the direction of incidence of the illuminating light beam ( 12 ) within said portion; and an observation objective ( 38 ) is provided which is spatially separated from the illumination optics ( 10 ) and disposed such that an optical axis (O 3 ) of the observation objective is substantially perpendicular to a plane defined by the illuminated target region and at an acute angle (α) to the optical axis (O 1 ) of the illumination optics ( 10 ).