Patent ID: 7692138

Claim:
A combination microscope system for observing one or more parameters of a sample comprising: a confocal microscope further comprising: a confocal detector assembly for creating a confocal image signal; a confocal objective lens for creating an image to be processed by said confocal detector assembly; an X,Y translator that creates relative lateral motion between said confocal microscope and at least one element of a probe microscope, said probe microscope further comprising: a probe microscope module attached to said X, Y translator wherein said module further comprises a probe microscope frame positioned near but not touching said confocal objective lens; a probe assembly; means for moving said probe assembly wherein the motion of said probe assembly is substantially toward and away from said sample; a light source that creates an incident light beam directed toward a cantilever, wherein there is at least a partial reflection of said light beam, said partial reflected beam being a reflected beam and said reflected beam being directed onto a photo detector and wherein said cantilever is connected to said probe assembly; wherein when a tip mounted on said probe assembly senses a parameter of said sample, said cantilever deflects and a parameter of said reflection of said light beam is detected by said photo-detector whereby said probe microscope module provides surface data of said sample to said probe microscope, and said confocal detector provides signals representative of the optical parameters of said sample to said confocal microscope.