Bodenseewerk Perkin-elmer Gmbh

J&uuml;rgen Wulf

Henry Klemm

Michael Steinwand

The present invention relates to a light scanning device for exciting and detecting an emission of secondary light, especially fluorescent light, of a sample, comprising a light generating device for generating scanning light in the form of a single light beam, a deflection unit used for effecting a deflection of the scanning light for scanning at least one subarea of the sample, said deflection being variable in at least one direction, an imaging unit for forming an image of the secondary light emanating from the sample, and a detection unit for detecting the secondary light. When a sample with a large surface to be rastered is subjected to fluorescence examination with high spatial resolution, undesirably long scanning times occur. For reducing the scanning time and for simultaneously maintaining the high resolution in the case of such a sample, the light scanning device according to the present invention comprises a division device for dividing the single light beam into at least two light beams. This has the effect that, instead of the former sequential scanning of the sample, a subdivision into fields is carried out, said fields being scanned simultaneously by the plurality of light beams. The scanning time can therefore be reduced in accordance with the number of the simultaneously scanned fields of the sample.

Light sensing device

A light scanning device for exciting and detecting secondary light, especially fluorescent light, on a sample, comprising a light emission device for emitting exciting light with a wavelength suitable for exciting secondary light on or in said sample, a focussing optics for focussing the exciting light on a subarea of said sample, a sample holding device for releasably holding the sample, a detection unit comprising a detection optics for the secondary light emitted by the sample in response to excitation and a detector device for converting the detected and imaged secondary light into electric signals. In the case of conventional known light scanning devices, scanning is carried out by means of a deflection unit consisting of tilting mirrors. Due to the long path of the light beam, positioning inaccuracies of the tilting mirrors result in major position inaccuracies of the scanning ray bundle on the surface of the sample. For avoiding this disadvantage of the prior art, the light scanning device according to the present invention makes use of a sample holding device which is adapted to be rotated for rotating the sample relative to the exciting light in such a way that different subareas of said sample can be excited by means of the exciting light so as to emit secondary light. Due to the mechanical rotary movement of the sample, a deflection of the scanning light beam relative to the optical axis is not necessary so that precise positioning of the scanning ray bundle on the sample is possible.

Growing community of inventors

Ueberlingen, Germany

Jürgen Wulf

Growing community of inventors

Ueberlingen, Germany

J&uuml;rgen Wulf

Jürgen Wulf