Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Olympus Corporation

The University of Tokyo

Kyushu University

Koichi Karaki

Yasuo Sasaki

Mitsugu Sakai

Yasuhiro Omura

Kiyoshi Matsumoto

Isao Shimoyama

Yoshiharu Ajiki

Kimihiko Nishioka

Chihaya Adachi

Tatsuo Nagasaki

Masahiro Aoki

Takuya Tsukagoshi

Yusuke Takei

Masahiko Sasaki

Hiroyoshi Fujimori

Fumiyuki Onoda

Kazuo Nakamura

Hideo Tomabechi

Toshiaki Nishikori

Kiyoshi Fujii

Tadashi Kato

Fumio Uchino

Masahiro Ohno

Yuzo Nakamura

Hitoshi Tateoka

Soji Yamamoto

Kentaro Noda

Kazutake Sugawara

Kanae Nakasato

Yasushi Satoh

Tetsuo Kan

Jun-ichi Ishibashi

Masayuki Yahiro

Tetsuro Kan

Ootaro Ando

Akiko Hamada

Provided is a photodetector including: an organic semiconductor () having protrusions; a metal layer () added onto the organic semiconductor (), for promoting at least one of localized plasmon resonance and surface plasmon resonance in which electrons are excited through irradiation of detection light; and a semiconductor () forming a junction with the metal layer (), for allowing electrons excited through the plasmon resonance to pass through the junction () with the metal layer ().

Photodetector

Provided is a scanning near-field optical microscope capable of obtaining, in a highly sensitive manner, optical information having a spatial frequency higher than a spatial frequency corresponding to a wavelength of irradiation light. A scanning near-field optical microscopeaccording to the present invention includes: a light irradiating partfor emitting illumination light toward a samplea light receiving partfor receiving light; a microstructure for generating or selectively transmitting near-field light, the microstructure being disposed on at least one of an emission side of the light irradiating partand an incident side of the light receiving partand an ultrahigh-wavenumber transmitting mediumfor transmitting near-field light, the ultrahigh-wavenumber transmitting medium exhibiting anisotropy in permittivity or permeability.

Near-field optical microscope, near-field optical probe, and sample observation method

An optical data transmission apparatus includes a hole-burning effect element for recording data. Upon transmitting input serial data in a multiplex mode along a single optical fiber, the input serial data are stored in the hole-burning effect element having an inhomogeneous broadening on the light absorption spectrum, and then light transmitted through the hole-burning effect element is transmitted over the optical fiber. At the receiver end, the laser light is divided into a plurality of portions having different wavelengths and these portions are made incident upon a light receiving element array. Alternatively, a reading light pulse is made incident upon the element to generate a single light pulse having the spectrum distribution corresponding to the serial data on the frequency domain, and the light pulse is transmitted to the receiver end to duplicate the light absorption spectrum on a receiver end hole-burning effect element which is irradiated by a reading light pulse to generate light pulses corresponding to the duplicated light absorption spectrum, and these light pulses are successively made incident upon a photodetector to reproduce the input serial data.

Apparatus for optically transmitting data

A scanning acoustic microscope of the present invention comprises a high frequency transmitter for transmitting high frequency signal, first electric/ acoustic conversion element for converting the high frequency signal to ultrasound, acoustic lens having an end surface to which the ultrasound is incident and a concave lens surface to which the incident ultrasound is exited, an ultrasound receiver having a flat receiving surface located in an opposed relation to the concave lens surface to allow the transmission of only that ultrasound substantially vertically incident to the receiving surface, second electric/acoustic conversion element for converting ultrasound which has been transmitted through the ultrasound receiver to an electric signal, and an image processing circuit for preparing an image in accordance with a reception signal delivered from the second electric/acoustic conversion element.

Transmission type scanning acoustic microscope

An ultrasonic microscope comprises an acoustic lens for emitting an ultrasonic beam, a movable shaft for supporting a sample, and a drive circuit for moving the movable shaft and thus the sample relative to the acoustic lens in a z-direction. Two signals for eliminating x-direction and y-direction inclinations of the sample relative to the acoustic lens are supplied to the drive circuit in synchronism with an x-direction drive signal and a y-direction drive signal, so that the sample is moved in the z-direction and scanned with the ultrasonic beam in an x-y direction while the sample inclination sample to the acoustic lens is being eliminated.

Ultrasonic microscope

An ultrasonic microscope includes a container for containing a liquid nitrogen, and an acoustic lens housed in the container to emit an ultrasonic beam onto the view face of a sample. A sleeve is located above the container, which has a gas-tight chamber therein communicated with the container and a sample inserting opening formed in the periphery thereof. The sample inserting opening is selectively closed and opened by a gate valve. A sample rod is provided with a sample on its lower end, and may be freely movable up and down in the gas-tight chamber to a position where the sample in the container is scanned and to another position adjacent to the sample inserting opening where the sample is exchanged with a new one.

An electronic endoscope having a light emitting unit for emitting illuminating light from the tip of the insertable part, a solid state imaging device at the tip for receiving an illuminated light image, a sample-holding circuit for sample-holding an output signal from the solid state imaging device, a light source for such light emitting unit and an iris device in such light source, the iris device comprising a diaphragm device for preventing the spectral characteristics of the endoscope from being changed due to the amount of light reduction which consists of a diaphragm assembly consisting of two dimensionally diaphragm units which consists of light passing openings with small sectional area and light shading parts formed by tubular surfaces surrounding the side surfaces of the openings, positioned in the beam emitted from illuminating lamp, and provided with means for turning diaphragm assembly from a position where the tubular surfaces are in parallel with the axis of the illumination beam to a position where the axes are at an angle.

Electronic endoscope provided with a sample-hold circuit

A scanning apparatus for scanning which is used in a scanning microscope having an observation apparatus for observing a sample wherein the sample is secured in order to obtain an image of the same. The scanning apparatus includes a moving apparatus for moving at least either the sample or the observation apparatus in order to scan the sample, and a vibration attenuating element structurally provided for the moving apparatus for attenuating relative vibration between the sample and the observation.

Scanning apparatus for a scanning microscope

A supersonic microscope comprises a container for containing a liquid nitrogen, and an acoustic lens housed in the container to emit a supersonic beam onto the view face of a sample. A volume-variable member is provided in the liquid so that its upper part is extended from the top surface of the liquid. When the observing of the sample, the vertical position of the member is changed for moving the top surface of the liquid nitrogen up and down so that the top surface of the liquid contacts the view face of the sample.

An ultrasonic microscope includes a housing for containing a cryogenic liquid. A sample support mechanism is secured to a frame inside the housing, and an acoustic lens located in the housing in the cryogenic liquid applies an ultrasonic beam to the sample supported by the support mechanism. A voice coil device suported by the frame operates to move the sample support mechanism in response to a drive current, and to fix a distance between the acoustic lens and the sample. A control arrangement associated with the voice coil device generates an EMF in response to movement of the support mechanism, and supplies a current caused by the EMF to the drive circuit wherein movement of the support mechanism is controlled by the current to maintain the sample at a desired position with respect to the acoustic lens.

Ultrasonic microscope having a focusing mechanism

An ultrasonic microscope includes a sample rod for supporting a sample and an acoustic lens positioned to face the sample. The lens is moved in two directions in a plane perpendicular to each other to scan the sample. During the scanning operation, the lens is also moved in a vertical direction so that the distance between the sample and acoustic lens is changed, by a piezoelectric actuator for supporting the lens.

An ultrasonic microscope comprises an acoustic lens, a supporting rod for supporting a sample, a supporting plate for supporting the lens and a drive mechanism for two-dimensionally shifting the lens supporting plate, thereby setting a scanning region, and driving the lens supporting plate to scan the sample to obtain an ultrasonic image thereof. The drive mechanism includes magnetic coils and permanent magnets for shifting the supporting plate by generating a magnetic field, a first power source for producing an electric current for designating the scanning region, a second power source for producing an electric current for scanning, and an adder for adding the electric currents from the first and second power sources and delivering the resulting current to the magnetic coils.

This low temperature ultrasonic microscope comprises an adiabatic container having an opening in the upper part and containing a low temperature liquid which is an ultrasonic wave transmitting medium, a sample supporting member supporting a sample to be observed, removably inserted into the adiabatic container through the opening and arranged at the upper end out of the adiabatic container, an ultrasonic wave image observing device which has an acoustic lens arranged within the adiabatic container and projecting an ultrasonic wave beam toward the sample, the above mentioned device detecting sound waves projected from the acoustic lens and disturbed by the sample and obtaining an ultrasonic wave image, a housing part housing the upper end part of the sample supporting member and a connecting member which can connect through a path the housing part and adiabatic container with each other.

Growing community of inventors

Hino, Japan

Koichi Karaki