Carl Zeiss Microscopy Gmbh

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forschung E.V.

Thomas Egloff

Frank Klemm

Volodymyr Kudryavtsev

Heinrich Grueger

Jens Knobbe

Joerg Engel

Stanislav Kalinin

Johannes Winterot

Tobias Kaufhold

Mirko Liedtke

Wolfgang Bathe

Alexander Scheps

Ralph Lange

Michael Mueller

Tobias Schroeter

Benedikt Lübbers

Alexander Kolarow

Jörg Engel

A method for capturing an image of an object includes guiding a scanning beam along a scanning trajectory over the object using a scanner, with the scanning movement being periodic in a direction. The scanning movement is sampled at a first sampling frequency for detecting and capturing a current position of the scanner as position values and radiation from the object is captured as captured sampling values at a second sampling frequency. Current values of the amplitude and the phase of the scanning movement are calculated. A current amplitude, phase and/or frequency and future changes in the amplitude, phase and/or frequency over time are calculated. An image grid is set, with grid elements being assigned the sampling values based on times at which the scanning beam crosses or will cross at least one boundary of the grid elements.

Method and apparatus for capturing an image of an object using a scanning microscope

A method for capturing a relative alignment of a surface (), extending substantially in one plane, of an object (), in which a focus (f) of a light beam is guided along a scanning path (). Components of the light beam that are reflected by the surface () are captured. The scanning path () extends substantially parallel to an x-y-plane that extends orthogonally to an optical axis (oA) of a detection objective (). A relative position and alignment of the surface () are ascertained on the basis of the reflected components. A normal (N) of the surface () and the relative alignment thereof are virtually ascertained and/or the focus (F) is moved in the direction of the optical axis (oA) during the scanning of the scanning path () such that an axial scan trajectory or an axial scanning path () are brought about.

Method for capturing a relative alignment of a surface

The invention relates to an optical arrangement and a method for correcting centration errors and/or angle errors in a beam path. The beam path here comprises an optical compensated system in which at least two optical elements are present and aligned relative to one another such that imaging aberrations of the optical elements are compensated. According to the invention, a correction unit is arranged in an infinity space of the beam path and between the at least two optical elements, wherein the correction unit changes the propagation direction of radiation propagating along the beam path and the correction unit either has a reflective surface or is embodied to be transmissive for the radiation. The correction unit is movable such that the angle of a change in the propagation direction can be set.

Optical arrangement and method for correcting centration errors and/or angle errors

The invention relates to a method for reducing image artifacts in images of a sample captured by scanning, wherein intensity values of at least two detection regions, denoted as pixels (Px), are captured along respectively one row (j) in a first scanning direction. A reconstructed image is produced on the basis of the captured intensity values. According to the invention, the intensity values of the reconstructed image are summed along the rows (j) respectively scanned by a certain pixel (Px) and a row sum is formed in each case. A correction value of the pixel (Px) is ascertained on the basis of the row sums formed thus and the correction value is applied to the intensity values, captured by means of the pixel (Px), of the reconstructed image, as a result of which a corrected image is obtained.

Method for reducing image artifacts

A method for high-resolution scanning microscopy of a sample, wherein the sample is illuminated with illumination light such that the illumination light is focused at a point in or on the sample into an illumination spot. The point is imaged into a diffraction image onto an area detector having detector elements. The area detector has a spatial resolution that resolves a diffraction structure of the diffraction image. The sample is here scanned line-wise in a grid made of rows and columns by displacing the point relative to the sample into different scanning positions with an increment width that is smaller than the diameter of the illumination spot. The area detector is read, and an image of the sample is generated from the data of the area detector and from the scanning positions assigned to said data, said image having a resolution that is increased beyond a resolution limit for imaging.

Method for high-resolution scanning microscopy

A scanner arrangement, suitable for use in laser scanning microscopes, for scanning a scanning field () by means of optical radiation (). It is equipped with at least one scanner (), which comprises a scanning mirror () that is tiltable about one or two scanning axes () and means for rotating the scanning field, for scanning a size-variable scanning field and for centring the scanning field centre () when panning. The arrangement includes a mechanical pivot device () for rotating the scanning field (). The pivot device is arranged to pivot the scanner () about a pivot axis (). Pivoting is implemented through angular dimensions that correspond to an intended rotation of the scanning field.

Scanner arrangement for optical radiation

A method for generating a control signal is provided. The method includes the steps of decomposing a desired movement into two partial movements which are separately equalized, and the desired control signal is obtained by summing up the corrected components. The first movement is a slowly (mostly linear) changing long-period (period T) movement, and the second movement is a short-period (period T) movement, wherein the period Tis substantially longer than the period T. The movements have to a large extent opposing temporal derivations which are nevertheless equal in magnitude so that their sum has a time derivative that is zero. In addition, a method is provided for operating a scanning unit periodically displaceable in an infeed direction by an infeed distance.

Method for generating a control function and method for operating a scanning unit

A radiation generation device for generating resulting electromagnetic radiation having an adjustable spectral composition includes: a multitude of radiation elements (configured to generate a radiation element specific electromagnetic radiation, respectively, upon being activated, a first radiation element of the multitude of radiation elements being activatable independently of a second radiation element of the multitude of radiation elements; a dispersive optical element; and an optical opening; the dispersive optical element being configured to deflect the radiation element specific electromagnetic radiations, in dependence on their wavelength and on a position of the radiation element generating the respective radiation element specific electromagnetic radiation, such that a particular spectral range of each of the radiation element specific electromagnetic radiations may exit through the optical opening, so that the spectral composition of the resulting electromagnetic radiation exiting through the optical opening is adjustable by selectively activating the multitude of radiation elements.

Radiation generation device for generating electromagnetic radiation having an adjustable spectral composition, and method of producing same

An optical apparatus includes a first substrate including an optical functional element, and a second substrate including a movable micromechanical functional element, the first substrate and the second substrate being connected in a stacked manner, so that a light path exists which is convoluted between the first substrate and the second substrate, the movable micromechanical functional element and the optical functional element being arranged in the light path. In addition, a method of producing an optical apparatus includes producing a first substrate including an optical functional element, and producing a second substrate including a movable micromechanical functional element, as well as connecting the first and second substrates, so that a light path exists which is convoluted between the first and second substrates, the movable micromechanical functional element and the optical functional element being arranged in the light path.

Growing community of inventors

Jena, Germany

Thomas Egloff