The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 10, 2013
Filed:
Jan. 13, 2009
Dieter Huhse, Berlin, DE;
Stefan Wilhelm, Jena, DE;
Hans Schlüter, Gera, DE;
Alexander Liebhold, Leipzig, DE;
Erhardt Hülβe, Bad Köstritz, DE;
Uwe Patz, Gera, DE;
Dieter Huhse, Berlin, DE;
Stefan Wilhelm, Jena, DE;
Hans Schlüter, Gera, DE;
Alexander Liebhold, Leipzig, DE;
Erhardt Hülβe, Bad Köstritz, DE;
Uwe Patz, Gera, DE;
Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH, Jena, DE;
Abstract
A laser scanning microscope (LSM) having variable light intensity and a control method for the same. The light intensity of a laser beam in an LSM has been controlled to date with high accuracy, but also high costs by means of an acousto-optic component (AOM, AOTF). According to the invention, such a component for beam modulation is to be omitted, without reducing the exposure accuracy of the sample. In an LSM, a directly modulated laser diode () is used with an electric control () for direct modulation. Said laser diode () has a turn-on delay of the light intensity that is dependent on the amount of the control variable when subjected to an electric control variable. The control () is designed such that the fluctuation width (ΔΔt) of the occurring turn-on delay (Δt) is smaller than 1 μs, particularly smaller than 0.5 μs. Thus highly exact modulation without an acousto-optic component is possible. A quick direct modulation is achieved particularly by the following steps: a) identifying that an intensity to be achieved or achieved with the laser diode () falls below a lower threshold value or is below the lower threshold value, b) de-energizing the laser diode (), c) providing an electric intermediate current, d) identifying that the intensity to be achieved exceeds an upper threshold value, e) flowing the intermediate current through the laser diode (), and f) setting the diode current according to the intensity to be achieved.