Patent FR601672A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent EP0627643A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0627643A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Laser scanning optical system using axicon
Assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics KK
•
Filing: 1994-06-03
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2014-06-03
Abstract
Abstract A laser scanning optical system is so arranged to comprise an optical converting unit (6), an optical scanning unit (12), and an optical converging unit (14). Here, the optical converting unit (6) is composed of two axicon prisms (7a,b) which are arranged such that apexes thereof are opposed forward or backward to each other at a predetermined distance and optical axes thereof are coincident with each other and which are made of respective materials having a same refractive index and shaped with a same apical angle. By this, the laser beam incident into the optical converting unit becomes a cylindrical ray bundle having an annular cross-sectional intensity perpendicular to the optical axis. Therefore, the cylindrical ray bundle is changed in the traveling direction by the optical scanning unit to be scanned and is then converged by the optical converging unit to become a Bessel beam having a high energy utilization factor, a high resolution and a long focal depth.
Inventors
- 👤 Koji C/O Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. Ichie
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 12:01
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B27/00; G02B27/09; G02B21/00; G02B21/0004; G02B21/002; G02B21/0024; G02B21/0032; G02B21/0052; G02B21/0072; G02B21/0076; G02B21/008; G02B21/0084; G02B21/16; G02B26/00; G02B26/08; G02B26/10; G02B27/0911; G02B27/0938; G02B27/095; G02B27/0972; G02B5/00; G02B5/001
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
131 words
A laser scanning optical system comprising: an optical converting unit for shaping a laser beam incident thereinto as a beam of parallel rays into a cylindrical ray bundle thereof; an optical scanning unit for changing a traveling direction of said laser beam incident from said optical converting unit thereinto to scan; and an optical converging unit for converging said laser beam incident from said optical scanning unit thereinto to produce a Bessel beam; wherein said optical converting unit is composed of two axicon prisms which are arranged such that apexes thereof are opposed forward or backward to each other at a predetermined distance and optical axes thereof are coincident with each other and which are made of respective materials having a same refractive index and shaped with a same apical angle.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
28 words
A laser scanning optical system according to Claim 1, wherein said optical converting unit further has moving means for variably setting a distance between said two axicon prisms.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
42 words
A laser scanning optical system according to Claim 1, further comprising a beam expander disposed either on the entrance side or on the exit side of said optical converting unit, for expanding a diameter of the ray bundle of said laser beam.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
42 words
A laser scanning optical system according to Claim 1, further comprising a beam reducer disposed either on the entrance side or on the exit side of said optical converting unit, for reducing a diameter of the ray bundle of said laser beam.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
147 words
A laser scanning optical apparatus comprising: a light source for emitting a laser beam; an optical converting unit for shaping said laser beam incident from said light source thereinto as a beam of parallel rays into a cylindrical ray bundle thereof; an optical scanning unit for changing a traveling direction of said laser beam incident from said optical converting unit thereinto to scan; and an optical converging unit for converging said laser beam incident from said optical scanning unit thereinto to irradiate a Bessel beam onto a predetermined sample; wherein said optical converting unit is composed of two axicon prisms which are arranged such that apexes thereof are opposed forward or backward to each other at a predetermined distance and optical axes thereof are coincident with each other and which are made of respective materials having a same refractive index and shaped with a same apical angle.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
28 words
A laser scanning optical apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein said optical converting unit further has moving means for variably setting a distance between said two axicon prisms.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
42 words
A laser scanning optical apparatus according to Claim 5, further comprising a beam expander disposed either on the entrance side or on the exit side of said optical converting unit, for expanding a diameter of the ray bundle of said laser beam.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
42 words
A laser scanning optical apparatus according to Claim 5, further comprising a beam reducer disposed either on the entrance side or on the exit side of said optical converting unit, for reducing a diameter of the ray bundle of said laser beam.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
89 words
A laser scanning optical apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein said light source oscillates said laser beam as a pulse having a very short time duration, said sample is labeled with a predetermined fluorescent dye, the apparatus further comprises an optical detecting unit for detecting fluorescence emitted from said sample based on multiphoton absorption with irradiation of said Bessel beam, and output signals from said optical detecting unit are stored as pixel data in synchronization with scanning of said laser beam to obtain a microscopic image of said sample.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
41 words
A laser scanning optical apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein a surface of said sample is coated with a predetermined photosensitive agent and a predetermined pattern is formed on said photosensitive agent, based on exposure with irradiation of said Bessel beam.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
42 words
A laser scanning optical apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein a surface of said sample is exposed to the outside and a surface region of said sample is shaped into a predetermined shape, based on excitation with irradiation of said Bessel beam.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
68 words
A laser scanning optical apparatus according to Claim 9, wherein said optical detecting unit comprises a first photoelectric detector for detecting said fluorescence emitted from a surface side of said sample and a second photoelectric detector for detecting said fluorescence emitted from a back side of said sample and wherein said microscopic image is produced based on addition of output signals from said first and second photoelectric detectors.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
36 words
An optical converting unit for use in a laser optical system, the unit comprising two axicon prisms having the same apical angle and arranged with their optical axes coincident and their apexes facing in opposite directions.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.