Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
265 words
A differential interference microscope apparatus comprising: a light source; a condenser optical system for condensing beams of light from said light source and illuminating an object with the beams of light; an objective optical system for converging the beams of light from the illuminated object and forming an image of the object; a pick-up device for photoelectrically detecting the image of the object; and a contrast enhancement circuit for enhancing a contrast of the image on the basis of an output signal of the image of the object photoelectrically detected by said pick-up device, wherein the following elements are disposed sequentially from the side of said light source in an optical path between said light source and the object, said elements being: a first polarizing element for changing the beams of light from said light source into predetermined beams of polarized light; and a first birefringent element for separating the polarized light into an ordinary ray and an extraordinary ray; wherein the following elements are disposed sequentially from the side of the object in an optical path between the object and the image, said elements being: a second birefringent element for guiding the two light beams from the object onto the same optical path; and a second polarizing element for causing the two beams of light guided onto the same optical path to interfere with each other, and wherein the shear quantity S between the ordinary ray and the extraordinary ray satisfies the following condition: δ / 20 ≦ S < δ / 2 where δ is the resolving power of said objective optical system.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
24 words
The differential interference microscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said condenser optical system and said objective optical system are common to each other.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
The differential interference microscope apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said first birefringent element and said second birefringent element are common to each other.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
The differential interference microscope apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an optical path splitter is disposed in an optical path between said first polarizing means and said first birefringent element.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
The differential interference microscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first and second birefringent elements include Wollaston prisms.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
45 words
The differential interference microscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shear quantity S between the ordinary ray and extraordinary ray satisfies the following condition: δ / 20 ≦ S < 2δ / 5 where δ is the resolving power of said objective optical system.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
205 words
A method of observing an object by use of a differential interference microscope apparatus, comprising: a first step of converting a beam of light from a light source into a predetermined beam of polarized light; a second step of separating the predetermined beam of polarized light into two light beams of an ordinary ray and an extraordinary ray; a third step of irradiating the object with the two light beams; a fourth step of guiding the two light beams via the object onto the same optical path; a fifth step of causing the two light beams guided onto the same optical path to interfere with each other; a sixth step of forming an image of the object on the basis of the two light beams interfered with each other by converging action of said objective optical system; a seventh step of photoelectrically converting the formed image; and an eighth step of enhancing a contrast of the image on the basis of an output of the photoelectrically converted image, wherein the shear quantity S between the ordinary ray and the extraordinary ray satisfies the following condition: δ / 20 ≦ S < δ / 2 where δ is the resolving power of said objective optical system.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
87 words
A differential interference microscope of the type in which ordinary and extraordinary rays which separately illuminate an object are focussed by an objective optical system into an image in which the rays selectively interfere, characterised in that the shear quantity S between the ordinary and extraordinary rays, and the resolving power δ of the objective optical system, satisfy the following relationship: δ / 20 ≦ S < δ / 2 and further characterised by means for photoelectrically converting the image in order to enhance the contrast thereof.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
42 words
A differential interference microscope including means for photoelectrically converting an optically-produced image in order to enhance the contrast thereof and thereby permit the use of a smaller shear quantity S between ordinary and extraordinary rays illuminating an object, thereby to enhance resolution.