US 12,443,022 B2
Rescan optical system, microscope and method
Stefan Georges Emile Lampaert, Vleuten (NL); Erik Martinus Marie Manders, Charlotteville (TT); and Florian Frederik Sterl, Maarssen (NL)
Assigned to CONFOCAL.NL B.V., Amsterdam (NL)
Appl. No. 18/573,791
Filed by CONFOCAL.NL B.V., Amsterdam (NL)
PCT Filed Jun. 20, 2022, PCT No. PCT/NL2022/050346
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 22, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/271012, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 29, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 2028507 (NL), filed on Jun. 22, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0295726 A1, Sep. 5, 2024
Int. Cl. G02B 21/00 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 21/0048 (2013.01) [G02B 21/0032 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A re-scan optical system comprising:
a rotary scanning element;
one or more first optical elements defining an incident illumination beam path (IL) to the scanning element for directing a beam of illumination light onto the scanning element to provide by rotating the scanning element a scanning illumination light beam from the scanning element, wherein the one or more first optical elements comprises a Powell lens configured to form a line-shaped intensity profile of the illumination light for illuminating the sample, wherein the line-shaped intensity profile has a main direction of elongation in a direction perpendicular to a direction of scanning;
one or more second optical elements defining a scanning beam path (Sc) for directing the scanning illumination light beam from the scanning element towards a sample and illuminating the sample thus causing sample light, and
defining a scanned sample light path (ScS) for directing a beam of captured sample light onto the scanning element to provide by rotating the scanning element a descanned sample light beam from the scanning element;
one or more third optical elements defining a descanned beam path (DSc) for directing at least part of the descanned sample light beam from the scanning element and back onto the scanning element to provide by rotating the scanning element a rescanning sample light beam from the scanning element;
one or more fourth optical elements defining a rescanning beam path (RSc) for directing the rescanning sample light beam towards an imaging plane of an imaging system;
wherein the one or more third optical elements define a first beam path segment (e; e; e″″) of the descanned beam path (DSc) extending from the scanning element and a second beam path segment (m; m; m) of the descanned beam path (DSc) extending to the scanning element, and
the one or more fourth optical elements define as a part of the rescanning beam path (RSc) a third path segment (n; n; n)
extending from the scanning element between the first and second beam path segments (e, m; e, m) and/or
extending from the scanning element at an enclosed angle with the scanning beam path (Sc) and/or the scanned sample light path (ScS, f; ScS, f; ScS, f) in a range of 80-100 degrees; or
the one or more second optical elements define as a part of the scanning beam path (Sc) and/or the scanned sample light path (ScS) a path segment (f) extending from and/or to the scanning element between the first and second beam path segments (e′″, m); and/or
wherein a) the scanning beam path (Sc) and/or the scanned sample light path (ScS) and b) the rescanning beam path (RSc) define an enclosed angle (α+β; χ+ψ) at the scanning element in a range of 80-100 degrees.