US 11,835,701 B2
Method for examining a sample, and device for carrying out such a method
Werner Knebel, Kronau (DE); and Florian Fahrbach, Mannheim (DE)
Assigned to LEICA MICROSYSTEMS CMS GMBH, Wetzlar (DE)
Filed by Leica Microsystems CMS GmbH, Wetzlar (DE)
Filed on Apr. 6, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/223,128.
Application 17/223,128 is a division of application No. 16/315,175, granted, now 10,983,321, previously published as PCT/EP2017/066833, filed on Jul. 5, 2017.
Claims priority of application No. 93143 (LU), filed on Jul. 6, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2021/0223529 A1, Jul. 22, 2021
Int. Cl. G02B 21/06 (2006.01); G02B 21/00 (2006.01); G02B 21/36 (2006.01); G02B 27/58 (2006.01); G02B 21/32 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 21/06 (2013.01) [G02B 21/0056 (2013.01); G02B 21/0076 (2013.01); G02B 21/32 (2013.01); G02B 21/367 (2013.01); G02B 27/58 (2013.01); G02B 21/0032 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for the examination of a sample, the method comprising:
a. illuminating the sample in a sample plane along a sample line with an illuminating light beam propagating along the sample line and having at least one wavelength suitable for fluorescence excitation of the sample,
b. acting upon the sample by a depletion or switching light beam, which overlaps in the sample plane in an overlap region at least partially spatially with the illuminating light beam and which has at least one wavelength suitable for depletion of the sample, and
c. detecting a part of fluorescent light emanating from the sample plane as detection light originating from a first subregion of the overlap region, in which the probability of an interaction of the sample molecules with the depletion or switching light beam is greater than 90%, and/or originating from a second subregion which is at least partially surrounded by the first sub-region and/or in which the depletion or switching light beam has a zero point, while at the same time the fluorescent light originating from outside the first subregion and the second subregion is at least partially suppressed and not detected.