Beam combiner employing a wedge-shaped cross-section
View Patent ↗A beam corradiator for combining two radiation beams, preferably movable beams independent from each other in at least one direction, to scan and/or influence a sample, preferably a manipulation system and an imaging system, with a partially reflecting layer being provided for the corradiation, wherein the thickness of the layer is provided with a preferably consistent incline or decline over the optically effective cross-section of the beam corradiatior.
1. A laser scanning microscope including:
a beam combiner for combining two incoming illumination beams, for at least one of influencing and scanning a sample, wherein the two incoming illumination beams are moved independently of each other in at least one direction to span a plane, and wherein:
the beam combiner has a partially reflecting layer of a predetermined thickness for beam combination, and an optically effective cross-section, wherein the thickness of the partially reflecting layer has one of a consistent incline and decline over the optically effective cross-section of the beam combiner, and
the partially reflecting layer has a wedge-shaped cross-section with a wedge direction having a non-zero degree angle to the plane spanned by the incoming illumination beams.
2. The laser scanning microscope according to claim 1 , wherein the beam combiner has cubic exterior edges and the wedge direction extends in the direction of the cubic edges.
3. The laser scanning microscope according to claim 1 , with the wedge direction being diagonal with reference to the plane spanned by the incoming illumination beams.
4. The laser scanning microscope according to claim 1 , wherein the microscope is one of a point scanning and a line scanning microscope.
5. The laser scanning microscope according to claim 1 , wherein the use in sample manipulation and/or imaging with the help of wide-angle illumination systems, in particular coherent light sources.
6. The laser scanning microscope of claim 1 , wherein the wedge direction is at approximately 45 degrees with reference to the plane spanned by the incoming illumination beams.
7. The laser scanning microscope of claim 1 , wherein the wedge direction is at an angle of about 35 degrees with respect to the edge of the beam combiner.
8. A laser scanning microscope including:
a manipulating system,
an imaging system, and
a beam combiner for combining two incoming illumination beams movable independently of each other in at least one direction, for at least one of influencing and scanning a sample, wherein:
the beam combiner has a partially reflecting layer for beam combination, and an optically effective cross-section, wherein the thickness of the partially reflecting layer has one of a consistent incline or decline over the optically effective cross-section of the beam combiner, and
the partially reflecting layer has a wedge-shaped cross-section with a wedge direction having a non-zero degree angle to the plane spanned by the incoming illumination beams.
9. The laser scanning microscope of claim 8 , wherein the wedge direction is at an angle of about 35 degrees with respect to the edge of the beam combiner.