Immersion microscope objective

1. An immersion microscope objective or examining a specimen, the immersion microscope objective comprising:

a plurality of optical lens units conjointly defining an optical axis;

said optical lens units being arranged so as to define respective air spaces between ,said optical lens units;

an adjusting device for adapting said immersion microscope objective to different immersion mediums;

said adjusting device including means for linearly changing two of said air spaces; and,

wherein, for adapting to different immersion mediums, the linear change of said two air spaces takes place in accordance with the following function:

A

2

,

Oil

,

oD

-

A

2

,

Gly

,

oD

A

2

,

Gly

,

oD

-

A

2

,

Wat

,

oD

=

A

1

,

Oil

,

oD

-

A

1

,

Gly

,

oD

A

1

,

Gly

,

oD

-

A

1

,

Wat

,

oD

wherein the index: “Oil,oD” is for the particular air space with the use of the immersion medium “oil” without a cover glass; “Gly,oD” is for the particular air space with the use of the immersion medium “glycerine” without a cover glass; and, “Wat,oD” is for the particular air space when using the immersion medium “water” without a cover glass.

2. An immersion microscope objective for examining a specimen, the immersion microscope objective comprising:

a plurality of optical lens units conjointly defining an optical axis;

said optical lens units being arranged so as to define respective air spaces between said optical lens units;

an adjusting device for correcting aberrations or imaging errors occurring because of a cover glass closing off a specimen vessel for holding a specimen;

said adjusting device including means for linearly chancing two of said air spaces; and,

wherein, for correcting said aberrations or imaging errors occurring because of said cover glass, the linear change of said two air spaces takes place in accordance with the function:

A

2

,

Imm

,

mD

-

A

2

,

Imm

,

oD

A

2

,

Gly

,

oD

-

A

2

,

Wat

,

oD

=

A

1

,

Imm

,

mD

-

A

1

,

Imm

,

oD

A

1

,

Gly

,

oD

-

A

1

,

Wat

,

oD

wherein the index: “Imm,mD” is for the particular air space when utilizing an immersion medium with a cover glass; “1 mm,oD” is for the particular air space when utilizing an immersion medium without a cover glass; “Gly,oD” is for the corresponding air space when utilizing the immersion medium “glycerine” without a cover glass; and, “Wat,oD” is for the particular air space when utilizing the immersion medium “water” without a cover glass.

3. An immersion microscope objective for examining a specimen, the immersion microscope objective comprising:

a plurality of optical lens units conjointly defining an optical axis;

said optical lens units being arranged so as to define respective air spaces between said optical lens units;

an adjusting device for doing at least one of the following:

(a) adapting said immersion microscope objective to different immersion mediums;

(b) correcting aberrations or imaging errors occurring because of a cover glass closing off a specimen vessel for holding a specimen;

(c) correcting longitudinal chromatic aberrations; and,

said adjusting device including means for changing two of said air spaces; and,

wherein said plurality of optical lens units include the following arranged along said optical axis starting from the specimen:

(a) a two-lens composite member G 1 having a positive refractive power and formed by a fill lens L 1 and a parent spherical lens L 1 ;

(b) a biconvex lens L 3 ;

(c) a first meniscus lens L 4 having a positive refractive power;

(d) a two-lens composite member G 2 having positive refractive power and comprising a biconcave lens L 5 and a biconvex lens L 6 ;

(e) a two-lens composite member G 3 having positive refractive power and comprising a biconvex lens L 7 and a second meniscus lens L 8 ;

(f) a third meniscus lens L 9 having negative refractive power; and,

(g) a fourth meniscus lens L 10 having positive refractive power; and,

wherein a first one of said air spaces (A 1 ) is conjointly defined by said two-lens composite member (G 1 ) and said biconvex lens (L 3 ) and a second one of said air spaces (A 2 ) is conjointly defined by said biconvex lens (L 3 ) and said first meniscus lens (L 4 ).

4. The immersion microscope objective of claim 3 , wherein said two of said air spaces are linearly changeable.

5. The immersion microscope objective of claim 3 , wherein said fill lens (L 1 ) of said two-lens composite member (G 1 ) has a front face configured to be planar; and, said parent spherical lens (L 2 ) has first and second curved surfaces defining respective curvature centers on a side of said parent spherical lens (L 2 ) facing toward the specimen.

6. The immersion microscope objective of claim 3 , wherein said first meniscus lens (L 4 ) has first and second curved surfaces defining respective curvature centers on a side of said first meniscus lens (L 4 ) facing away from the specimen.

7. The immersion microscope objective of claim 3 , wherein said second meniscus lens (L 8 ) has first and second curved surfaces defining respective curvature centers on a side of said second meniscus lens (L 8 ) facing toward the specimen.

8. The immersion microscope objective of claim 3 , wherein said third meniscus lens (L 9 ) has first and second curved surfaces defining respective curvature centers on a side of said third meniscus lens (L 9 ) facing away from the specimen.

9. The immersion microscope objective of claim 3 , wherein said fourth meniscus lens (L 10 ) has first and second curved surfaces defining respective curvature centers on a side of said fourth meniscus lens (L 10 ) facing toward the specimen.

10. The immersion microscope objective of claim 3 , wherein said fill lens (L 1 ) and said parent spherical lens (L 2 ) have the following refractive indices n e and Abbe numbers v e for a spectral line (e) of 546.07 nm:

n e′L1 <1.50, v e′L1 >70

n e′L2 <1.85, v e′L2 >42.

11. The immersion microscope objective of claim 3 , wherein said meniscus lens (L 9 ) and meniscus lens (L 10 ) have the following refractive indices n e and Abbe numbers v e for a spectral line (e) of 546.07 nm:

n e′L9 >1.80, v e′L9 >45

n e′L10 <1.60, v e′L10 <40.

12. The immersion microscope objective of claim 3 , wherein the net transmittance at a wavelength of 365 nm is greater than 50% and the net transmittance at a wavelength of 850 nm is greater than 84%.

13. The immersion microscope objective of claim 3 , wherein the following data applies to said immersion microscope objective:

Thickness/

Radius

Space

n e

ν e

Planar

Cover glass

CG

1.525

59.2

Planar

Immersion medium

A 0

Water/Glycerine/Oil

Planar

L1

0.500

1.489

70.2

−1.3725

L2

4.990

1.888

40.5

−5.2330

A 1 (variable)

43 .4010

L3

2.000

1.530

76.6

−10.9840

A 2 (variable)

10.1450

L4

4.500

1.551

45.5

10.2920

A 3 = 2.300

−34.4750

L5

1.100

1.641

42.2

8.9125

L6

5.000

1.530

76.6

−14.2270

A 4 = 0.100

24.0570

L7

5.800

1.530

76.6

−7.6076

L8

1.100

1.617

44.3

−175.2900

A 5 = 0.356

10.1450

L9

7.000

1.820

46.4

6.8786

A 6 = 4.200

−6.5879

L10

2.830

1.597

35.0

−7.3918

A 7 = 0.150

Planar

A 8 = 126.50

Tubular lens having a focal length of 164.5 mm.

14. The immersion microscope objective of claim 13 , wherein said immersion medium is water and said immersion microscope objective has the following parameters:

numerical aperture=0.8;

imaging scale=−24.7; and,

field of view number=18.

15. The immersion microscope objective of claim 13 , wherein said immersion medium is glycerine and said immersion microscope objective has the following parameters:

numerical aperture=0.8;

imaging scale=−25.0; and,

field of view number=18.

16. The immersion microscope objective of claim 13 , wherein said immersion medium is oil and said immersion microscope objective has the following parameters:

numerical aperture=0.8;

imaging scale=−25.2; and,

field of view number=18.

17. The immersion microscope objective of claim 3 , wherein the following data applies to said immersion microscope objective:

Immersion

CG

A 0

A 1

A 2

Water

0

0.768

0.215

5.742

Water

0.170

0.600

0.301

5.563

Glycerine

0

0.769

0.495

5.160

Glycerine

0.170

0.600

0.521

5.106

Oil

0

0.769

0.616

4.910

Oil

0.170

0.600

0.616

4.910

wherein: CG=cover glass thickness; A 0 =work space; A 1 =said first one of said air spaces; and, A 2 =said second one of said air spaces.

18. An immersion microscope objective for examining a specimen, the immersion microscope objective comprising:

a plurality of optical lens units conjointly defining an optical axis;

said optical lens units being arranged so as to define respective air spaces between said optical lens units;

an adjusting device for correcting longitudinal chromatic aberrations;

said adjusting device including means for changing two of said air spaces; and,

wherein said longitudinal chromatic aberrations are corrected in a spectral range of 450 nm to 1000 nm and a deviation of the best focus position of a secondary wavelength from a principal wavelength lies within a depth of field.

19. The immersion microscope objective of claim 18 , wherein: when using water as the immersion medium, said deviation lies in a range of 450 nm to 950 nm; and, when using oil as the immersion medium, said deviation lies in a range of 480 nm to 1000 nm.

20. The immersion microscope objective of claim 18 , wherein said two of said air spaces are linearly changeable.

21. An immersion microscope objective for examining a specimen, the immersion microscope objective comprising:

a mount;

a plurality of optical lens units being arranged in said mount so as to conjointly define an optical axis;

said optical lens units being arranged so as to define respective air spaces between said optical lens units;

an adjusting device arranged in said mount and including:

first and second correction rings displaceable in said mount for movement along said optical axis;

said first and second correction rings holding two mutually adjacent ones of said optical lens units separated by a first one of said air spaces;

one of said two mutually adjoining optical lens units being disposed at a second one of said air spaces away from one of the remaining ones of said optical units; and,

a gear assembly operatively connected to said first and second correction rings for moving said first and second correction rings along said axis at different rates of displacement so as to simultaneously vary the magnitude of said first and second air spaces for doing at least one of the following:

(a) adapting said immersion microscope objective to different immersion mediums;

(b) correcting aberrations or imaging errors occurring because of a cover glass closing off a specimen vessel for holding a specimen; and,

(c) correcting longitudinal chromatic aberrations.