IP Library Granted Patent US 9,709,790
Granted Patent B2
US 9,709,790 · App. 14/508,806 · Granted Jul 18, 2017

Immersion microscope objective and microscope using the same

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,709,790
App. No.
14/508,806
Granted
Jul 18, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

An immersion microscope objective includes, a first lens group, a second lens group, and a third lens group, wherein the first lens group has a positive refractive power and includes a first cemented lens disposed nearest to the object side in the first lens group, the second lens group includes a second cemented lens, the third lens group includes a lens component that has a positive refractive power and changes a divergent light beam incident from the second lens group to a convergent light beam, two lens components that change the convergent light beam to a divergent light beam, and a lens component that has a positive refractive power and changes the divergent light beam to a parallel light beam and emits the parallel light beam, and the following conditional expressions (1) is satisfied: 60 mm 2 ≦d 0 ×f×NA o ≦500 mm 2   (1).

Claims (69)

1. An immersion microscope objective comprising, in order from an object side:

a first lens group;

a second lens group; and

a third lens group; wherein

the first lens group has a positive refractive power and includes a first cemented lens disposed nearest to the object side in the first lens group,

the second lens group includes a second cemented lens,

the third lens group includes a lens component that has a positive refractive power and changes a divergent light beam incident from the second lens group to a convergent light beam, one or more lens components that change the convergent light beam to a divergent light beam, and a lens component that has a positive refractive power and changes the divergent light beam to a parallel light beam and emits the parallel light beam, and

the following conditional expressions (1) is satisfied:

60 mm 2 d 0 ×f×NA o ≦500 mm 2   (1)

where

d 0 denotes a working distance of the immersion microscope objective,

f denotes a focal length of the immersion microscope objective,

NA o denotes an object-side numerical aperture of the immersion microscope objective, and

each of the lens components of the third lens group is a single lens or a cemented lens.

2. The immersion microscope objective according to claim 1 , wherein the following conditional expression (2) is satisfied:

0.15≦ d 0 ×f /(| r 1 |×L )≦10  (2)

where

d 0 denotes the working distance of the immersion microscope objective,

f denotes the focal length of the immersion microscope objective,

r 1 is a radius of curvature of a cemented surface of the first cemented lens, and

L denotes a distance on an optical axis from a sample plane to a lens surface nearest to an image side in the immersion microscope objective.

3. The immersion microscope objective according to claim 1 , wherein

the one or more lens components in the third lens group that change the convergent light beam to a divergent light beam comprise two lens components, and the two lens components in the third lens group include a third cemented lens having a concave surface facing the image side and a lens component having a concave surface facing the object side,

the lens component having the concave surface facing the object side is disposed opposed to the third cemented lens, and

the following conditional expression (3) is satisfied:

0.01 ≦d 0 ×d 3 /L 2 ≦0.15  (3)

where

d 0 denotes the working distance of the immersion microscope objective,

d 3 denotes a thickness on the optical axis of the lens component having the concave surface facing the object side,

L denotes the distance on the optical axis from the sample plane to the lens surface nearest to the image side in the immersion microscope objective, and

the lens component is a single lens or a cemented lens.

4. The immersion microscope objective according to claim 1 , comprising a moving lens group that moves along the optical axis, wherein the following conditional expression (4) is satisfied:

0.004≦(( nd 01 ×d 01 )−( nd 02 ×d 02 ))× f/L 2 ≦0.03  (4)

where

nd 01 denotes a maximum refractive index of refractive indices of a plurality of immersion liquids, for a d-line,

d 01 denotes a working distance during use of the immersion liquid with nd 01 ,

nd 02 denotes a minimum refractive index of the refractive indices of the plurality of immersion liquids, for the d-line,

d 02 denotes a working distance during use of the immersion liquid with nd 02 ,

f denotes the focal length of the immersion microscope objective, and

L denotes the distance on the optical axis from the sample plane to the lens surface nearest to the image side in the immersion microscope objective.

5. The immersion microscope objective according to claim 4 , wherein:

the moving lens group is the second lens group, and

the second lens group moves along the optical axis between the first lens group and the third lens group.

6. The immersion microscope objective according to claim 4 , wherein the following conditional expression (5) is satisfied:

0.9<|α/β|<1.1  (5)

where

α denotes an angle between a prescribed principal ray incident on the second lens group and the optical axis,

β denotes an angle between the prescribed principal ray exiting the second lens group and the optical axis, and

the prescribed principal ray is a principal ray that has a largest angle with the optical axis at a pupil position.

7. A microscope comprising:

a scanner section;

a main-body section; and

a microscope objective, wherein

the immersion microscope objective described in claim 1 is used for the microscope objective.

8. An immersion microscope objective comprising, in order from an object side:

a first lens group;

a second lens group; and

a third lens group; wherein

the first lens group has a positive refractive power,

the second lens group includes at least one cemented lens,

the third lens group includes a lens component that changes a divergent light beam incident from the second lens group to a convergent light beam, one or more lens components that change the convergent light beam to a divergent light beam, and a lens component that changes the divergent light beam to a parallel light beam and emits the parallel light beam, and

the following conditional expression (1-1) is satisfied:

60 mm 2 ≦d 0 ×f×NA o   (1-1)

where

d 0 denotes a working distance of the immersion microscope objective,

f denotes a focal length of the immersion microscope objective,

NA o denotes an object-side numerical aperture of the immersion microscope objective, and

each of the lens components of the third lens group is a single lens or a cemented lens.

9. The immersion microscope objective according to claim 8 , wherein chromatic aberration is corrected at least in a wavelength region from 700 nm to 1300 nm.

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 25, 2023
From: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
To: EVIDENT CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 062492/0267 →
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Jun 15, 2017
From: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
To: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 042821/0621 →
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Apr 19, 2017
From: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
To: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 042094/0548 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 7, 2014
From: KONISHI, HIROKAZU
To: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 033906/0009 →