Double-clad fiber scanning microscope

1. A scanning microscope comprising:

a laser outputting an excitation laser beam;

a fiber member having a first core and a second core, said second core being generally disposed within said first core, said second core being operable to receive said excitation laser beam from said laser and transmit said excitation laser beam to a sample to be tested;

a lens operably coupled to an end of said fiber member through which said excitation laser beam exits, said lens operable to achieve increased resolution and increased excitation of said sample to be tested, said lens moving with movement of said end of said fiber member; and

a moveable stage supporting at least one of a group consisting of said end of said fiber member and said sample to be tested, said moveable stage being operable to move said end of said fiber member and said sample to be tested relative to each other, wherein said excitation laser beam impacts said sample to be tested to produce a resultant signal representative of said sample to be tested, and said first core being operable to collect said resultant signal from said sample to be tested independently of said second core collecting said resultant signal.

2. The scanning microscope according to claim 1 wherein said resultant signal is a flourescence signal.

3. The scanning microscope according to claim 1 wherein said resultant signal is a Raman signal.

4. The scanning microscope according to claim 1 wherein said resultant signal is a back reflection signal of said excitation laser beam.

5. The scanning microscope according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an optical separation system operably coupled to receive both said excitation laser beam and said resultant signal; and

an optical detection system operably coupled to said optical separation system,

wherein said optical separation system permits transmission of said resultant signal to said optical detection system.

6. A scanning microscope comprising:

a laser source outputting an excitation laser beam;

a fiber member system having a plurality of fiber members, each of said plurality of fiber members having a first core and a second core, the second core being generally disposed within the first core, said second core being operable to receive said excitation laser beam from said laser source and transmit said excitation laser beam to a sample to be tested to generate a resultant signal from said sample;

an optical separation system operably coupled to receive both said excitation laser beam and said resultant signal; and

an optical detection system operably coupled to said optical separation system,

wherein said first cores of each of said plurality of fiber members is operable to collect said resultant signal from said sample to be tested independently of an associated second core collecting said resultant signal and said optical separation system permits transmission of said resultant signal to said optical detection system for detection.

7. The scanning microscope according to claim 6 , further comprising:

a moveable stage supporting at least one of a group consisting of said fiber member system and said sample to be tested, said moveable stage being operable to move said fiber member system and said sample to be tested relative to each other.

8. The scanning microscope according to claim 6 wherein said resultant signal is a flourescence signal.

9. The scanning microscope according to claim 6 wherein said resultant signal is a Raman signal.

10. The scanning microscope according to claim 6 wherein said resultant signal is a back reflection signal of said excitation laser beam.

11. The scanning microscope according to claim 6 wherein each of said second cores is co-axial with an associated one of said first cores.

12. The scanning microscope according to claim 6 , further comprising:

a fiber coupler coupled to said fiber member system for transmitting said excitation laser beam and said resultant signal therethrough.

13. The scanning microscope according to claim 6 wherein said sample is biological tissue.

14. The scanning microscope according to claim 6 , further comprising:

a lens operably coupled to said fiber member system, said lens operable to achieve improved resolution and increased excitation of said sample.

15. The scanning microscope according to claim 14 wherein said lens is a Gradient Index lens.

16. A scanning microscope comprising:

a laser outputting an excitation laser beam;

at least one fiber member having a first core and a second core, the second core being co-axial within the first core, the second core being operable to receive the excitation laser beam from the laser and transmit the excitation laser beam to a sample to be tested, the first and second cores being independently operable to receive a resultant signal generated by the excitation laser beam contacting the sample to be tested;

a lens operably coupled to an end of the at least one fiber member through which the excitation laser beam exits, said lens moving with movement of the end of the at least one fiber member; and

a moveable stage coupled to the end of the at least one fiber member with the coupled lens, the moveable stage being operable to move the end of the at least one fiber member and the coupled lens relative to the sample to be tested.

17. The scanning microscope of claim 16 , further comprising:

an optical separation system operably coupled to receive both said excitation laser beam and said resultant signal; and

an optical detection system operably coupled to said optical separation system,

wherein said optical separation system permits transmission of said resultant signal to said optical detection system for detection.