Abstract

Laser scanning microscopes are divided into two groups based on the scanning method. One is a mechanical scanning-type microscope characterized by the mechanical movement of a specimen and the second is a beam deflection-type microscope in which a focused laser beam scans a specimen, in recent years, the beam deflection-type microscope has been extensively developed for its superior scanning speed. In this type of microscope, a polygon mirror, a galvanometer mirror, or an acoustooptic deflector (AOD) is usually used as a deflector and a scanner. We have developed microscopes using galvanometer mirrors and AODs. The microscope with galvanometer mirrors is versatile. On the other hand, the microscope with AODs is distinguished by high-speed scanning enabling real-time imaging. Figure 1 shows a block diagram of the microscope with the galvanometer mirrors.

© 1988 Optical Society of America