WO2001029836A1 - Autofocus z stage - Google Patents
Autofocus z stage Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2001029836A1 WO2001029836A1 PCT/US2000/009621 US0009621W WO0129836A1 WO 2001029836 A1 WO2001029836 A1 WO 2001029836A1 US 0009621 W US0009621 W US 0009621W WO 0129836 A1 WO0129836 A1 WO 0129836A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- sample
- light
- focus
- photodetector
- optical path
- Prior art date
Links
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 32
- 230000004044 response Effects 0.000 claims description 15
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 13
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 claims description 12
- 238000003384 imaging method Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 6
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000000903 blocking effect Effects 0.000 claims 4
- 229920006395 saturated elastomer Polymers 0.000 abstract description 6
- 239000000523 sample Substances 0.000 description 49
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 description 7
- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 description 4
- 238000013519 translation Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000009467 reduction Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000004458 analytical method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000005284 excitation Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000010355 oscillation Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000012360 testing method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000003298 DNA probe Substances 0.000 description 1
- 108020005187 Oligonucleotide Probes Proteins 0.000 description 1
- XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicon Chemical compound [Si] XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004166 bioassay Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000013461 design Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000011161 development Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000012634 fragment Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000002452 interceptive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000004973 liquid crystal related substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000003754 machining Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002751 oligonucleotide probe Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010703 silicon Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 235000012431 wafers Nutrition 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B7/00—Mountings, adjusting means, or light-tight connections, for optical elements
- G02B7/28—Systems for automatic generation of focusing signals
- G02B7/30—Systems for automatic generation of focusing signals using parallactic triangle with a base line
- G02B7/32—Systems for automatic generation of focusing signals using parallactic triangle with a base line using active means, e.g. light emitter
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B21/00—Microscopes
- G02B21/24—Base structure
- G02B21/241—Devices for focusing
Definitions
- the present invention relates to automated focusing systems, in particular to extremely rapid automatic focusing of optical scanning systems.
- the resulting emitted, reflected or scattered light then is detected either through a separate optical system to the side of the light source, as shown in US 5,900,949, or through reflection or emission back through the same initial optical system as the light source, by way of a half-silvered mirror or di-chroic beam splitter.
- a fluorescent system typically includes a source of light 10 at the proper wavelength, ⁇ ex , to excite the sample or a dye in the sample. This light is focused through source optics 12 and deflected by mirror 14 via scan lens 26 onto sample 16. Light that fluoresces or is reflected from the sample returns to detection optics 18 via half silvered mirror or di- chroic beam splitter 15. Alternatively, the emitted or fluoresced light can be detected from the side of the system, as shown in US 5,900,949.
- a CCD or equivalent element 20 Light passing through detection optics 18 then is detected using a CCD or equivalent element 20, the output from which is provided to computer 22 for analysis.
- Motor 24 is used to move mirror 14 to scan the excitation beam across the sample 16.
- the excitation beam, motor, optics and the rest of the system then are controlled by computer 22 to scan relevant portions of sample 16.
- the system will reject light that is not substantially in focus.
- the light in such a confocal system typically will be deflected by mirror 14 through scan lens 26.
- a confocal system typically has a very small depth of field d, as illustrated in Fig. 2.
- Sample 16 is in scan field 29, that is, in the depth of field d, for a scan across sample 16, traversing the range of scan.
- the focal length of the system is f, and the relative sizes of the values are f»d» ⁇ .
- the range of scan may vary from tens of micrometers to centimeters, depending on the system. For a truly flat and level surface in a confocal system, once the collection system and the sample are brought into focus, no more focusing along the +z or -z axis (up or down, as shown in Fig. 2) is required. If the light beam is scanned, the assumption is that the design of the system is such that rotation of mirror 14 does not move the light beam out of the nominal plane of focus, i.e., scan field 29 is essentially flat in the area where the sample is located.
- the sample must be kept continuously in focus during a scan.
- One technique for doing this automatically or manually brings the sample into focus below a stationary focused beam, only once, and then scans the sample by moving it on an x-y translation stage. The distance from the sample to the objective then remains constant since the sample does not move up or down, throughout the scan. This method is used by several imaging manufacturers.
- the position of sample 16 relative to lens 26 can be determined by analyzing the relative signal strengths being generated by photodetector portions A and B. This can be done through any suitable method, but is conveniently done by subtracting the values of the outputs of the two portions A and B of the photodetector in circuit 51 to generate a Focus Error Signal (FES) 50.
- FES Focus Error Signal
- the absolute value of FES 50 is indicative of the distance by which sample 16 is out of focus, while the positive or negative value of FES 50 indicates the direction in which the sample 16 is out of focus.
- light 47 either impinges on photodetector center 49, or at least is equally balanced between portions A, B, with the result that the value of FES 50 is 0 and no z-axis adjustment is needed (it will be understood that the value need not be exactly 0 — some range around 0 will normally be considered equivalent to 0). If more of light 47 impinges on half B of the detector (as shown in Fig.
- FES 50 is a positive signal, indicating that the z translation stage is off in the -z direction, so the stage should be moved in the +z direction to bring the system into focus. If sample 16 is too close to lens 46, more light 47 hits A than B, and FES 50 is negative, indicating that the stage is out of focus in the +z direction, and should be moved in the -z direction to bring the system into focus.
- Z-axis translation stages responsive to such an FES signal in this fashion are commercially available.
- Fig. 4 illustrates a set of DNA oligonucleotide probes 30 deposited on the surface of substrate 16. Such probes often are chemical systems which combine with immobilized clipped DNA fragments to identify the presence or absence of various DNA structures.
- ⁇ h can be considerably larger than the depth of field d for the focused light beam 34.
- DNA probes 30 may be in or out of focus even without any vertical movement of substrate 16.
- Such substrate undulation can be minimized, but usually requires significant machining or use of fairly expensive materials such as silicon wafers or glass.
- Inexpensive materials such those taught in WO 99/53319, are particularly likely to have such undulating surfaces, but are highly desirable for use.
- the sample surface height variation ⁇ h is greater than the depth of field d
- some system must be in place to keep probes 30 within depth of field d or regions of the image will be blurry in a non-confocal system, or dark in a confocal system.
- Such a system must be capable of refocusing easily at different depths, but at the same time, the system must be extremely fast. This can be done by moving the focusing lens, but is more commonly done by moving the stage, which might be piezoelectric stage, a stage mounted to a solenoid or voice coil, or a translation stage. In any case, the position of the stage is responsive to the output of the computer.
- the difficulty is the number of times the system must be refocused. For example, to capture a 512 pixel x 512 pixel image (a frame) in five seconds, the autofocus change must take no more than 19 micro-seconds for autofocus from pixel to pixel (5 seconds divided by 512 x 512 pixels). This requires an extremely rapid autofocus system.
- the inventors recognized that in actual practice, the absolute value of the FES indicates the distance by which the sample is out of focus only if the sample is not too far out of focus. If the sample is too far out of focus, the direction can still be determined from the positive or negative value of the FES, but the distance to the proper focal position cannot be determined accurately, because the FES becomes saturated, that is, the FES reaches a plateau.
- the absolute value of the FES indicates only the saturation level and no longer indicates the distance to the correct focal point.
- the system or operator must then "guess" how much to move the sample to get it into focus, i.e., move it by some arbitrary amount. If the initial move is not far enough, another guess is necessary, while if it is too far, a move in the opposite direction may be needed. This repeated guessing severely limits the speed with which the system can refocus as it scans from one point to the next.
- the present invention therefore provides consistently rapid focusing by combining a half-blocked autofocus system with a variation in the amount of light being applied to the sample.
- a first embodiment of the present invention accomplishes rapid focusing by determining when the FES is ambiguous, and modifying the amount of light reaching the photodetector when it is ambiguous. Specifically, if the FES is ambiguous, the diameter or area of the beam of light is reduced by some predetermined amount. This will then unsaturate the FES and allow the system to move the lens or sample quickly to a position relatively near the optimum focus. The light beam diameter or area then can be increased back up, and final focusing done.
- a second embodiment of the present invention accomplishes rapid focusing by providing an additional mechanism for determining the approximate distance to the correct focal point. This may be done by providing a photodetector which can directly detect the radial offset of the light beam striking the photodetector, so the distance can be determined without relying on the absolute value of the difference between the signals on opposite sides of the photodetector.
- both embodiments may be combined to maximize the distance over which the system can quickly focus.
- the result is a two step process that can focus quite rapidly, and considerably more rapidly on average than done with a conventional half-blocked system alone.
- a very rapid z stage control such as a piezoelectric fast response system, and suitably rapid electronic control circuitry or software, the system can achieve the rapid response time desired for scanning systems.
- Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of a typical prior art optical scanning system.
- Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of the scanning portion of the optical scanning system of Fig. 1.
- Figs. 3a, b, c are schematic illustrations of a typical prior art half-blocked focusing system in different stages of focus.
- Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional representation of a possible sample to be scanned by an optical scanning system.
- Figs. 5a, b are schematic illustrations of the half-blocked focusing system of Figs.
- Fig. 6 is a graph of the focus error signal v. amount of defocus for the focusing systems of Figs. 3a, b, c and 5a, b, respectively.
- Fig. 7 is a schematic illustration of the half-blocked focusing system of Figs. 3a, b, c modified according to a second embodiment according to the present invention.
- the present invention therefore provides a mechanism to reduce the area of the light incident on the photodetectors, and thereby extend the capture region in which the system will operate properly.
- the present invention provides a mechanism to measure the distance by which sample is out of focus by determining the radial extent of the light beam incident on the photodetectors.
- FIG. 5a, b A first embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figs. 5a, b.
- the elements analogous to those shown in Figs. 3 a, b, c have been shown with the same numbers with a prime (').
- an iris 52 is added between lens 26' and knife edge 44', preferably closer to lens 46' than to the beam splitter 40 to avoid interfering with the light going to the main optics 18.
- iris 52 is dilated fully, as shown in Fig. 5a, all of light 47' that previously would have reached photodetector 48 in Figs. 3a, b, c, still reaches photodetector 48'.
- Response curve 60 in Fig. 6 is a graph of the strength of FES 50 (from Figs. 3a, b, c) versus the distance by which sample 16 is out of focus.
- the example in the graph uses a scanning lens 26 with a focal length of 5 cm, a light wavelength of 488 nm, beam diameter at the objective of 2 mm, a nominal distance from the scanning lens 26 through the scanning optics to the lens 46 of 1 cm and the aperture at the detector lens 46 of 2 mm, with the output of FES 50 normalized to ⁇ 1.
- circuit 51 provides an output such that the absolute value of FES 50 is a good indicator of the distance from the correct focal position. Beyond about +500 ⁇ m, FES 50 nears saturation and then saturates, and the absolute value of FES 50 no longer correctly indicates the distance from the correct focal position. As a result, the effective capture range 61 for the system is slightly less than ⁇ 500 ⁇ m from the correct focal position.
- response curve 62 which is a graph of FES 50' from Fig. 5b, with iris 52 contracted so that the aperture at detector lens 46' is 1 mm to reduce by 50% the diameter of the beam of light 47' reaching photodetector 48' compared to the system for response curve 60.
- the capture region 63 of response curve 62 is accurate to roughly ⁇ 2500 ⁇ m, or roughly five times the size of capture region 61. This provides a much broader range over which the system can determine both the appropriate direction and the amount by which the z-stage should be moved to bring the sample into focus. Once that step has been made, iris 52 can be re-opened and fine focusing done using the full incident light beam.
- the element reducing the transmitted light need not be an iris 52 - the light reduction can be accomplished by any suitable mechanism, such as movable prisms or materials, such as segmented rings of liquid crystals, which can be electromagnetically controlled to control light transmission between sample 16' and photodetector 48'.
- iris 52 has been shown positioned between lens 26' and knife edge 44', it will be appreciated that iris 52 could be positioned anywhere between sample 16' and photodetector 48'.
- positioning the light reduction element between lens 26' and knife edge 44' has the advantage of allowing use of the entire photodetector 48', while positioning it closer to photodetector 48' might block part of photodetector 48'.
- iris 52 can be driven by a stepper motor or a continuous motor set to permit several aperture sizes (or even a continuous variation), so that iris 52 can be moved from one aperture size to the next until the system is close enough to focus to accept the full incident light beam.
- a software hysteresis system can be used to limit successive oscillations.
- FIG. 7 A second embodiment according to the invention is shown in Fig. 7.
- the elements analogous to those shown in Figs. 3 a, b, c have been shown with the same numbers with a double-prime ("). While the halves A, B of photodetector 48 extended from the focal center 49 to the outer edge of the photodetector, the analogous elements in photodetector 48" shown in Fig. 7 are split into a series of elements A. n , ... A-i, Ao, Bo, B +1 , ..., B+ n .
- Each element acts independently and is connected to its own FES circuit 51 A -n, ...51A-I, 51AO, 51BO, 51B+I, • *, 51 ⁇ +n , which in turn is connected through an analog-to-digital converter 54 to the computer 22", which controls the z-stage position.
- the offset from the center of the beam of light 47" incident on the photodetector 48" can be detected to a reasonable degree of accuracy based on the distribution of light detected by elements A. n , ...A-i, Ao, Bo, B+i, ..., B + foster. This in turn gives an estimate of the amount by which sample 16" is out of focus.
- the first and second embodiments could be combined, providing an even broader range for the depth of field in which the system can quickly come to focus.
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
DE60028813T DE60028813T2 (en) | 1999-10-21 | 2000-04-11 | AUTO FOCUS-Z-TABLE |
AU42289/00A AU4228900A (en) | 1999-10-21 | 2000-04-11 | Autofocus z stage |
JP2001532545A JP4199455B2 (en) | 1999-10-21 | 2000-04-11 | Autofocus Z stage |
EP00922046A EP1234304B1 (en) | 1999-10-21 | 2000-04-11 | Autofocus z stage |
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US16083699P | 1999-10-21 | 1999-10-21 | |
US60/160,836 | 1999-10-21 | ||
US09/441,731 US6548795B1 (en) | 1999-10-21 | 1999-11-16 | Autofocus Z stage |
US09/441,731 | 1999-11-16 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2001029836A1 true WO2001029836A1 (en) | 2001-04-26 |
Family
ID=26857266
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US2000/009621 WO2001029836A1 (en) | 1999-10-21 | 2000-04-11 | Autofocus z stage |
Country Status (6)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (2) | US6548795B1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1234304B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP4199455B2 (en) |
AU (1) | AU4228900A (en) |
DE (1) | DE60028813T2 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2001029836A1 (en) |
Cited By (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE10044862A1 (en) * | 2000-09-11 | 2002-04-04 | Ratte Polle Clemens | Optical system for optical storage drive has movable beam deflector for spatially varying laser beam position on fixed beam deflector |
WO2004057520A1 (en) * | 2002-12-18 | 2004-07-08 | Symbol Technologies, Inc. | Image scanning device having a system for determining the distance to a target |
WO2004057521A2 (en) * | 2002-12-18 | 2004-07-08 | Symbol Technologies, Inc. | Optical code reader having variable depth of field |
WO2004075096A1 (en) * | 2003-02-13 | 2004-09-02 | Symbol Technologies, Inc. | Optical code reader with autofocus and interface unit |
US7073715B2 (en) | 2003-02-13 | 2006-07-11 | Symbol Technologies, Inc. | Interface for interfacing an imaging engine to an optical code reader |
EP1720113A2 (en) * | 2003-02-13 | 2006-11-08 | Symbol Technologies, Inc. | Electrical code reader with autofocus and interface unit |
AU2007203527B2 (en) * | 2002-12-18 | 2010-05-27 | Symbol Technologies, Llc. | Image scanning device having a system for determining the distance to a target |
Families Citing this family (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
TW200608475A (en) * | 2004-08-26 | 2006-03-01 | Adv Lcd Tech Dev Ct Co Ltd | Method of picking up sectional image of laser light |
HUP0401802A2 (en) * | 2004-09-02 | 2006-03-28 | 3D Histech Kft | Focusing method object carriers on fast-moving digitalization and object carrier moving mechanics, focusing optic, optical distance-measuring instrument |
US20060072005A1 (en) * | 2004-10-06 | 2006-04-06 | Thomas-Wayne Patty J | Method and apparatus for 3-D electron holographic visual and audio scene propagation in a video or cinematic arena, digitally processed, auto language tracking |
US20070031056A1 (en) * | 2005-08-02 | 2007-02-08 | Perz Cynthia B | System for and method of focusing in automated microscope systems |
SE530750C2 (en) * | 2006-07-19 | 2008-09-02 | Hemocue Ab | A measuring device, a method and a computer program |
JP5072688B2 (en) * | 2008-04-02 | 2012-11-14 | キヤノン株式会社 | Scanning imaging device |
US8860948B2 (en) * | 2010-01-22 | 2014-10-14 | Ben Gurion University of the Negev Research and Development Authority Ltd.; Bar Ilan University | High resolution extended depth of field optical coherence tomography |
US11754680B2 (en) * | 2020-04-20 | 2023-09-12 | Raytheon Company | Optical system that detects and blocks backscatter |
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-
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- 1999-11-16 US US09/441,731 patent/US6548795B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2000
- 2000-04-11 WO PCT/US2000/009621 patent/WO2001029836A1/en active IP Right Grant
- 2000-04-11 EP EP00922046A patent/EP1234304B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 2000-04-11 DE DE60028813T patent/DE60028813T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2000-04-11 AU AU42289/00A patent/AU4228900A/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2000-04-11 JP JP2001532545A patent/JP4199455B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2003
- 2003-04-11 US US10/411,733 patent/US6717124B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
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US5033856A (en) * | 1984-07-05 | 1991-07-23 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus |
EP0503874A2 (en) * | 1991-03-15 | 1992-09-16 | THERMA-WAVE, INC. (a Delaware corporation) | Optical measurement device with enhanced sensitivity |
US5248992A (en) * | 1991-08-23 | 1993-09-28 | Eastman Kodak Company | High numerical aperture image forming apparatus using optical fibers for both writing and focus control |
US5400093A (en) * | 1992-12-28 | 1995-03-21 | U.S. Philips Corporation | Image projection system with autofocusing |
WO1997022900A1 (en) * | 1995-12-19 | 1997-06-26 | Bio-Rad Micromeasurements Limited | Dual beam automatic focus system |
EP0867771A2 (en) * | 1997-03-24 | 1998-09-30 | Nikon Corporation | Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and circuit making method |
Cited By (12)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE10044862A1 (en) * | 2000-09-11 | 2002-04-04 | Ratte Polle Clemens | Optical system for optical storage drive has movable beam deflector for spatially varying laser beam position on fixed beam deflector |
WO2004057520A1 (en) * | 2002-12-18 | 2004-07-08 | Symbol Technologies, Inc. | Image scanning device having a system for determining the distance to a target |
WO2004057521A2 (en) * | 2002-12-18 | 2004-07-08 | Symbol Technologies, Inc. | Optical code reader having variable depth of field |
WO2004057521A3 (en) * | 2002-12-18 | 2004-09-30 | Symbol Technologies Inc | Optical code reader having variable depth of field |
US7025271B2 (en) | 2002-12-18 | 2006-04-11 | Symbol Technologies, Inc. | Imaging optical code reader having selectable depths of field |
AU2003297989B2 (en) * | 2002-12-18 | 2008-07-24 | Symbol Technologies, Inc. | Image scanning device having a system for determining the distance to a target |
AU2007203527B2 (en) * | 2002-12-18 | 2010-05-27 | Symbol Technologies, Llc. | Image scanning device having a system for determining the distance to a target |
WO2004075096A1 (en) * | 2003-02-13 | 2004-09-02 | Symbol Technologies, Inc. | Optical code reader with autofocus and interface unit |
US7073715B2 (en) | 2003-02-13 | 2006-07-11 | Symbol Technologies, Inc. | Interface for interfacing an imaging engine to an optical code reader |
US7097101B2 (en) | 2003-02-13 | 2006-08-29 | Symbol Technologies, Inc. | Interface for interfacing an imaging engine to an optical code reader |
EP1720113A2 (en) * | 2003-02-13 | 2006-11-08 | Symbol Technologies, Inc. | Electrical code reader with autofocus and interface unit |
EP1720113A3 (en) * | 2003-02-13 | 2010-03-10 | Symbol Technologies, Inc. | Electrical code reader with autofocus and interface unit |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
DE60028813D1 (en) | 2006-07-27 |
US6717124B2 (en) | 2004-04-06 |
US20030197112A1 (en) | 2003-10-23 |
JP2003512655A (en) | 2003-04-02 |
EP1234304B1 (en) | 2006-06-14 |
DE60028813T2 (en) | 2007-01-18 |
US6548795B1 (en) | 2003-04-15 |
EP1234304A1 (en) | 2002-08-28 |
JP4199455B2 (en) | 2008-12-17 |
AU4228900A (en) | 2001-04-30 |
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