The invention relates to a method for determining the thickness and refractive index of a layer (6) on a substrate (26). The layer (6) having a layer boundary surface (30) facing the substrate (26) and a layer top side (28) facing away from the substrate (26). In said method, the following steps are performed; imaging the layer (6), by confocal microscopy, along an optical axis (8), determining a point spread function resolved along the optical axis (8) al the layer boundary surface (30) and the layer lop side (28), determining an apparent thickness of the layer at a lateral point of the layer from the distance between two maxima of the point spread function, determining the widening of a maximum that the point spread function has at the layer boundary surface (30) relative to the width of the same maximum that the point spread function has at the layer top side (28), at the lateral point, and determining the thickness and refractive index of the layer (6) at the lateral point from the apparent thickness and the widening.

Described herein are apparatuses for dental scanning and components of apparatuses for dental scanning. A component of a dental scanning apparatus may include a beam splitter, a transparency and an image sensor. The component may have a first surface and a second surface. The transparency may be affixed to the first surface of the beam splitter, and may comprise a spatial pattern disposed thereon and be configured to be illuminated by a light source of the dental scanning apparatus. The image sensor may be affixed to the second surface of the beam splitter, wherein as a result of the transparency being affixed to the first surface of the beam splitter and the image sensor being affixed to the second surface of the beam splitter, the image sensor maintains a stable relative position to the spatial pattern of the transparency.

Methods and apparatus for optical imaging and scanning of holes machined, drilled or otherwise formed in a substrate made of composite or metallic material. The method utilizes an optical instrument for imaging and scanning a hole in combination with an image processor configured (e.g., programmed) to post-process the image data to generate one complete planarized image without conical optical distortion. The optical instrument includes an optical microscope with confocal illumination and a conical mirror axially positioned to produce a full 360-degree sub-image with conical distortion. In the post-processing step, a mathematical transformation in the form of computer-executable code is used to transform the raw conical sub-images to planar sub-images. The planarized sub-images may be stitched together to form a complete planarized image of the hole.

A microscope includes an illumination system configured to illuminate a sample chamber with laser pulses. The illumination system includes a control device with stored, modifiable illumination parameters, with trigger outputs, to which at least one externally triggerable laser system is connectable in each case, and with a trigger generator configured to produce temporally successive trigger signals for triggering the at least one laser system. The microscope is configured such that an assignment of the trigger signals to the trigger outputs and/or a time interval between successive ones of the trigger signals depends on the illumination parameters.

Disclosed herein are systems for imaging of samples using an array of micro optical elements and methods of their use. In some embodiments, an optical chip comprising an array of micro optical elements moves relative to an imaging window and a detector in order to scan over a sample to produce an image. A focal plane can reside within a sample or on its surface during imaging. Detecting optics are used to detect back-emitted light collected by an array of micro optical elements that is generated by an illumination beam impinging on a sample. In some embodiments, an imaging system has a large field of view and a large optical chip such that an entire surface of a sample can be imaged quickly. In some embodiments, a sample is accessible by a user during imaging due to the sample being exposed while disposed on or over an imaging window.

The invention relates to an optical group for detection light of a microscope, in particular a confocal scanning microscope, having an input plane (10) for the passage of detection light to be measured and having a detection beam path arranged downstream of the input plane for guiding the detection light (11) into a detection plane (67), wherein the detection beam path has at least one first beam course (1) having first optical beam-guiding means, in particular first lenses and/or mirrors (20, 30, 34, 36, 58, 60, 66), for guiding the detection light into the detection plane. In the first beam course, the optical group has at least one dispersive device (26) for the spatial spectral splitting of the detection light to be measured and a manipulation device (49) for manipulating the spectrally spatially split detection light. The first optical beam-guiding means together with the dispersive device and with the manipulation device are arranged and designed to produce a spectrally separated and diffraction-limited image of the Input plane into the detection plane. The optical group preferably has a second beam course (2) having optical beam-guiding means and has a selection device (22) for selecting the first beam course (1) or the second beam course (2). In further aspects, the invention relates to a method for microscopy and to a microscope.

Devices and methods for super-resolution optical microscopy are described. Devices include an optical multiplexer to develop an excitation/illumination optical beam that includes alternating pulses of different profiles. Devices also include a signal processing unit to process a sample response to excitation/illumination beam and to subtract the neighboring pulses of the different profiles from one another on a pulse-to-pulse basis. Devices can be incorporated in existing confocal microscopy designs. As the subtraction effectively reduces the volume of the response signal, the spatial resolution of the systems can be markedly improved as compared to previously known optical microscopy approaches.

A scanning microscope object stage comprising a retainer plate and a movable plate. The retainer plate has a primary light transmission channel, around which there are spacing bosses, and the movable plate has a secondary light transmission channel, which snaps right to the outer side of the spacing bosses. Along the top edge of the two opposing sides of the secondary light transmission channel is a slide stage for carrying the object slide. The height of the first height side wall is larger than or equals to the thickness of the movable plate. The second height side wall stands opposite to the slide stage and is of the same height. With the help of the spacing bossed on the retainer, the movable plate is easily positioned onto the retainer plate, and can be rapidly placed and replaced, and therefore, simultaneous placement and replacement for multiple object slides can be realized.

Methods, kits, and systems for fixation of RNA permitting its detection in intact tissue, such as, large volume of mammalian tissue are disclosed. The methods, kits, and systems util-ize carbodiimide-based chemistry to stably retain RNAs in tissue clarified using CLARITY. Also provided herein are methods, kits, and systems for detection of RNAs ire clarified tissue.

An intraoral scanner comprises a light source, a moveable opto-mechanical module, an axial actuator, and an image sensor. The light source is configured to generate light that is to be output onto an object external to the intraoral scanner. The moveable opto-mechanical module comprises integrated projection/imaging optics and an exit pupil, the projection/imaging optics having an optical axis, wherein the projection/imaging optics are entirely integrated into the moveable opto-mechanical module. The axial actuator is coupled to the projection/imaging optics and configured to move the moveable opto-mechanical module comprising an entirety of the projection/imaging optics in the optical axis to achieve a plurality of focus settings. The image sensor is configured to receive reflected light that has been reflected off of the object external to the intraoral scanner for the plurality of focus settings.