Importance

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Abstract

The present invention relates to a light scanning device for exciting and detecting secondary light, especially fluorescent light, on a sample, comprising a light-emitting device for emitting excitation light having a wavelength which is suitable for exciting secondary light on or in the sample, a scanning unit for scanning at least one subarea of the sample with said excitation light, and a detection unit for the secondary light emitted in response to excitation of the sample, said detection unit comprising a detection optics and a detector device. In the case of conventional scanning devices, the spatial resolution on the sample is determined by the scanning element alone. If spot detectors without spatial resolution are used, the detector must be read out and re-initialized after the illumination of each scanning spot on the sample; this results in a waiting time before the scanning beam can be moved to the next scanning spot and, consequently, in a reduction of the read-out velocity. For avoiding this drawback and for increasing the read-out velocity as well as for improving the spatial resolution on the sample, the device according to the present invention makes use of a detector device comprising a large number of detection elements arranged in an array with predetermined position coordinates, said detection elements being arranged in an imaging plane of the detection optics and converting light detected in spatially resolved manner into electric signals.

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First Claim