We describe a new parallel scanning mechanism for confocal microscopy that is inherently fiber-optic compatible and that retains the simplicity of the line scanning confocal microscope. The method works by employing an incoherent fiber-optic bundle that maps a line illumination pattern back on itself on double passing, while separating the fibers that carry photons from out-of-focus sample planes. The transformation permits efficient rejection of out-of-focus photons by a slit aperture.
© 2000 Optical Society of America
Charles P. Lin and Robert H. Webb, "Fiber-coupled multiplexed confocal microscope," Opt. Lett. 25, 954-956 (2000)