CENTER MASKING ILLUMINATION SYSTEM AND METHOD

摘要

Methods and apparatus for center masking a condenser lens of a transmitted light microscope to simultaneously maximize resolution, contrast and depth of field utilizing at a conjugate plane of the aperture plane where an image of the rear aperture of the condenser lens has been created, a plurality of light sources to illuminate two or more of the faces of a multi-face mirror in the shape of a pyramid which moves relative to the light sources to vary the amount of center masking continuously over a range including zero while directing multiple oblique beams of light onto the objective lens.