High-speed 1-frame/ms scanning confocal microscope with a microlens and Nipkow disks

We have developed a high-speed confocal laser microscope. A microlens-array disk set in front of a pinhole-array disk improved optical efficiency more than ten times compared with that of conventional Nipkow confocal microscopy. This new microscope achieves a high-speed measurement of 1 frame/ms. We expect that it will be used for measuring biological and industrial active samples. (C) 2002 Optical Society of America.