Applications and characterization of a confocal scanning laser MACROscope/microscope

Confocal scanning laser microscopes are typically limited to small fields of view less than 5 x 5 mm in size. Scanning stage microscopes can scan very large areas (many centimeters) but are slow. An image can be acquired in seconds on a scanning beam instrument while it can take minutes on a scanning stage microscope. The confocal scanning laser MACROscope was designed previously by the University of Waterloo's Confocal Microscopy Group (UW-CMG) to combine the large scanning area capability of scanning stage microscopes with the fast scanning rates of scanning beam instruments. The prototype MACROscope, described in this thesis, provides 5 and 200 {dollar}mu{dollar}m lateral and axial resolution, respectively, using reflected light. It can generate reflected-light, photoluminescence, and optical beam induced current (OBIC) images of areas up to 7.5 x 7.5 cm in less than 10 s. In combination with a conventional scanning beam instrument, submicron resolutions are possible and the field of view can be as small as 25 x 25 {dollar}mu{dollar}m representing a zoom factor of 3000.; Imaging applications are illustrated for two semiconductor materials: solar cells and porous silicon. Various microscopic and macroscopic, confocal and non-confocal, reflected-light, photoluminescence and OBIC images of solar cells, porous silicon materials, and porous silicon devices are shown.; A relay lens consisting of a unitary telescope made with two achromats is examined on CODE V, a lens design and analysis program. This relay lens is known to cause problems on the UW-CMG confocal microscope and it is compared with an all-reflecting telescope made with off-axis parabolic mirrors. CODE V is also used to examine a detector mirror, a 30X all-reflecting beam expander, and an inexpensive ultraviolet objective.; A design for a fully integrated, single-instrument confocal scanning laser MACROscope-Microscope is presented. The MACROscope-Microscope has proven to be a versatile, efficient instrument combining scanning beam and scanning stage capabilities and has been demonstrated to be useful in imaging a wide range of specimens.; Several new contributions were made to scanning microscopy: (1) Construction of a prototype MACROscope. (2) Development and improvement of the MACROscope. (3) Experimental characterization of the MACROscope and cslm with respect to throughput, lateral resolution, and axial resolution including relative intensity measurements. (4) Experimental evidence and analysis of non-telecentric operation. (5) Demonstration of two imaging applications for the MACROscope: solar cells and porous silicon. (6) Evidence of lateral etching and enhanced photoluminescence in porous silicon specimens was shown. (7) Characterization of a porous silicon device and solar cell with reflected light, photoluminescence, and OBIC. (8) Analysis of the current unitary telescope configuration as well as a reflecting telescope, and an eyepiece telescope with CODE V. Experimental evidence of unitary telescope aberrations was also shown. (9) Analysis of a detector mirror and a UV singlet, for use in imaging, with CODE V. (10) Several suggestions to develop a fully-integrated cslM/m were made. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...