Just the idea of putting objectives into that sort of environment
sends chills down my spine!!  :)

No doubt something could be done, but be prepared to replace a lot of your
optics if you ever try.  I'd say discuss this with your scope manufacturer
(not so much the confocal, assuming that the galvos etc will be at room
temp) and see if you can take samples down slowly, work at long working
distances, etc.  But even so your objectives and any other really cold
optical items will pay a big price for the effort.

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On Wed, 14 Jan 1998, M.J. Tobin wrote:

> Does anybody out there have experience of confocal measurements at very low
> temperatures?
>
> I have a user who wants to look at materials at close to liquid nitrogen
> temperatures.  Initially the sample will probably be in the vapour, just above
> the liquid, so I need to have my objective in the vapour.  Are there likely to
> be any problems with cooling the objective down like this?  Could the optics
> (UV) crack, or drop out?
>
> Any advice or comments are most welcome.
>
> Mark Tobin
>
> --
> Dr. Mark Tobin
> Daresbury Laboratory
> Daresbury
> Warrington
> Cheshire   WA4 4AD    UK
>
> Tel:      +44 (0)1925 603584
> Fax:     +44 (0)1925 603124
> Email:  [log in to unmask]
> http://www.dl.ac.uk/SRS/VUV-IR/index.html
>