A confocal scanning holography microscope for use with a suitably selected detector for providing three dimensional information on the state of an object. The microscope has a coherent wavelength source for producing a coherent beam, scanning means for moving said coherent beam in a suitably selected pattern, and means for producing and focusing an object beam and a reference beam to an object focal point and a reference focal point, respectively. The object beam has a transmission path of essentially the same length of a transmission path of the reference beam. The object beam intercepts an object at the object focal point while the reference beam passes by the object. There are also means for defining the object beam and the reference beam based on the position of the object focal point and the geometry of the convergence angles and means for producing an interference pattern between the object focal point and the reference focal point.
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