Open AccessExtended depth-of-field microscopic imaging with a variable focus microscope objective
Author(s) -
Sheng Liu,
Hong Hua
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.19.000353
Subject(s) - microscope , optics , depth of field , focus (optics) , detector , optical microscope , field of view , depth of focus (tectonics) , image resolution , image processing , microscopy , materials science , point spread function , sampling (signal processing) , computer science , computer vision , physics , image (mathematics) , scanning electron microscope , paleontology , subduction , biology , tectonics
Increasing the depth-of-field (DOF) while maintaining high resolution imaging has been a classical challenge for conventional microscopes. Extended DOF (EDOF) is especially essential for imaging thick specimens. We present a microscope capable of capturing EDOF images in a single shot. A volumetric optical sampling method is applied by rapidly scanning the focus of a vari-focal microscope objective throughout the extended depths of a thick specimen within the duration of a single detector exposure. An EDOF image is reconstructed by deconvolving the captured image with the response function of the system. Design of a vari-focal objective and algorithms for restoring EDOF images are presented. Proof-of-concept experimental results demonstrate significantly extended DOF compared to the conventional microscope counterparts.