60 results about "Super-resolution microscopy" patented technology

The invention relates to large-field high-resolution microscopy and photolithography setups operating with polychromatic light. It includes the use of a plurality of focusing micromirrors.

The present invention is a method and apparatus that utilizes an inertia-free diffraction mechanism to control both phase and rotation of the standing wave pattern that results in super-resolution at unparalleled imaging speeds. In some embodiments of the present inventions, AODs are utilized to control period, phase, and rotation of the SW pattern in contrast to the commonly used mechano-optical principles. This allows 2D (and 3D) super-resolution imagining at high stability and speed not limited by mechanical constraints. The present invention can be utilized, for example, for real time observations of dynamic processes in living cells.

A microscopy method and apparatus includes placing a specimen to be observed adjacent to a reflective holographic optical element (RDOE). A beam of light that is at least partially coherent is focused on a region of the specimen. The beam forward propagates through the specimen and is at least partially reflected backward through the specimen. The backward reflected light interferes with the forward propagating light to provide a three dimensional interference pattern that is at least partially within the specimen. A specimen region illuminated by the interference pattern is imaged at an image detector. Computational reconstruction is used to generate a microscopic image in all three spatial dimensions (X,Y,Z), simultaneously with resolution greater than conventional microscopy.

A method for high-resolution image recording of at least one object with a microscope, includes the steps of: (a) positioning the object in a receptacle being arranged in the optical axis of the microscope, (b) generating at least two first data sets per object which represent intermediate images of the object with at least two different orientations relative to the optical axis of the microscope, wherein the different orientations of the object are provided by moving the object relative to the receptacle, and (c) evaluating the data sets for obtaining quantitative three dimensional information.

A method for high-resolution luminescence microscopy of a sample marked with marking molecules that can be activated to excite particular luminescent radiation, including: repeated activation of a subset of the marking molecules to emit luminescent radiation; repeated imaging of the sample along a depth direction and with a predetermined optical resolution; and producing images from the repeated imaging. Locations of the marking molecules are determined with a spatial resolution that is increased above the predetermined optical resolution. Activation of the marking molecules can be through radiation introduced into multiple regions, each extending along a plane substantially perpendicular to the depth direction. The regions can be arranged so that the regions are behind one another and overlap only partially. Separate images of the sample may be recorded for activation in each of the regions in order to obtain depth information relating to the marking molecules from the separate images.

The invention relates to large-field high-resolution microscopy and photolithography setups operating with polychromatic light. It includes the use of a plurality of focusing micromirrors.

A nano-scale resolution fluorescence microscopy system and a method of obtaining an image using the nano-scale resolution microscopy system, and more particularly, a method and a microscopy system, capable of observing fluorescence probes in high resolution by radiating an irregular diffused light to have an incoherent speckle pattern that has low correlation in an adjacent space are disclosed. According to embodiments of the present invention, a diffraction limit of a fluorescence microscope may be overcome, and a super high resolution image on a nanometer scale may be obtained.

The invention discloses a super-resolution microscopy method based on speckle illumination. The method comprises the following steps: modulating laser beam, focusing the laser beam onto a sample to be tested, so as to form a speckle illumination pattern, and collecting fluorescence emitted by the sample to be tested, so as to obtain a fluorescence intensity image; changing the speckle illumination pattern, so as to obtain a plurality of fluorescence intensity images under different speckle illumination patterns; adding all the fluorescence intensity images together to obtain an image serving as a wide field image, and performing deconvolution on the wide field image, so as to obtain the initial estimation of the sample; calculating an initial illumination image through a gradient descent algorithm according to the obtained initial estimation; working out a sample image with higher resolution on the basis of an obtained object image and an initial illumination image through an FP algorithm; taking the worked out sample image as an estimated value of the sample, repeating iteration till iteration is accomplished, so as to obtain a super-resolution image. The invention further discloses a super-resolution microscopy device based on speckle illumination.

Methods and systems for the super-resolution imaging can make visible strongly subwavelength feature sizes (even below 100 nm) in the optical images of biomedical or any nanoscale structures. The main application of the proposed methods and systems is related to label-free imaging where biological or other objects are not stained with fluorescent dye molecules or with fluorophores. This label-free microscopy is more challenging as compared to fluorescent microscopy because of the poor optical contrast of images of objects with subwavelength dimensions. However, these methods and systems are also applicable to fluorescent imaging. Their use is extremely simple, and it is based on application of the microspheres or microcylinders or, alternatively, elastomeric slabs with embedded microspheres or microcylinders to the objects which are deposited on the surfaces covered with thin metallic layers or metallic nanostructures. The mechanism of imaging involved use of the plasmonic near-fields for illuminating the objects and virtual imaging of these objects through microspheres or microcylinders. These methods and systems do not require use of fragile probe tips and slow point-by-point scanning techniques. These methods and systems can be used in conjunction with any types of microscopes including upright, inverted, fluorescence, confocal, phase-contrast, total internal reflection and others. Scanning the samples can be performed using micromanipulation with individual spheres or cylinders or using translation of the slabs. These methods and systems are applicable to dry, wet and totally liquid-immersed samples and structures.