“Revolutionizing Microscopy: UConn Team Develops High-Resolution, Large Field of View Prototype”
A New Microscope Prototype Revolutionizes Ptychography
A groundbreaking microscope prototype is revolutionizing the field of ptychography by achieving the highest-ever numerical aperture and imaging throughput. This breakthrough is orders of magnitude greater than any previously demonstrated.
Introducing Coded Ptychography
The innovative technique, known as “coded ptychography,” was developed by a team led by Guoan Zheng, the UTC associate professor in the University of Connecticut’s (UConn) Department of Biomedical Engineering. This new method builds upon ptychographic microscopy, a method of microscopic imaging that uses a computer algorithm to invert an extensive data set into an image.
Despite its potential, standard ptychographic microscopy has limitations when applied to optical microscopy due to low imaging throughput and limited resolution. The new coded ptychography technique aims to overcome these limitations.
Overcoming the Limitations of Conventional Microscopy
In a conventional microscope setup, the objective lens is large and bulky, often resulting in a tradeoff between resolution and imaging field of view. The team’s motivation to develop this device was to achieve both high resolution and an ultra-large field of view simultaneously.
For the coded ptychography prototype platform, the researchers replaced the bulky objective lens with a very thin scattering layer. This innovative approach allowed them to translate samples across disorder-engineered surfaces for lensless diffraction data acquisition.
Unveiling the Coded Ptychography Prototype
The coded ptychography prototype features a disorder-engineered surface that redirects large-angle diffracted light into smaller angles for detection. This unique design allows for the acquisition of otherwise inaccessible object details using the pixel array.
The team’s achievement in resolution and numerical aperture is at least two times higher than current lensless ptychographic systems. Furthermore, the unique fabrication process of the engineered surface allows for cost-effective manufacturing without the need for optical or electron lithography.
Advantages of the Computational Objective Lens
Unlike traditional microscopes, the coded ptychography prototype features a computational objective lens, not a physical one. This innovative design addresses the stability and alignment issues often encountered with conventional scattering lenses.
The team’s prototype is designed to unlock an optical space with spatial extent and frequency content that is inaccessible using conventional lens-based optics. This new ptychography device overcomes the demanding requirements of mechanical stability often experienced with lens-based systems.
Future Implications of the Coded Ptychography Prototype
The coded ptychography prototype represents a significant leap forward in the field of microscopy. Its potential applications are vast, ranging from biomedical research to material science.
The team’s patent for their innovative device is a testament to their groundbreaking work. As the field of microscopy continues to evolve, the coded ptychography prototype stands as a beacon of innovation, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in optical imaging.