Confocal microscopy provides optical sectioning that is invaluable for many applications, most notably imaging into thick samples. However, the high cost of commercial confocal microscopes limits uses to specialized research and clinical settings. We present a minimalistic line-scanning confocal microscope costing less than $6,500 with optical performance comparable to a commercial laser scanning system. The optical sectioning and imaging performance are shown through measurement of the axial line-spread function and imaging of biological samples of varying thickness. Comparison is made to commercial widefield and confocal microscopes. The low cost of goods and optical sectioning capability of this microscope will allow the use of confocal microscopy in additional research and educational settings.
We demonstrate hyperspectral confocal microscopy in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) range of 1100–1600 nm using a wavelength-scanning laser in tandem with laser scanning confocal microscopy. Confocal microscopy in the SWIR range allows for high-resolution inspection of an integrated circuit (IC) chip, while hyperspectral imaging, together with a chemometric analysis, enables us to identify functional circuit block groups in the acquired image. With the extended capability, the developed instrument can be potentially used for inline inspection and non-invasive failure analysis of IC chips.
more » « less- Award ID(s):
- 1808331
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10433907
- Publisher / Repository:
- Optical Society of America
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Optics Letters
- Volume:
- 48
- Issue:
- 15
- ISSN:
- 0146-9592; OPLEDP
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: Article No. 3993
- Size(s):
- Article No. 3993
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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