VARIABLE-ILLUMINATION FOURIER PTYCHOGRAPHIC IMAGING DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS

• US 20150054979A1
• Filed: 08/22/2014
• Published: 02/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Ou, Xiaoze, Horstmeyer, Roarke, Zheng, Guoan, Yang, Changhuei
• Granted Patent: US 9,497,379 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/06 Means for illuminating specimens
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/084 having annular illumination around the objective
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/086 for transillumination only
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/125 affording both dark- and bright-field illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/361 Optical details, e.g. image relay to the camera or image sensor G02B21/364 takes precedence; illumination details G02B21/06 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/367 providing an output produced by processing a plurality of individual source images, e.g. image tiling, montage, composite images, depth sectioning, image comparison
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/1066 for enhancing image performance, like resolution, pixel numbers, dual magnifications or dynamic range, by tiling, slicing or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/58 Optics for apodization or superresolution; Optical synthetic aperture systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/30 for generating image signals from X-rays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/32 Transforming X-rays cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from X-rays H04N23/30; circuitry of SSIS for transforming X-rays into image signals H04N25/30

Abstract

Certain aspects pertain to Fourier ptychographic imaging systems, devices, and methods such as, for example, high NA Fourier ptychographic imaging systems and reflective-mode NA Fourier ptychographic imaging systems.

Claims

19. A reflective-mode Fourier ptychographic imaging system, comprising:

a variable illuminator configured to illuminate a sample at a plurality of incidence angles at different times in an epi-illumination mode;

an optical system comprising a filtering optical element having a filtering function, the optical system configured to receive light reflected from the sample and filter the light reflected from the sample using the filtering optical element, wherein the plurality of incidence angles and the filtering function correspond to overlapping regions in the Fourier domain; and

a radiation detector configured to acquire a plurality of intensity images, each intensity image corresponding to a different incidence angle of the plurality of incidence angles.

1. An ultra-high NA Fourier ptychographic imaging system, comprising:

a variable illuminator configured to illuminate a sample at a plurality of incidence angles at different times;

an optical system comprising a lens with a high NA, the lens configured to filter light issuing from the sample, wherein the plurality of incidence angles and the high NA correspond to a plurality of overlapping regions in the Fourier domain that cover an expanded NA of greater than 1.0; and

a radiation detector configured to acquire a plurality of intensity images, each intensity image corresponding to a different incidence angle of the plurality of incidence angles.

2. The ultra-high NA Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 1, further comprising a processor configured to generate an image with a higher resolution than a resolution of the intensity images by iteratively updating the overlapping regions in the Fourier domain with intensity image measurements.

3. The ultra-high NA Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 1, wherein the lens is configured to filter light from the sample by passing light received within its acceptance angle.

4. The ultra-high NA Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 1, wherein the high NA of the filtering optical element is about 0.50.

5. The ultra-high NA Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 1, wherein the high NA of the filtering optical element is in a range of about 0.40 to about 0.50.

6. The ultra-high NA Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 1, wherein the variable illuminator comprises one or more circular rings of light elements.

7. The ultra-high NA Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 1, wherein the variable illuminator comprises a plurality of concentric rings of equally-spaced light elements.

8. The ultra-high NA Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 7, wherein each outer ring has a larger number of light elements than an adjacent smaller diameter ring.

9. The ultra-high NA Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 7, wherein each concentric ring has at least 6 light elements.

10. The ultra-high NA Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 7, wherein each concentric ring light elements separated by at least about 30 degrees.

11. The ultra-high NA Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 7, wherein each concentric ring has a diameter of more than about 20 mm.

12. The ultra-high NA Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 7, wherein each concentric ring has a diameter of more than about 40 mm.

13. The ultra-high NA Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 1,

wherein the optical system comprises a collection optical element configured to receive light reflected from the sample, and

wherein the variable illuminator and the collection optical element are located to the same side of the sample in an epi-illumination mode.

14. The ultra-high NA Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 1,

wherein the lens is configured to receive light reflected from the sample, and

wherein the variable illuminator and the lens optical element are located to the same side of the sample in an epi-illumination mode.

15. The ultra-high NA Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 1, wherein adjacent overlapping regions of the plurality of overlapping regions have an overlapping area of at least about 20% to 90% of the area of one of the overlapping regions.

16. The ultra-high NA Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 1, wherein adjacent overlapping regions of the plurality of overlapping regions have an overlapping area of at least about 70% of the area of one of the overlapping regions.

17. The ultra-high NA Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 1, wherein adjacent overlapping regions of the plurality of overlapping regions have an overlapping area of at least about 75% of the area of one of the overlapping regions.

18. The ultra-high NA Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 1, wherein adjacent overlapping regions of the plurality of overlapping regions have an overlapping area of at least about 2% and 99.5% of the area of one of the overlapping regions.

20. The reflective-mode Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 19, further comprising a processor configured to generate an image with a higher resolution than a resolution of the intensity images by iteratively updating the overlapping regions in the Fourier domain with intensity image measurements.

21. The reflective-mode Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 19, wherein the filtering optical element is a lens configured to filter light by passing light received within its acceptance angle.

22. The reflective-mode Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 19, wherein the variable illuminator comprises a first set of circular rings of light elements centered about a central axis of the filtering optical element.

23. The reflective-mode Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 22,

wherein the optical system further comprises a beam splitter placed at a 45 degree angle and behind the filtering optical element, and configured to pass about half the incident light and reflect about half the incident light, and

wherein the variable illuminator further comprises a second set of circular rings of light elements located to provide illumination reflected by the beam splitter and through the filtering optical element to the sample.

24. The reflective-mode Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 19,

wherein the optical system further comprises a beam splitter placed at a 45 degree angle behind the filtering optical element;

wherein the filtering optical element is configured to filter light issued from the sample; and

wherein the beam splitter is configured to receive light filtered by the filtering optical element and passes half the filtered light to the radiation detector.

25. The reflective-mode Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 19,

wherein the optical system further comprises a secondary lens;

and

wherein the secondary lens is configured to receive illumination at a plurality of incidence angles from the variable illuminator and passes the illumination to the beam splitter,

wherein the beam splitter is configured to pass half the illumination to the sample through the filtering optical element.

23-1. The reflective-mode Fourier ptychographic imaging system of claim 22,

wherein the optical system further comprises a beam splitter placed at a 45 degree angle and behind the filtering optical element, and configured to pass about half the incident light and reflect about half the incident light,

wherein the variable illuminator further comprises a second set of circular rings of light elements located to provide illumination reflected by the beam splitter and through the filtering optical element to the sample.