A new analysis for extending the measurement range of the retardation-modulated differential interference contrast (RM-DIC) microscope

While considering measurements of grating-type samples with the retardation-modulated differential interference contrast (RM-DIC) microscope, we found a problem of phase objects. The problem is that smaller measured values than the actual phase distribution are obtained when phase objects are beyond the weak phase approximation range. We analyze the image characteristics of phase objects and show that the problem is caused by the effect of an image component which is proportional to the square of the phase distribution.To overcome this disadvantage, we propose a new analysis method named self phase-correction (SPC). The SPC method corrects the phase distribution of the first order approximation under the weak phase condition and obtains the actual phase distribution of an object’s phase beyond the weak phase approximation range. We propose a two-image SPC method and a three-image SPC method for the RM-DIC microscope, and examine the suitability of these methods.We confirm that the three-image SPC method effectively overcomes the problem, and that the measurement range of the RM-DIC microscope can thus be extended to a half-wavelength phase difference.