Label-free biomolecular imaging using scanning spectral interferometry

This letter presents a label-free biomolecular imaging technique based on white-light interferometry and spectral detection. The method measures thickness changes caused by specific binding between biomolecules to detect the presence of certain analyte. A spectrum-shifting algorithm is developed to resolve the thickness information from the spectrum. The axial resolution of the experimental instrument can reach ~1 nm, thereby enabling detection of trace amounts （-1 ng/mm2） of proteins or DNA. This letter also presents two experiments to prove the feasibility of the method for detecting proteins and DNA without fluorescent labeling.     

Passive millimeter wave imaging system with tilt scanning

A model of a passive 3-mm range radioimaging system with tilt scanning was designed and built to detect potentially dangerous items hidden under clothing. The basic elements and characteristics of the system are described. Obtained radio images are shown.     

Visualization and interferometry for cylindrical and spherical sample tomography and profilometry

A technique combining image processing and laser interferometry for visualizing and detecting the deformation of transparent cylindrical and spherical sample is proposed. This deformation includes geometric deformation such as volume transition in profilometry and physical deformation such as refractive index change in tomography. Phase contour lines are used for quantitative analysis and graphical representation of the deformation. This method allows us to visually detect the spatial variation of the deformation field and to evaluate the test quality such as misalignment of optical system. A theoretical analysis using phase contour map to characterize the deformation field is described in detail. A method using phase contour map to qualify the interferometric test is proposed. Analysis of test examples is carried out. Suggestions on using phase contour line method to ameliorate test system design are finally discussed.     

Single-shot profilometry of rough surfaces using hyperspectral interferometry

The combination of white light interferometry with hyperspectral imaging ("hyperspectral interferometry") is a recently proposed technique for single-shot measurement of 3D surface profiles. We consider for the first time its application to speckled wavefronts from optically rough surfaces. The intensity versus wavenumber signal at each pixel provides unambiguous range information despite the speckle-induced random phase shifts. Experimental results with samples undergoing controlled rigid body translation demonstrate a measurement repeatability of 460 nm for a bandwidth of approximately 30 nm. Potential applications include roughness measurement and coordinate measurement machine probes where rapid data acquisition in noncooperative environments is essential.     

白光扫描干涉测量算法综述

白光扫描干涉测量是光学测量中一种非常重要的方法。在干涉仪的结构、光源的光谱宽度以及扫描步长一定的情况下,选择合适的算法对干涉信号进行处理能够达到更高的测量精度。对重心法、移相法、包络曲线拟合法以及空间频域算法分别加以介绍和比较,为白光干涉信号的算法选取提供了一份详尽的参考。     

Hilbert assisted wavelet transform method of optical fringe pattern phase reconstruction for optical profilometry and interferometry

A Hilbert assisted wavelet transform (HWT) method is presented for phase reconstruction of 3D profilometry and interferometry. A rigorous mathematical demonstration about this HWT method is given in this paper. An important conclusion that the phase of the optical fringe pattern is equal to the phase of its HWT coefficients on the ridge is theoretically clarified. The strict relation between the scale parameter and the phase gradient (also called the angular frequency) of the fringe pattern is also given. Computer simulations and experiments reveal the validity of the method and the correctness of the mathematical demonstration. Since the filtering process is avoided in this method, it can deal with the frequency overlapping problem to a certain extent. Applications of this method in both optical profilometry and interferometry are shown and discussed in the experiment section.     

干涉成像光谱技术的新发展

干涉成像光谱技术在航天遥感、资源普查和大气监测等方面有着重要作用。介绍了近几年出现的空间调制干涉成像光谱技术的原理、特点、具有代表性的方案及国外的发展现状，并和以往的成像光谱技术进行了比较，由于这种成像光谱仪没有运动部件并具有实时、稳定、高通量等优点，因此成为成像光谱技术的一个发展方向，具有非常广阔的发展前景。给出了我们的实验结果。     

High dynamic range imaging method for interferometry

We demonstrate a method to easily and quickly extend the dynamic range imaging capabilities of the camera in a typical interferometric approach. The camera dynamic range is usually low and limited to 256 gray levels. Also, it is well known that one may have over or under-exposed regions in the interferogram (due to non-uniform illumination) which makes these image regions not reliable. In our proposed method it is not necessary to obtain or use the non-linear camera response curve in order to extend the camera dynamic range. We obtain a sequence of differently exposed interferograms, typically five or six; after that, we compute the corresponding normalized fringe patterns and modulation maps using a typical normalization method. These normalized patterns are combined through a temporal weighted average using as weights the corresponding modulation maps. We show a set of experimental results that prove the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

MEMS profilometry by low coherence phase shifting interferometry: Effect of the light spectrum for high precision measurements

A white light interferometer can be used to measure profiles of a few nanometers and is therefore particularly well adapted for micro electro mechanical systems characterization. We present theoretical and experimental results on the profile precision as a function of the light source spectrum. We demonstrate that even if a broadband source is used in the phase shifting mode, the knowledge of the light spectrum allows to calculate a correction factor. This factor determines the local effective wavelength and can be used in order to increase the measurement precision of sample profiles.     

扫描型亚像元成像处理对热成像系统性能改善的模拟分析

基于光学微扫描的亚像元成像技术是当前国内外迅速发展的一种高性能成像技术,它对探测器单元数较少且探测器单元尺寸较大的热成像系统更为有效。以扫描型焦平面探测器热成像系统FC和GP为研究对象,采用热成像系统性能模拟软件包CFLIR4.0,分析了光学系统的相对孔径、过采样和亚像元成像等对热成像系统性能的影响,包括传递函数MTF、噪声等效温差NETD、最小可分辨温差MRTD以及系统的探测和识别距离。模拟分析表明:过采样成像可提高热成像系统的性能,亚像元成像处理可进一步提高热成像系统的性能,可明显地提高系统的作用距离。研究结果对亚像元热成像技术的发展具有参考意义。     

Multi-colour microscopic interferometry for optical metrology and imaging applications

Interferometry has been widely used for optical metrology and imaging applications because of their precision, reliability, and versatility. Although single-wavelength interferometery can provide high sensitivity and resolution, it has several drawbacks, namely, it fails to quantify large-discontinuities, large-deformations, and shape of unpolished surfaces. Multiple-wavelength techniques have been successfully used to overcome the drawbacks associated with single wavelength analysis. The use of colour CCD camera allows simultaneous acquisition of multiple interferograms. The advances in colour CCD cameras and image processing techniques have made the multi-colour interferometry a faster, simpler, and cost-effective tool for industrial applications. This article reviews the recent advances in multi-colour interferometric techniques and their demanding applications for characterization of micro-systems, non-destructive testing, and bio-imaging applications.     

Dynamic out-of-plane profilometry for nano-scale full-field characterization of MEMS using stroboscopic interferometry with novel signal deconvolution algorithm

A dynamic 3D nano-scale surface profilometer using stroboscopic white-light interferometry with novel signal deconvolution was developed to deliver dynamic surface profilometry with a measurement bandwidth of up to a MHz scale and a vertical resolution reaching 1 nm. Previous work using stroboscopic microscopic interferometry for dynamic characterization of micro-(opto)electromechanical systems (M(O)EMS) has been limited in measurement bandwidth of less than a few hundred kHz due to physical length limitation of stroboscopic light. For high-resonance mode analysis, the stroboscopic light pulse is too lengthy to capture the moving fringes from dynamic motion of the detected structure. In view of this need, a novel deconvolution algorithm using correction of the light response was developed for removing potential image blurs caused by the unavoidable vibration of the tested parts. With this advance in technology, the bandwidth of dynamic measurement can be significantly increased without sacrificing measurement accuracy. A microcantilever beam used in AFM was measured to verify the capability of the system in accurate characterization of dynamic behaviors of M(O)EMS.     

Application of least-square estimation in white-light scanning interferometry

White-light scanning interferometry (WLSI) is a powerful tool for investigating the profile of a test object that contains sharp steps. Due to the light source used in WLSI system, it is able to overcome phase ambiguity problem, which is often encountered in monochromatic interferometry. In this paper, a new algorithm based on least-square estimation using short-time Fourier transform (STFT) is proposed to measure the profile of a test object. STFT is used to extract the peak position of the coherence envelope of a white-light interference signal and retrieve the corresponding phase values simultaneously at first. A complex phasor (CP) method is introduced to further reduce the phase noise. Then, the phase values at several positions around are utilized to achieve a more accurate peak position based on least-square line fitting. Both simulated and experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is able to accurately measure the profile of a test object.     

Single-photon compressive imaging with some performance benefits over raster scanning

A single-photon imaging system based on compressed sensing has been developed to image objects under ultra-low illumination. With this system, we have successfully realized imaging at the single-photon level with a single-pixel avalanche photodiode without point-by-point raster scanning. From analysis of the signal-to-noise ratio in the measurement we find that our system has much higher sensitivity than conventional ones based on point-by-point raster scanning, while the measurement time is also reduced.     

Continuous wavelet transform for micro-component profile measurement using vertical scanning interferometry

White-light interferometric techniques have been widely used in three-dimensional (3D) profiling. This paper presents a new method based on vertical scanning interferometry (VSI) for the 3D profile measurement of a micro-component that contains sharp steps. The use of a white-light source in the system overcomes the phase ambiguity problem often encountered in monochromatic interferometry and also reduces speckle noises. A new algorithm based on the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) is used to retrieve the phase of an interferogram. The algorithm accurately determines local fringe peak and improves the vertical resolution of the measurement. The proposed method is highly resistant to noise and is able to achieve high accuracy. A micro-component (lamellar grating) fabricated by sacrificial etching technique is used as a test specimen to verify the proposed method. The measurement uncertainty of the experimental results is discussed.     

System of short-range passive radiovision with tilt conical scanning

A passive millimeter-wave imaging system has been developed for detecting potentially dangerous metal, plastic, and ceramic subjects hidden under clothes. This system makes it possible to obtain visualized radio-thermal images of subjects.     

Position-controlled marker formation by helium ion microscope for aligning a TEM tomographic tilt series

We formed nano-dots using a helium ion microscope (HIM) equipped with a gas injection system. Because of position controllability, the nano-dot markers could be placed efficiently on a specimen using the HIM. The sizes of the dots were controlled by changing the beam radiation time. We tried for the first time to form dots on a rod-shaped specimen to use them as markers for aligning a transmission electron microscope tomographic tilt series before reconstructing 3D images.     

Birefringence compensation for single-shot 3D profilometry using a full-Stokes imaging polarimeter

Optical Review - We demonstrate a single-shot uniaxial 3D profilometry system that illuminates a sample with a structured polarization pattern and measures the reflected full-Stokes polarimetric...     

Investigation of a dual-layer structure using vertical scanning interferometry

This paper proposes a method based on white light vertical scanning interferometry (VSI) to investigate a dual-layer structure. The optical arrangement is based on a modified Michelson interferometer that utilizes a reference beam and two object beams. Each object beam interferes with the reference beam and produces an interferogram. A series of interferograms are obtained on a dual-layer structure and the thickness of each layer is obtained. A continuous wavelet transform (CWT) is used to extract the envelope of each interferogram in order to determine the peak intensity that provides an indication of each layer's boundary. Tests are conducted on a semiconductor wafer and a micro-gear made of polymeric material deposited on a metal substrate. Results show that the proposed method has a good potential for investigating a dual-layer micro-structure.     

Profilometry of three-dimensional discontinuous solids by combining two-steps temporal phase unwrapping,co-phased profilometry and phase-shifting interferometry

In this work we review and combine two techniques that have been recently published for three-dimensional (3D) fringe projection profilometry and phase unwrapping, namely: co-phased profilometry and 2-steps temporal phase-unwrapping. By combining these two methods we get a more accurate, higher signal-to-noise 3D profilometer for discontinuous industrial objects. In single-camera single-projector (standard) profilometry, the camera and the projector must form an angle between them. The phase-sensitivity of the profilometer depends on this angle, so it cannot be avoided. This angle produces regions with self-occluding shadows and glare from the solid as viewed from the camera׳s perspective, making impossible the demodulation of the fringe-pattern there. In other words, the phase data is undefined at those shadow regions. As published recently, this limitation can be solved by using several co-phased fringe-projectors and a single camera. These co-phased projectors are positioned at different directions towards the object, and as a consequence most shadows are compensated. In addition to this, most industrial objects are highly discontinuous, which precludes the use of spatial phase-unwrappers. One way to avoid spatial unwrapping is to decrease the phase-sensitivity to a point where the demodulated phase is bounded to one lambda, so the need for phase-unwrapping disappears. By doing this, however, the recovered non-wrapped phase contains too much harmonic distortion and noise. Using our recently proposed two-step temporal phase-unwrapping technique, the high-sensitivity phase is unwrapped using the low-frequency one as initial gross estimation. This two-step unwrapping technique solves the 3D object discontinuities while keeping the accuracy of the high-frequency profilometry data. In scientific research, new art are derived as logical and consistent result of previous efforts in the same direction. Here we present a new 3D-profilometer combining these two recently published methods: co-phased profilometry and two-steps temporal phase-unwrapping. By doing this, we obtain a new and more powerful 3D profilometry technique which overcomes the two main limitations of previous fringe-projection profilometers namely: high phase-sensitivity digitalization of discontinuous objects and solid׳s self-generated shadow minimization. This new 3D profilometer is demonstrated by an experiment digitizing a discontinuous 3D industrial-solid where the advantages of this new profilometer with respect to previous art are clearly shown.