Optimizing the optical field distribution of near-field SIL optical storage system using five-zone binary phase filters

Five-zone binary phase filters (FBPFs) are proposed for decreasing the spot size and/or increasing the focal depth of the near-field optical storage system with a hemisphere solid immersion lens (SIL). The design of filters is based on the vector diffraction theory and the MATLAB optimizing toolbox. Three FBPFs with rotationally symmetrical pupil function have been designed, where the one FBPF is for increasing the focal depth as big as possible, the second FBPF is for improving the resolution as high as possible, and the third FBPF integrate the increase of focal depth with the improvement of resolution. Numerical results show that compared with the three-zone amplitude filter, the designed five-zone binary phase-only filters have more prominent performances in improving the focal depth and the resolution of the near-field SIL optical storage system.     

三环位相型光瞳滤波器的横向超分辨与轴向焦深扩展

用矢量衍射方法分析了线偏振光入射到带有三环位相型光瞳滤波器的高数值孔径物镜时,焦点的轴向和横向光强分布.数值模拟结果表明,高数值孔径物镜聚焦时需同时考虑光强的轴向和横向分布.通过加入三环位相光瞳滤波器,在实现横向超分辨的同时实现了光学系统轴向焦深扩展和轴向光强分布平坦化,并且位相调制深度变化时,会出现轴向焦移现象.对三环位相光瞳滤波器结构进行了优化,得出了优化结果. 关键词： 光学超分辨 扩展焦深 位相型光瞳滤波器 矢量衍射方法     

Optimizing the optical field distribution of solid immersion lens system by a continuous phase filter

In solid immersion lens (SIL) microscopy systems with high numerical aperture (NA), there always exists the aberration produced by Fresnel effects at the interface between SIL and the sample. This aberration may cause the degradation of the image of sample. We design a continuous phase filter and optimize the optical field distribution of SIL system. The numerical results show that when the continuous phase filter is used, the field distribution of SIL system can be optimized, and the focal depth and intensity of transmitted light can be increased. At the same time, the intensity of side-lobe and the resolution are kept almost unchanged.     

Influences of phase shift on superresolution performances of annular filters

This paper investigates the influences of phase shift on superresolution performances of annular filters. Firstly, it investigates the influence of phase shift on axial superresolution. It proves theoretically that axial superresolution can not be obtained by two-zone phase filter with phase shift π, and it gets the phase shift with which axial superresolution can be brought by two-zone phase filter. Secondly, it studies the influence of phase shift on transverse superresolution. It finds that the three-zone phase filter with arbitrary phase shift has an almost equal optimal transverse gain to that of commonly used three-zone phase filter, but can produce a much higher axial superresolution gain. Thirdly, it investigates the influence of phase shift on three-dimensional superresolution. Three-dimensional superresolution capability and design margin of three-zone complex filter with arbitrary phase shift are obtained, which presents the theoretical basis for three-dimensional superresolution design. Finally, it investigates the influence of phase shift on focal shift. To obtain desired focal shifts, it designs a series of three-zone phase filters with different phase shifts. A spatial light modulator (SLM) is used to implement the designed filters. By regulating the voltage imposed on the SLM, an accurate focal shift control is obtained.     

Design and application of three-zone annular filters

We design three-zone annular filters to be applied to optical storage system. The designed filters extend the depth of focus and realize transverse superresolution simultaneously, which will improve the performance of optical storage system greatly. And we propose two feasible schemes to improve imaging resolution of three-dimensional imaging system. One scheme depends on a complex filter formed by cascading of a three-zone phase filter and a three-zone amplitude filter. The complex filter converge the optimized transverse superresolution and the optimized axial superresolution of two different filters onto a single filter. It can improve the three-dimensional imaging performances greatly. Another scheme depends on a single three-zone complex filter. We propose a three-zone complex filter with phase shift 0.8π, which presents bigger design margin, better imaging quality and stronger three-dimensional superresolution capability.     

The validity of high-pass angular spectrum filter in solid immersion lens system

应用矢量方法计算了具有高通角谱滤波器的固体浸没透镜（SIL）系统的焦场分布。数值结果显示，对于径向（角向）偏振输入光，高通角谱滤波器可以减小SIL系统的光斑（暗斑）大小。然而，对于线性偏振输入光，简单的高通角谱滤波器不能够优化SIL系统的光场分布，也不能够改进系统的光存储密度。     

非对称三区光瞳滤波器实现一维横向超分辨

基于严格的光学成像矢量衍射理论,以4倍缩小倍率的成像系统和x线偏振光照明为例,得到经光瞳滤波器调制的大数值孔径光学系统焦区横向场表达式.通过详细研究非对称三区复振幅型光瞳滤波器的内外环归一化半径、各环相位分布和第一层透过率t对y方向分辨率增益比Gty,斯特尔比Sy和第一旁瓣与主瓣相对强度Iry的影响.设计了一种非对称三区相位型光瞳滤波器,实现Gty=0.8345,Sy=0.4087,Iry=0.4923,使得y方向分辨率比没有加光瞳滤波器时提高了将近20%.     

Effect of binary phase plate on incident radially polarized hollow Gaussian beam

Effect of a pure binary phase filter on the three-dimensional light intensity distributions in focal region is theoretically investigated in this paper. The results show that the proposed binary phase filter may induce flat top profile with large depth of focus and reduced focal spot by properly adjusting the geometrical parameters of the binary phase filter of incident radially polarized hollow Gaussian beam (HGB) beam. On the other hand, the HGB beam benefits the most from the use of an annulus. Such kind of system is potentially useful for lithography, imaging, optical data storage, optical trapping, optical excitation of molecules, or coupling to optical fibers.     

Superresolution by three-zone pure phase plate with 0, π, 0 phase variation

Superresolution is very important in imaging and optical storage systems, and has attracted much attention. In this article, concentric three-zone phase plate with 0, π, 0 phase variation has been investigated numerically to show that this kind of phase plate can be used to obtain three-dimensional superresolution. In addition, the number of intensity maximum, focal depth, focal shift, full-width half-maximum, and relative intensity of side lobe are listed for different radii of the phase zones, which paves the way for design of the phase plate. Therefore, one can choose values of radii for desired intensity distribution in focal region, such as for the purpose of radial superresolution with high focal depth in optical storage.     

Transverse superresolution with extended depth of focus using binary phase filters for optical storage system

This paper reports the study of superresolution and extension of depth of focus (DOF) of three-zone binary phase filters (BPFs) under high numerical aperture (NA) focusing. Two three-zone BPFs (BPF1 and BPF2) are specially designed to achieve transverse superresolution and extension of DOF simultaneously for the optical disc system with an objective lens of NA = 0.65. Numerical simulations based on the vectorial diffraction theory indicate that the transverse focal spot size of this system can be as small as that of NA = 0.85 and its DOF is as large as that of NA = 0.6 with acceptable Strehl ratios (> 0.4 for BPF1 and > 0.35 for BPF2) and low side-lobe intensity ratios (< 10%) by using these BPFs. It suggests that the storage capacity of this optical storage system may be improved to the same as that of a system with an objective lens of NA = 0.85. Moreover, the strict requirement of the focusing servo system caused by decreasing wavelength or employing higher NA objective lens can be mitigated. Therefore, these BPFs presented in this paper should be highly interesting for applications of high density optical data storage.     

Toward the subdiffraction focusing limit of optical superresolution

A superresolving three-zone plate is applied to a Fresnel diffractive lens. It is shown that for radial incident polarization this combination produces a focal spot approaching superresolution allowed subdiffractive limit of 0.36lambda/NA for focusing. For media responsive to longitudinal field component only, our phase engineering scheme results in a focal spot size of 0.368lambda/NA. When used with a solid immersion lens, the scheme can generate the smallest focal spot available for passive optics.     

可调谐位相型光瞳滤波器的横向光学超分辨和轴向扩展焦深

为克服传统光瞳滤波器的缺点,实现系统光学超分辨性能的可调谐性,设计了一种新型可调谐的位相型光瞳滤波器.该光瞳滤波器包括两个λ/4波片和置于其间的λ/2波片,其中λ/2波片分为两个可作相对旋转的区域.研究结果表明,通过旋转λ/2波片的任意一区域不仅可以实现系统横向光学超分辨能力的可调性,而且可以在横向分辨能力提高的同时实现光学系统轴向焦深的扩展以及轴向焦移. 关键词： 光学超分辨 位相型光瞳滤波器 可调谐     

可调谐位相型光瞳滤波器的横向光学超分辨和轴向扩展焦深

为克服传统光瞳滤波器的缺点，实现系统光学超分辨性能的可调谐性，设计了一种新型可调谐的位相型光瞳滤波器.该光瞳滤波器包括两个λ/4波片和置于其间的λ/2波片，其中λ/2波片分为两个可作相对旋转的区域.研究结果表明，通过旋转λ/2波片的任意一区域不仅可以实现系统横向光学超分辨能力的可调性，而且可以在横向分辨能力提高的同时实现光学系统轴向焦深的扩展以及轴向焦移.     

Numerical analysis of an annular-aperture solid immersion lens

A physical model of an annular-aperture solid immersion lens (SIL) is proposed, and its attractive features are presented numerically with the finite-difference time-domain method. Placing an appropriate annular aperture in front of the SIL shows that the focal depth can evidently be improved, combining the virtues of the annular-aperture technique and the SIL technique. With this proposed method the rigorous distance control condition in related devices can be relaxed, preventing scratches or collisions between the optical head and the recording medium. Potentially, this technique could have great prospects for applications in optical data recording, lithography, and other applications that depend on immersion media to meet the resolution criteria across the image field.     

Laser-tweezer-controlled solid immersion microscopy in microfluidic systems

We describe the creation and implementation of a near-field scanning solid immersion microscope that is specifically tailored for use in microfluidic systems. The microscope comprises a newly fabricated Weierstrass solid immersion lens (SIL), which is detached from its substrate and is free floating in the fluid, and a laser optical tweezer, which serves both as a trapping beam for alignment and positioning of the SIL and as a near-field scanning beam that images the sample through the SIL. A discussion of the SIL's fabrication method is presented along with experimental results that demonstrate the effectiveness of our microscope design.     

Effect of fabrication errors on axial super-resolution property of a three-zone pupil filter

Two models have been established using the basic definitions of super-resolution characteristic parameters for normalized spot size G_A and Strehl ratio S_A, of a three-zone axial super-resolution pupil filter with fabrication errors, to quantitatively analyze the effect of these fabrication errors on the axial super-resolution property. These new models established to describe the analytic relationship of G_Ae and S_Ae of a pupil filter with its fabrication errors and its transmission function A(ρ), phase function φ(ρ) and structural parameters, directly relate the super-resolution parameters of a three-zone axial super-resolution pupil filter to its fabrication errors to make the quantitative analyses of the effect of fabrication errors easier, thereby providing a theoretical basis for the analysis, design and fabrication of a three-zone axial super-resolution pupil filter. The models established for G_Ae and S_Ae have been used to analyze the effect of the fabrication errors of a pupil filter on its super-resolution property, with a three-zone phase-only pupil filters as example.     

Designing superresolution optical pupil filter with constrained global optimization algorithm

In this paper, a new method for designing three-zone optical pupil filter is presented. The phase-only optical pupil filter and the amplitude-only optical pupil filters were designed. The first kind of pupil for optical data storage can increase the transverse resolution. The second kind of pupil filter can increase the axial and transverse resolution at the same time, which is applicable in three-dimension imaging in confocal microscopy.     

Realization of a subwavelength focused spot without a longitudinal field component in a solid immersion lens-based system

In a solid immersion lens (SIL)-based system, we predict theoretically that, by using the illumination of an azimuthally polarized beam with helical phase (APH), the subwavelength focusing can be simultaneously realized both in SIL and the third medium in spite of the presence of an air gap between the SIL and the third medium, which is not easily achieved in the case of the illumination of linearly, circularly, and radially polarized beams. For the APH illumination, the field in the focal region of the multilayered medium has no longitudinal component, and the on-axis intensity of the focused spot is nonzero. The APH illumination extends the capacity of SIL in realizing a supersmall focused spot, which is useful in microscopy, near-field optics, recording optics, and lithographic optics.     

Effect of fabrication errors on lateral super-resolution property of a three-zone pupil filter

Two models have been established using the basic definitions of super-resolution characteristic parameters for normalized spot size G_T and Strehl ratio S_T of a three-zone lateral super-resolution pupil filter with fabrication errors to quantitatively analyze the effect of these fabrication errors on the lateral super-resolution property. These new models established to describe the analytic relationship of G_Te and S_Te of a pupil filter with its fabrication errors and its transmission function A(ρ), phase function φ(ρ) and structural parameters directly relate the super-resolution parameters of a three-zone lateral super-resolution pupil filter to its fabrication errors to make the quantitative analyses of the effect of fabrication errors easier, thereby providing a theoretical basis for the analysis, design and fabrication of a three-zone lateral super-resolution pupil filter. The models established for G_Te and S_Te have been used to analyze the effect of the fabrication errors of a pupil filter on its super-resolution property with a three-zone phase-only pupil filter as an example.     

Transverse superresolution and focal shift with rotational tunable phase mask

This paper reports the imaging characteristics of an optical system can be modified by our designed polarization pupil mask. The novel rotational symmetric polarization pupil mask design based on combination of half-wave and quarter-wave plates is introduced for realizing the focal shift and extending focal depth of an optical system and the procedure for designing is presented. Numerical results show when an appropriate rotational symmetric polarization pupil mask is used as an apodizer in the optical imaging system, it not only can effectively achieve the continuously focal shift in a small range and extend focal depth of the optimized system, but also can evidently increase the transverse resolution of the optimized system at the genuine focal plane.