Adaptive Scanning Optical Microscope (ASOM): large field of view and high resolution imaging using a MEMS deformable mirror

For a wide range of applications in biology, medicine, and manufacturing, the small field of view associated with high-resolution microscope systems poses a significant challenge in practice. To address this limitation, a novel optical microscope uses a micromachined MEMS deformable mirror working with a specially designed scan lens to achieve a two-order-of-magnitude increase in the field of view area. Called the adaptive scanning optical microscope ASOM, the deformable mirror in the ASOM is an integral component of the optical system and the static glass optical elements are specifically designed to match the shape correcting capabilities of the deformable mirror itself. After describing the design and operating principle of the ASOM, experimental results from a low-cost prototype are presented. It is shown how an image-based optimization method can be used to first calibrate the electrical voltages to the MEMS deformable mirror. And once calibrated, we show how the deformable mirror can be used in an open loop control approach for very fast operation during run time. The methods for calibration of a MEMS deformable mirror and basic control structures demonstrated form the basis for a range of emerging adaptive-opticsenabled technologies and instrumentation.