In microsystems applications from micro-assembly to biological observation and manipulation, the optical microscope remains one of the most important tools. However, it suffers from the well known trade-off between resolution and field of view. Traditional solutions involve moving the sample under the microscope using a moving stage or moving the microscope itself, and switching between low and high magnification objective lenses. In this paper, we present a new optical microscope design that uses a 2-dimensional high speed, high precision steering mirror system to scan the sample. By stitching the images together as a mosaic, we have the potential to achieve both high resolution and large field of view. Working in coordination with a deformable mirror, this arrangement offers certain advantages over the current state of the art in demanding spatial-temporal observations. We describe the theory of operation, our design methodology, and present a preliminary simulated design. A reduced functionality experimental prototype has been constructed to demonstrate the basic efficacy of the concept and we demonstrate with both biological and micro-assembly examples.
Design of an Adaptive Scanning Optical Microscope for Simultaneous Large Field of View and High Resolution
Abstract
Reference
B. Potsaid, Y. Bellouard, J.T. Wen
(2005).
Design of an Adaptive Scanning Optical Microscope for Simultaneous Large Field of View and High Resolution
IEEE Conference on Robotics and Automation, Barcelona, Spain, April 18-22, 2005.
Conference Articles