Upper immersed microsphere lens group and system and method for realizing super-resolution optical microscopic imaging under large field of view

Abstract

The invention discloses a method and a system for realizing super-resolution optical microscopic imaging in a large field of view based on an upper immersed microsphere lens group. The upper immersedmicrosphere lens group (microlens group for short) is formed by immersing a high-refraction-coefficient microsphere in a low-refraction-coefficient transparent medium and superposing a microlens on the high-refraction-coefficient microsphere. By selecting a proper curvature of the upper superposed microlens, the focal point of the microlens group is close to the surface of the microsphere, so thatnear-field evanescent waves containing high-frequency information on the surface of a sample can be converted into propagation waves and the propagation waves are amplified into a virtual image whichcan be distinguished by a far-field microscope through the microlens group when the microsphere is fully close to the surface of the sample, thereby realizing super-resolution optical microscopic imaging breaking through diffraction limit. According to the imaging method, microspheres with large sizes can be used, so that super-resolution optical microscopic imaging under a large field of view can be realized. The method and the system provided by the invention can be suitable for super-resolution microscopic imaging in the air or a liquid medium.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to an optical imaging system and method, in particular to a method and system for realizing super-resolution optical microscopic imaging under a large field of view by an upper-immersion microsphere lens group. Background technique [0002] At the end of the 19th century, the German scientist Ernst Abbe defined the resolution of the optical microscope, thinking that the resolution limit of the optical microscope is half of the wavelength of light, that is, about 0.2 microns, which is the famous optical diffraction limit. According to the Rayleigh criterion, the resolution of an optical microscope can be determined by the following formula: r=0.61λ / NA; λ is the wavelength of the light wave; NA is the numerical aperture of the objective lens. For most of the 20th century, scientists believed that optical microscopy would never break beyond the diffraction limit. To achieve higher resolution, scientists have had to rely on more comp...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

This method uses larger-sized microspheres to increase the field of view, but it must be used in liquid or solid media, which is very inconvenient, and this method can only be imaged at a fixed position, and does not have the ability to image at any position and in a large range

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