Super-resolution microscope objective, method of manufacture and super-resolution microscopy device

Abstract

The application provides a super-resolution microscopic objective lens, a manufacturing method, a preparation method and a super-resolution microscopic device, a plano-convex lens is manufactured on a glass sheet in a controllable manner, then a microsphere is controllably positioned and fixed on the upper surface of the center position of the plano-convex lens through precise micro-control and heat / light curing, and is integrated with a sleeve and assembled to the objective lens to form a microsphere-assisted super-resolution microscopic objective lens, the super-resolution microscopic objective lens provided by the application does not contact the sample by adding water or oil above the glass sheet, and there is no potential pollution or influence, compared with other methods of directly placing the microsphere on a plane or a flat plate, the application places the microsphere on the plano-convex lens, which can effectively avoid the problem that the microsphere cannot be imaged when other parts of the objective lens first contact the sample in microsphere-assisted imaging, meanwhile, the plano-convex lens can be adjusted as required, and the imaging effect of the plano-convex lens on the microsphere has a certain enhancement effect. In addition, the manufacturing method is simple, controllable, easy to operate and realize, and can improve the performance of a conventional optical microscope at low cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of optical microscope objectives, and in particular to a super-resolution microscope objective, its fabrication method, and a super-resolution microscope device. Background Technology

[0002] Due to the Abbe diffraction limit, the resolution of traditional optical microscopes is approximately half the wavelength. This prevents them from imaging objects smaller than the diffraction limit. With continuous technological advancements, various methods / techniques have emerged to overcome the diffraction limit. Among these, microsphere-assisted super-resolution imaging is a relatively simple and readily available approach. It achieves super-resolution imaging by combining a conventional optical microscope with a microsphere lens, offering advantages such as label-free operation, low cost, fast imaging speed, and easy integration and assembly. To date, this method has been widely applied in fields such as biology, chemistry, materials science, and medicine, achieving significant results and becoming a crucial driving force for the development of super-resolution imaging-related fields.

[0003] In the field of microsphere-assisted super-resolution imaging, combining high numerical aperture objectives such as water immersion or oil immersion objectives with microspheres can enable microscopic imaging systems to achieve greater resolution and magnification. However, the use of water immersion or oil immersion objectives, especially for systems using reflection imaging modes, requires the addition of water or oil to the sample, which inevitably causes potential contamination and impact on the sample. In addition, due to the small size of microspheres, their imaging working distance is within the range of hundreds of nanometers. Existing microsphere-objective integration methods directly fix the microsphere to the glass front mirror of the objective. In actual imaging, factors such as sample surface roughness and the difficulty in aligning the sample surface or the objective glass front mirror surface with an ideal horizontal plane can cause other parts of the objective to contact the sample first, preventing the microsphere from reaching its effective imaging distance and thus hindering the achievement of super-resolution imaging. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a super-resolution microscope objective, its fabrication method, and a super-resolution microscope device that can achieve real-time and rapid super-resolution imaging of objects at the sub-diffraction limit scale, addressing the shortcomings of existing objectives in assisting super-resolution imaging.

[0005] To solve the above problems, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] One of the objectives of this application is to provide a method for fabricating a super-resolution microscope objective, comprising the following steps:

[0007] Fabricating plano-convex lenses on glass slides;

[0008] The transparent polymer droplet is transferred to the center of the plano-convex lens;

[0009] The microspheres were fixed to the transparent polymer droplets;

[0010] The super-resolution microscope objective is obtained by fixing the glass slide with the microspheres attached to it.

[0011] In some embodiments, the step of fabricating a plano-convex lens on a glass plate specifically includes the following steps:

[0012] A glass plate is provided, and a nylon sheet with a central opening is placed on the glass plate;

[0013] A transparent polymer droplet is transferred into the central hole of the nylon sheet, which naturally lays flat to form a plano-convex lens.

[0014] The glass sheet is thermosetting to form a solid plano-convex lens.

[0015] In some embodiments, the step of transferring a transparent polymer droplet into the central hole of the nylon sheet to naturally lay it flat to form a plano-convex lens specifically includes the following steps:

[0016] A transparent polymer is adsorbed using an adsorption element with a fine tip and transferred into the central hole of the nylon sheet, which is then laid flat to form a plano-convex lens. The adsorption element includes an acupuncture needle, an AFM probe, or a semi-conical optical fiber, and the transparent polymer includes polydimethylsiloxane, polymethyl methacrylate, or UV-curable adhesive.

[0017] In some embodiments, the step of thermosetting the glass sheet to form a solid plano-convex lens specifically includes the following steps:

[0018] The glass sheet is placed in a dryer and thermo-cured to form a solid plano-convex lens. The curing temperature is 40℃-100℃ and the curing time is 20 minutes to 3 hours.

[0019] In some embodiments, the thickness and radius of curvature of the plano-convex lens are controlled by controlling the amount of the transparent polymer and the size of the central hole of the nylon sheet.

[0020] In some embodiments, the step of transferring the transparent polymer droplet to the center of the plano-convex lens specifically includes the following steps:

[0021] Obtain two semi-conical optical fibers;

[0022] A small amount of transparent polymer droplet is dropped onto a section of a semi-conical optical fiber, allowing it to slide from the conical transition region to the conical waist region under the action of gravity. The transparent polymer droplet attached to the conical waist region of the conical optical fiber forms a tiny spindle-shaped droplet under the action of solid-liquid interfacial tension.

[0023] The semi-conical optical fiber with the attached spindle-shaped droplets is fixed to a three-dimensional displacement stage.

[0024] One or more spindle-shaped droplets are transferred to the tip of a semi-conical optical fiber fixed to another section of the three-dimensional displacement stage by adsorption and transfer, forming a single micro-droplet.

[0025] The tiny droplets are transferred to the center of the plano-convex lens using the three-dimensional displacement stage.

[0026] In some embodiments, the step of obtaining two semi-conical optical fibers specifically includes the following steps:

[0027] One end of a single-mode fiber with a section of coating stripped is fixed to an optical connector, and the other end is fixed to a three-dimensional displacement stage. The bare fiber with the coating stripped is heated, and the displacement stage knob is rotated to stretch the fiber and form a tapered fiber. The fiber is stretched further by the displacement stage until it breaks to obtain two semi-tapered fiber sections. The heating can be done using a butane torch, an arc lighter, an alcohol lamp, or a carbon dioxide laser.

[0028] In some embodiments, the step of fixing the microspheres to the transparent polymer droplets specifically includes the following steps:

[0029] A suspension containing microspheres is dropped onto a glass slide, then dried and heated to evaporate the liquid, leaving the microspheres. The microspheres include hemispheres, spherical notches, spherical caps, and deformed microspheres. The material of the microspheres is a high refractive index material, including barium titanate glass, chalcogenide glass, or tellurate glass.

[0030] Obtain a section of optical fiber, strip the coating layer from a section of the fiber at its end, fix the section of optical fiber onto the glass slide and make the bare optical fiber with the stripped coating extend beyond the outer boundary of the glass slide, and then fix the glass slide onto a three-dimensional displacement stage.

[0031] The three-dimensional displacement stage is manipulated to bring the tip of the bare optical fiber into contact with a single microsphere, and the microsphere is adsorbed onto the tip of the bare optical fiber.

[0032] Place the glass slide with the plano-convex lens under the field of view, manipulate the three-dimensional displacement stage to position and transfer the microsphere onto the transparent polymer droplet;

[0033] The glass plate containing the plano-convex lens and the microsphere is cured, thereby fixing the microsphere to the transparent polymer droplet.

[0034] In some embodiments, during the step of manipulating the three-dimensional displacement stage to bring the tip of the bare optical fiber into contact with a single microsphere, the microsphere being adsorbed onto the tip of the bare optical fiber, the size of the microsphere is from a few micrometers to tens of micrometers.

[0035] In some embodiments, the step of curing the glass sheet with the plano-convex lens and the microsphere to fix the microsphere to the transparent polymer droplet specifically includes: placing the glass sheet with the plano-convex lens and the microsphere under ultraviolet light for curing to fix the microsphere to the transparent polymer droplet, wherein the irradiation time is 10-60 minutes and the irradiation power of the ultraviolet lamp is in the range of 30W-100W.

[0036] In some embodiments, the step of fixing the glass slide with the microspheres fixed to the objective lens to obtain the super-resolution microscope objective specifically includes the following steps:

[0037] A sleeve is provided, the sleeve including a fixed part and a rotating part. The fixed part is nested and fixed on the objective lens. The rotating part is sleeved on the fixed part and can rotate around the fixed part. The rotating part includes a ring fixedly connected to a hollow cylinder. The inner wall of the hollow cylinder is provided with threads. By rotating the threads, the rotating part can be adjusted to move up and down along the fixed part.

[0038] The glass slide with the microspheres fixed is fixed to the ring and heated to solidify. Then, the fixed part of the sleeve is fixed to the objective lens. The rotating part of the sleeve containing the ring is then fixed to the fixed part of the sleeve. That is, the sleeve, including the glass slide with the microspheres, is fixed to the objective lens to obtain the super-resolution microscope objective lens.

[0039] In some embodiments, the rotating portion further includes a support column, which is fixedly connected to the ring and the hollow cylinder.

[0040] In some embodiments, the steps of fixing the glass slide with the microspheres attached to the ring and heating and curing it, and fixing the glass slide with the microspheres to the objective lens to obtain the super-resolution microscope objective, specifically include the following steps:

[0041] A small amount of gelatinous material is drawn up with a pipette and applied to the ring. A glass slide with the microspheres fixed on it is placed on the ring and placed in a dryer for heating and curing, so that the glass slide is fixed to the sleeve to obtain the super-resolution microscope objective.

[0042] In some embodiments, the objective lens includes a water immersion objective lens or an oil immersion objective lens.

[0043] The second objective of this application is to provide a super-resolution microscope objective, which is prepared by the aforementioned preparation method.

[0044] The third objective of this application is to provide a super-resolution microscopy device, including the super-resolution microscopy objective.

[0045] The present application adopts the above technical solution, and its beneficial effects are as follows:

[0046] The super-resolution microscope objective, fabrication method, preparation method, and super-resolution microscope device provided in this application utilize a controllable fabrication method to create a plano-convex lens on a glass slide. Then, through precise micromanipulation and thermal / photocuring, a microsphere is controllably positioned and fixed on the upper surface of the plano-convex lens at its center. This microsphere is then integrated with a sleeve and assembled onto the objective, forming a microsphere-assisted super-resolution microscope objective. With this super-resolution microscope objective, adding water or oil above the glass slide will not contact the sample, eliminating potential contamination or interference. Compared to other methods that directly place the microsphere on a plane or plate, this application places the microsphere on the plano-convex lens, effectively preventing other parts of the objective from contacting the sample first during microsphere-assisted imaging, thus avoiding the problem of the microsphere failing to achieve imaging. Furthermore, the plano-convex lens can be adjusted as needed, and it enhances the imaging effect of the microsphere. In addition, the above fabrication method is simple, controllable, easy to operate and implement, and can improve the performance of conventional optical microscopes at a low cost. Attached Figure Description

[0047] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments of this application or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0048] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating the steps of a method for fabricating a super-resolution microscope objective according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating the process of fabricating a plano-convex lens on a glass slide according to an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating the process of obtaining two semi-conical optical fibers according to an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating the process of transferring UV-curable adhesive to a plano-convex lens according to an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 5This is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of fixing microspheres to the transparent polymer droplet according to an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 6 This is a top view of a plano-convex lens after placing microspheres, according to an embodiment of this application.

[0054] Figure 7 A side view (left) and a side view (right) of a polydimethylsiloxane plano-convex lens after placing the microspheres, provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0055] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a sleeve provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0056] Figure 9 A product drawing of a sleeve provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0057] Figure 10 This diagram illustrates the fabrication process of fixing a glass slide with the microspheres attached to an objective lens to obtain the super-resolution microscope objective lens, as provided in one embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0058] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.

[0059] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0060] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0061] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0062] Please see Figure 1The flowchart of the method for fabricating a super-resolution microscope objective provided in this application includes the following steps S110 to S140. The implementation of each step is described in detail below.

[0063] Step S110: Prepare a plano-convex lens on a glass plate.

[0064] In this embodiment, the flowchart for fabricating a plano-convex lens on a glass plate is provided, specifically including the following steps S111 to S113. The implementation of each step is described in detail below.

[0065] Step S111: Provide a glass sheet and place a nylon sheet with a central opening on the glass sheet.

[0066] In this embodiment, the glass sheet provided can be replaced by other processable hard transparent materials, such as plexiglass.

[0067] Step S112: Transfer the transparent polymer droplet into the central hole of the nylon sheet, allowing it to naturally spread out to form a plano-convex lens.

[0068] Specifically, a transparent polymer 12 is adsorbed using an adsorption element 11 with a fine tip 13, and the transparent polymer 12 is transferred into the central hole of the nylon sheet, naturally flattened to form a plano-convex lens 16. The adsorption element includes an acupuncture needle, an AFM probe, or a semi-conical optical fiber, and the transparent polymer includes polydimethylsiloxane, polymethyl methacrylate, or UV-curable adhesive.

[0069] Please see Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the process of preparing a plano-convex lens on a glass slide according to an embodiment of this application, including: syringe 11; polydimethylsiloxane liquid 12; acupuncture needle 13; polydimethylsiloxane droplet 14; glass disk 15; and polydimethylsiloxane plano-convex lens 16.

[0070] Step S113: The glass sheet is thermosetting to form a solid plano-convex lens.

[0071] In this embodiment, the step of thermosetting the glass sheet to form a solid plano-convex lens specifically includes the following steps: placing the glass sheet in a dryer, thermosetting it to form a solid plano-convex lens, with a curing temperature of 40℃-100℃ and a curing time of 20 minutes to 3 hours.

[0072] It is understood that the thickness and radius of curvature of the plano-convex lens can be controlled by controlling the amount of the transparent polymer and the size of the central hole of the nylon sheet. The process is controllable and the technology is simple.

[0073] Step S120: Transfer the transparent polymer droplet to the center of the plano-convex lens.

[0074] In this embodiment, the step of transferring the transparent polymer droplet to the center position of the plano-convex lens specifically includes the following steps S121 to S125, and the implementation of each step is described in detail below.

[0075] Step S121: Obtain two semi-conical optical fibers.

[0076] In this embodiment, the steps of obtaining two semi-conical optical fibers specifically include the following steps:

[0077] One end of a single-mode fiber with a section of coating stripped is fixed to an optical connector, and the other end is fixed to a three-dimensional displacement stage. The bare fiber with the coating stripped is heated, and the displacement stage knob is rotated to stretch the fiber and form a tapered fiber. The fiber is stretched further by the displacement stage until it breaks to obtain two semi-tapered fiber sections. The heating can be done using a butane torch, an arc lighter, an alcohol lamp, or a carbon dioxide laser.

[0078] Furthermore, the optical fiber in this embodiment can be glass optical fiber, plastic optical fiber, special glass optical fiber, etc.

[0079] Please see Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of obtaining two semi-conical optical fibers according to one embodiment, including a fixing screw 1, an optical fiber support rod 2, an optical fiber clamp 3, a single-mode optical fiber 4, a bare optical fiber 5, an optical fiber clamp 6, a three-dimensional displacement stage 7, a butane torch 8, a stretched conical optical fiber 9, and a broken semi-conical optical fiber 10. Detailed steps can be found in the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0080] Step S122: A small amount of transparent polymer droplet is dropped onto one of the semi-conical optical fibers, allowing it to slide from the conical transition region to the waist region under the action of gravity. The transparent polymer droplet attached to the waist region of the conical optical fiber forms a tiny spindle-shaped droplet under the action of solid-liquid interfacial tension.

[0081] Step S123: Fix the semi-conical optical fiber with the attached spindle-shaped droplets onto the three-dimensional displacement stage.

[0082] Step S124: Transfer one or more spindle-shaped droplets to the tip of a semi-conical optical fiber fixed on another section of the three-dimensional displacement stage by adsorption transfer, forming a single micro-droplet.

[0083] Step S125: Transfer the tiny droplet to the center position of the plano-convex lens using the three-dimensional displacement stage.

[0084] Please see Figure 4This is a diagram illustrating the process of transferring UV-curable adhesive to a plano-convex lens according to an embodiment of this application. The components include: glass slide 17; UV-curable liquid adhesive 18; spindle-shaped droplet 19; UV-curable liquid adhesive droplet 20; and UV-curable liquid adhesive film 21. Detailed steps are described above and will not be repeated here.

[0085] It should be noted that the clamp used to fix the optical fiber in this embodiment can also be replaced by other screws or clamps with fixing functions. The device used to stretch the optical fiber is not limited to optical brackets or displacement stages; other systems or devices with stretching functions are also acceptable.

[0086] Step S130: Fix the microspheres to the transparent polymer droplets.

[0087] In this embodiment, the step of fixing the microspheres to the transparent polymer droplet specifically includes the following steps S131 to S135:

[0088] Step S131: The suspension containing microspheres is dropped onto a glass slide, then dried and heated to evaporate the liquid, leaving the microspheres. The microspheres include hemispheres, spherical notches, spherical caps, and deformed microspheres. The material of the microspheres is a high refractive index material, including barium titanate glass, chalcogenide glass, or tellurate glass.

[0089] Step S132: Obtain a section of optical fiber, strip the coating layer from a section of the optical fiber at its end, fix the section of optical fiber to the glass slide and make the bare optical fiber with the coating stripped extend beyond the outer boundary of the glass slide, and then fix the glass slide to the three-dimensional displacement stage.

[0090] Step S133: Manipulate the three-dimensional displacement stage to bring the tip of the bare optical fiber into contact with a single microsphere, and the microsphere will be adsorbed onto the tip of the bare optical fiber.

[0091] In this embodiment, the size of the microspheres ranges from a few micrometers to tens of micrometers.

[0092] Step S134: Place the glass slide with the plano-convex lens under the field of view, manipulate the three-dimensional displacement stage to position and transfer the microsphere onto the transparent polymer droplet.

[0093] Step S135: The glass sheet with the plano-convex lens and the microsphere is cured, so that the microsphere is fixed to the transparent polymer droplet.

[0094] In this embodiment, the step of curing the glass sheet with the plano-convex lens and the microsphere to fix the microsphere to the transparent polymer droplet specifically includes: placing the glass sheet with the plano-convex lens and the microsphere under ultraviolet light for curing to fix the microsphere to the transparent polymer droplet, wherein the irradiation time is 10-60 minutes and the irradiation power of the ultraviolet lamp is in the range of 30W-100W.

[0095] Please see Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the process of fixing microspheres to the transparent polymer droplet according to an embodiment of this application. The components are: single-mode optical fiber 4; bare optical fiber 5; glass disk 15; polydimethylsiloxane plano-convex lens 16; glass slide 17; UV-curable adhesive liquid film 21; and high refractive index microsphere 22. The detailed steps can be found in the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0096] Please see Figure 6 This is a top view of the plano-convex lens after the microspheres have been placed, as provided in this embodiment. The arrow points to the microspheres. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 7 The images show a side view (left) of the polydimethylsiloxane plano-convex lens and a side view (right) after the microspheres are placed, as indicated by the arrows.

[0097] Step S140: Fix the glass slide with the microspheres fixed on it onto the objective lens to obtain the super-resolution microscope objective lens.

[0098] In this embodiment, the step of fixing the glass slide with the microspheres fixed on it to the objective lens to obtain the super-resolution microscope objective lens specifically includes the following steps S141 to S142. The implementation of each step is described in detail below.

[0099] Step S141: Fix the glass slide with the microspheres fixed on it onto the ring 232 and heat it to solidify it. Fix the glass slide with the microspheres onto the objective lens to obtain the super-resolution microscope objective lens.

[0100] In this embodiment, the steps of fixing the glass slide with the microspheres fixed onto the ring and heating and curing it, and fixing the glass slide with the microspheres onto the objective lens to obtain the super-resolution microscope objective lens, specifically include the following steps: using a pipette to draw a small amount of adhesive material and apply it to the ring; placing the glass slide with the microspheres fixed onto the ring; and placing it in a dryer for heating and curing to fix the glass slide to the sleeve to obtain the super-resolution microscope objective lens.

[0101] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the adhesive material used to fix the glass sheet can be photoresist or other heat-curable adhesive materials.

[0102] Step S142: Provide a sleeve.

[0103] Please see Figures 8 to 9 The sleeve includes a fixed portion 26 and a rotating portion 23. The fixed portion 26 is nested and fixed to the objective lens 27. The rotating portion 23 is sleeved on the fixed portion 26 and can rotate around the fixed portion 26. The rotating portion 23 includes a hollow cylinder 231 and a ring 232 fixedly connected to the hollow cylinder 231. The inner wall of the hollow cylinder 231 is provided with threads. By rotating the threads, the rotating portion 23 can be adjusted to move up and down along the fixed portion 26. A glass slide with the microspheres fixed is fixed to the ring 232 and heated and cured. Then, the fixed portion 26 of the sleeve is fixed to the objective lens. Then, the rotating portion 23 of the sleeve containing the ring 232 is fixed to the fixed portion 26 of the sleeve. That is, the sleeve, including the glass slide with microspheres, is fixed to the objective lens to obtain the super-resolution microscope objective lens.

[0104] Furthermore, the rotating part 23 also includes a support column 233, which is fixedly connected to the ring 232 and the hollow cylinder 231.

[0105] In this embodiment, the Teflon material used to prepare the sleeve can be replaced with other high-temperature resistant and corrosion-resistant materials. The objective lens includes a water immersion objective lens or an oil immersion objective lens.

[0106] Please see Figure 10 This diagram illustrates the fabrication process of fixing a glass slide with the microspheres attached to an objective lens to obtain the super-resolution microscope objective lens, according to an embodiment of this application. The components include: rotating part 23; pipette 24; photoresist 25; fixing sleeve 26; and water immersion objective lens 27. Detailed steps can be found in the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0107] The super-resolution microscope objectives, fabrication methods, preparation methods, and super-resolution microscope devices provided in the above embodiments of this application utilize a controllable fabrication method to create a plano-convex lens on a glass slide. Then, through precise micromanipulation and thermal / photocuring, a microsphere is controllably positioned and fixed on the upper surface of the plano-convex lens at its center, integrated with a sleeve, and assembled onto the objective lens to form a microsphere-assisted super-resolution microscope objective. With the super-resolution microscope objective provided in this application, adding water or oil above the glass slide will not contact the sample, eliminating potential contamination or interference. Compared to other methods that directly place the microsphere on a plane or plate, this application places the microsphere on the plano-convex lens, effectively preventing other parts of the objective lens from contacting the sample first during microsphere-assisted imaging, thus avoiding the problem of the microsphere failing to achieve imaging. Simultaneously, the plano-convex lens can be adjusted as needed, and it enhances the imaging effect of the microsphere. Furthermore, the above fabrication method is simple, controllable, easy to operate and implement, and can improve the performance of conventional optical microscopes at low cost.

[0108] It is understood that the technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0109] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application, and only specifically describe the technical principles of this application. These descriptions are only for explaining the principles of this application and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this application in any way. Based on this explanation, any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of this application, as well as other specific embodiments of this application that can be conceived by those skilled in the art without creative effort, should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A method for fabricating a super-resolution microscope objective, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Fabricating plano-convex lenses on glass slides; The transparent polymer droplet is transferred to the center of the plano-convex lens; The microspheres were fixed to the transparent polymer droplets; The super-resolution microscope objective is obtained by fixing the glass slide with the microspheres attached to it. The steps for fabricating a plano-convex lens on a glass slide specifically include the following: A glass plate is provided, and a nylon sheet with a central opening is placed on the glass plate; A transparent polymer droplet is transferred into the central hole of the nylon sheet, which naturally lays flat to form a plano-convex lens. The glass sheet is thermosetting to form a solid plano-convex lens; The step of fixing the glass slide with the microspheres attached to the objective lens to obtain the super-resolution microscope objective lens specifically includes the following steps: A sleeve is provided, the sleeve including a fixed part and a rotating part. The fixed part is nested and fixed on the objective lens. The rotating part is sleeved on the fixed part and can rotate around the fixed part. The rotating part includes a hollow cylinder and a ring fixedly connected to the hollow cylinder. The inner wall of the hollow cylinder is provided with threads. By rotating the threads, the rotating part can be adjusted to move up and down along the fixed part. A glass slide with the microspheres fixed on it is fixed to the ring and heated to solidify. Then, the fixing part of the sleeve is fixed to the objective lens. The rotating part of the sleeve containing the ring is then fixed to the fixing part of the sleeve. The sleeve, including the glass slide with the microspheres, is fixed to the objective lens to obtain the super-resolution microscope objective lens.

2. The method for fabricating a super-resolution microscope objective as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The step of transferring a transparent polymer droplet into the central hole of the nylon sheet to naturally lay it flat and form a plano-convex lens specifically includes the following steps: A transparent polymer is adsorbed using an adsorption element with a fine tip and transferred into the central hole of the nylon sheet, which is then laid flat to form a plano-convex lens. The adsorption element includes an acupuncture needle, an AFM probe, or a semi-conical optical fiber, and the transparent polymer includes polydimethylsiloxane or polymethyl methacrylate.

3. The method for fabricating a super-resolution microscope objective as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The step of thermosetting the glass sheet to form a solid plano-convex lens specifically includes the following steps: The glass sheet is placed in a dryer and thermo-cured to form a solid plano-convex lens. The curing temperature is 40℃-100℃ and the curing time is 20 minutes to 3 hours.

4. The method for fabricating a super-resolution microscope objective as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The thickness and radius of curvature of the plano-convex lens are controlled by controlling the amount of the transparent polymer and the size of the central hole of the nylon sheet.

5. The method for fabricating a super-resolution microscope objective as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The step of transferring the transparent polymer droplet to the center position of the plano-convex lens specifically includes the following steps: Obtain two semi-conical optical fibers; A small amount of transparent polymer droplet is dropped onto a section of a semi-conical optical fiber, allowing it to slide from the conical transition region to the conical waist region under the action of gravity. The transparent polymer droplet attached to the conical waist region of the conical optical fiber forms a tiny spindle-shaped droplet under the action of solid-liquid interfacial tension. The semi-conical optical fiber with the attached spindle-shaped droplets is fixed to a three-dimensional displacement stage. One or more spindle-shaped droplets are transferred to the tip of a semi-conical optical fiber fixed to another section of the three-dimensional displacement stage by adsorption and transfer, forming a single micro-droplet. The tiny droplets are transferred to the center of the plano-convex lens using the three-dimensional displacement stage.

6. The method for fabricating a super-resolution microscope objective as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The steps for obtaining two semi-conical optical fibers specifically include the following: One end of a single-mode fiber with a section of coating stripped is fixed to an optical connector, and the other end is fixed to a three-dimensional displacement stage. The bare fiber with the coating stripped is heated, and the displacement stage knob is rotated to stretch the fiber and form a tapered fiber. The fiber is stretched further by the displacement stage until it breaks to obtain two semi-tapered fiber sections. The heating can be done using a butane torch, an arc lighter, an alcohol lamp, or a carbon dioxide laser.

7. The method for fabricating a super-resolution microscope objective as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The step of fixing the microspheres to the transparent polymer droplet specifically includes the following steps: A suspension containing microspheres is dropped onto a glass slide, then dried and heated to evaporate the liquid, leaving the microspheres. The microspheres include hemispheres, spherical notches, spherical caps, and deformed microspheres. The material of the microspheres is a high refractive index material, including barium titanate glass, chalcogenide glass, or tellurate glass. Obtain a section of optical fiber, strip the coating layer from a section of the fiber at its end, fix the section of optical fiber onto the glass slide and make the bare optical fiber with the stripped coating extend beyond the outer boundary of the glass slide, and then fix the glass slide onto a three-dimensional displacement stage. The three-dimensional displacement stage is manipulated to bring the tip of the bare optical fiber into contact with a single microsphere, and the microsphere is adsorbed onto the tip of the bare optical fiber. Place the glass slide with the plano-convex lens under the field of view, manipulate the three-dimensional displacement stage to position and transfer the microsphere onto the transparent polymer droplet; The glass plate containing the plano-convex lens and the microsphere is cured, thereby fixing the microsphere to the transparent polymer droplet.

8. The method for fabricating a super-resolution microscope objective as described in claim 7, characterized in that, In the step of manipulating the three-dimensional displacement stage to bring the tip of the bare optical fiber into contact with a single microsphere, the microsphere being adsorbed onto the tip of the bare optical fiber, the size of the microsphere being several micrometers to tens of micrometers.

9. The method for fabricating a super-resolution microscope objective as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The step of curing the glass slide with the plano-convex lens and the microsphere to fix the microsphere to the transparent polymer droplet specifically includes: placing the glass slide with the plano-convex lens and the microsphere under ultraviolet light for curing to fix the microsphere to the transparent polymer droplet, wherein the irradiation time is 10-60 minutes and the irradiation power of the ultraviolet lamp is in the range of 30W-100W.

10. The method for fabricating a super-resolution microscope objective as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating part also includes a support column, which is fixedly connected to the ring and the hollow cylinder.

11. The method for fabricating a super-resolution microscope objective as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The steps of fixing the glass slide with the microspheres attached to the ring and heating and curing it, and then fixing the glass slide with the microspheres to the objective lens to obtain the super-resolution microscope objective lens, specifically include the following steps: A small amount of gelatinous material is drawn up with a pipette and applied to the ring. A glass slide with the microspheres fixed on it is placed on the ring and placed in a dryer for heating and curing, so that the glass slide is fixed to the sleeve to obtain the super-resolution microscope objective.

12. The method for fabricating a super-resolution microscope objective as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The objective lens includes a water immersion objective lens or an oil immersion objective lens.

13. A super-resolution microscope objective, characterized in that, The super-resolution microscope objective is prepared by the method described in any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. A super-resolution microscope device, characterized in that, Including the super-resolution microscope objective as described in claim 13.

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