Microscope Wavefront Measurement Using Large-Spacing Lens Array
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current microscopes based on the Hartmann-Shack principle face limitations in spatial and angular resolution due to the size and spacing of microlenses, which restrict the measurement of wavefront variations and 3D image resolution, especially in biological samples, and are complex and unstable compared to interferential methods.
Innovation Solution
A microscope with an ordered two-dimensional arrangement of lenses having a large spacing (around 1000 μm) and small relative aperture (around f#6), allowing for improved spatial and angular sampling, enabling higher resolution measurements of wavefront variations and 3D images with a compact and simplified design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If microlenses with small size and close spacing are used in Hartmann-Shack microscopes, then spatial resolution is improved, but angular resolution deteriorates due to diffraction spot size limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the key parameters of the lens array: using larger lenses (100-500 μm diameter) with larger spacing (50-200 μm between lenses) compared to traditional Hartmann-Shack microlenses. This parameter change allows the diffraction spot to be properly sampled by detector pixels while maintaining both spatial and angular resolution, resolving the contradiction between the two measurement precisions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a computational dimension by using algorithms to reconstruct the wavefront from the intensity measurements taken by the detector array. This computational approach allows accurate wavefront reconstruction without requiring direct measurement of the diffraction spot position, thereby maintaining angular resolution while achieving high spatial resolution through the optimized lens array geometry
2Manufacturing precision
If the number of microlenses is increased to optimize Hartmann-Shack sensor, then spatial resolution is improved, but device complexity increases due to minimum size and spacing constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses larger lens diameters (100-500 μm) and larger spacing (50-200 μm) between lenses, which relaxes the manufacturing constraints and allows for simpler fabrication processes. The larger dimensions make the lens array easier to manufacture with standard techniques while achieving the desired spatial resolution, thereby reducing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the lens array configuration locally by carefully selecting the spacing and size parameters to match the detector pixel dimensions. This local optimization ensures that each lens-subtended-region contributes maximally to the measurement quality without requiring excessive numbers of lenses, thus reducing overall device complexity while maintaining high spatial resolution
3Measurement precision
If interferential detection methods are used for wavefront reconstruction, then measurement capability is improved, but system stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the interferential detection mechanism with a direct intensity measurement approach using a lens array and detector. Instead of using complex interferometry to measure wavefront phase, the system uses geometric optics to map angular information to spatial positions on the detector, which are then reconstructed computationally. This substitution eliminates the stability issues inherent in interferential methods while maintaining measurement capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a computational entity as an intermediary between the optical measurement and the final wavefront reconstruction. The detector array captures intensity patterns through the lens array, and the computational entity processes these patterns to reconstruct the wavefront. This intermediary computational step provides stability by decoupling the optical measurement from the phase reconstruction, avoiding the direct interferential measurement path that suffers from stability issues
4Measurement precision
If lens spacing is increased to improve angular sampling, then angular resolution is improved, but spatial resolution deteriorates due to reduced sampling density
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the lens spacing parameter (50-200 μm) to achieve a balance between angular and spatial resolution. The spacing is chosen to be large enough to provide good angular sampling (each lens subtends a sufficiently large angle) but small enough to maintain adequate spatial sampling density across the field of view. This optimized parameter selection resolves the contradiction by finding the optimal middle ground
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs computational reconstruction algorithms that dynamically adjust the interpretation of the measured intensity patterns based on the known lens array geometry. The computational entity uses the specific spacing and size parameters of the lenses to accurately reconstruct both spatial and angular information from the intensity measurements, allowing the system to achieve high resolution in both domains through adaptive computational processing rather than fixed optical constraints
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The new microscope achieves significantly improved spatial resolution by three orders of magnitude and increased angular sampling capabilities, surpassing Hartmann-Shack technology, while being more stable and simpler than interferential methods, allowing for higher resolution measurements of wavefront variations and 3D images.
Implementation Method 1
an ordered two-dimensional arrangement of lenses located at the aperture diaphragm of said microscope objective lens or at the location of an intermediate image thereof
Implementation Method 2
an image sensor formed by a plurality of photodetector elements, located at a capture space on the focal plane of the ordered two-dimensional arrangement of lenses, to receive said light scattered by the sample subsequent to crossing said microscope objective lens and said ordered two-dimensional arrangement of lenses, and to acquire spatial information and angular information of the object wavefront
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a microscope for quantitative measurements of the wavefront, comprising:means for the illumination of a sample (T);an objective lens (2);an ordered two-dimensional arrangement of lenses (3), with a spacing pμ greater than 500 μm and a relative aperture of less than 10;an image sensor (4) located in a capture space (Ec) to receive the light scattered by the sample (T), and to acquire spatial and angular information on the object wavefront associated therewith; anda computational entity to perform a computational reconstruction of the object wavefront from the spatial and angular information.Other aspects of the invention relate to a method, a computer program and a product incorporating the same, adapted for the performance of the functions of the computational entity of the microscope, as well as to a module and a kit for a microscope.