High-resolution fiber optic confocal microscope

Ilko K. Ilev; Ronald W. Waynant

doi:10.1117/12.424531

16 April 2001 High-resolution fiber optic confocal microscope

Ilko K. Ilev, Ronald W. Waynant

Proceedings Volume 4261, Three-Dimensional and Multidimensional Microscopy: Image Acquisition and Processing VIII; (2001) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.424531
Event: BiOS 2001 The International Symposium on Biomedical Optics, 2001, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

A novel design of a simple reflection confocal microscope with a multimode graded-index fiber output as an effective way for improving the dynamic range of the resolving power and achieving a submicron spatial resolution is presented. The basic idea for obtaining high spatial resolution involves the following advanced scheme properties. (1) It is an apertureless confocal arrangement in which the input laser emission with its maximum power is launched directly to the test object. (2) It uses a high-numerical-aperture focusing objective (NA>0.8) that provides high depth and spatial discriminations and thus, high axial and lateral resolutions are obtained. (3) It uses a graded-index multimode fiber (50-μm-core diameter) for signal detection rather than a conventional pinhole or single-mode fiber. The graded-index fiber ensures efficient launching and maintenance of high laser powers, and high sensitivity of signal detection. Moreover, according to the equivalent-Gaussian-mode model, the intensity mode distribution into the graded-index fiber can be presented as an equivalent Gaussian mode distribution. As a result, a significant reduction of the mode noise of the intensity distribution and of signal fluctuations is obtained. Thus, a regime of high-output power is achieved that provides high resolving power and a submicron axial resolution of 0.4 μm.

Citation Download Citation

Ilko K. Ilev and Ronald W. Waynant "High-resolution fiber optic confocal microscope", Proc. SPIE 4261, Three-Dimensional and Multidimensional Microscopy: Image Acquisition and Processing VIII, (16 April 2001); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.424531

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