Improvements to quantitative microscopy through the use of digital micromirror devices

All of the different modes of microscopy deliver light in a controlled fashion to the object to be examined and collect as much of the light containing the desired information about the object as possible. The system being presented replaces the simple circular or annular diaphragms of a conventional microscope with digital micromirror devices (DMDs, made by Texas Instruments) to enable digital light microscopy. The DMDs are placed in the optical path at positions corresponding to the field and aperture diaphragms of a conventional microscope. This allows for more precise and flexible control over the spatial location, amount, and angles of the illumination light, and the light to be collected. Digital light microscopy enables the improvement of existing modes of microscopy, specifically for quantitative microscopy applications. Confocal microscopy has been performed, realizing improvements in resolution, flexibility, and cost. Three different combinations of image acquisition and post-processing algorithms have been used to generate confocal images, as well as a tomographic reconstruction image.