Single-shot depth-section imaging through chromatic slit-scan confocal microscopy

Vision chromatic confocal sensor based on a geometrical phase lens

A vison chromatic confocal sensor used to monitor the location of a measured point is proposed and experimentally verified. To induce chromatic aberration of the sensor, a geometrical phase lens is adopted and is also used as a beam splitter. Near the geometrical phase lens, a focused beam is used for the chromatic confocal sensor, and a diverging beam is used for imaging of the specimen. In the experiment, the performance of the proposed system was verified with regard to distance sensing and the capability of monitoring the measured points. The measuring range was approximately 10 mm, and the repeatability was 0.4 µm when a geometrical phase lens with a 75 mm focal length was used.

Two-dimensional spectral signal model for chromatic confocal microscopy

In chromatic confocal microscopy, the signal characteristics influence the accuracy of the signal processing, which in turn determines measurement performance. Thus, a full understanding of the spectral characteristics is critical to enhance the measurement performance. Existing spectral models only describe the signal intensity-wavelength characteristics, without taking the displacement-wavelength relation into consideration. These models require prior knowledge of the optical design, which reduces the effectiveness in the optical design process. In this paper, we develop a two-dimensional spectral signal model to describe the signal intensity-wavelength-displacement characteristics in chromatic confocal microscopy without prior knowledge of the optical design layout. With this model, the influence of the dimensional characteristics of the confocal setup and the displacement-wavelength characteristics and monochromatic aberrations of the hyperchromatic objective are investigated. Experimental results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of our signal model. Using our model, further evaluation of the spectral signal can be used to enhance the measurement performance of chromatic confocal microscopy.

DMD-based three-dimensional chromatic confocal microscopy

In this paper, a digital mirror device (DMD)-based chromatic confocal microscopy is proposed and demonstrated for three-dimensional (3D) surface profiling without any mechanical scanning. In this method, the DMD works as the multipoint source and multi-pinhole at the same time to achieve the lateral scanning. Moreover, axial scanning is realized through the chromatic aberration of the confocal optics. Since the micromirror array of the DMD is not perpendicular to the confocal imaging axis, a corresponding calibration is needed to eliminate the tilt effects and perform accurate 3D imaging. The measurement range with the current optical system is 45 µm over 505-650 nm working spectrum and can be increased by using a custom objective with large chromatic aberration. The system performance has been demonstrated with a multistep sample.

Synthetic wavelength to increase the snapshot optical sensor's elevated vertical measurement ranges

Screening manufactured products that are conducted faster to enhance the contemporary manufacture processes and quality is possible by implementing enhanced quality control. Such quality control of manufactured products has increased the market for process-focused precision metrology that can execute evaluations faster while providing significant feedback for the manufacturing system. This investigation examines spatial dispersive interferometry's potential for producing accurate surface profile measurements by emphasizing vertical range measurements and identifying a system that can enable them to increase incrementally while maintaining the results' quality. Thus, this investigation selected Fourier transform profilometry (FTP) to assess surface profile measurements, as it provides the most reliable and fastest outcome data regarding this sensor. Exploring new surface scanning methods is important, as crucial weaknesses hinder several common approaches. As optical metrology sensors are bulky, difficult to establish, and expensive, the investigation will prove that FTP can resolve these restrictions. The investigation uses the synthetic wavelength approach for addressing vertical measurement limitation concerning optical systems for extending surface step height's vertical measurement range. Though it was observed that the FTP technique surmounts the vertical height limitations, certain limitations were also noted, with all outcomes considering key variables, including the scanning objective lens, system resolution, the spectrometer resolution, and diffraction grating. Future examinations must examine a wider vertical range to expand the snapshot spatial dispersive interferometry process's scope. Further, the step-height repeatability is enhanced, showing a good outcome range from 22 to 20 nm.

Characterization of the displacement response in chromatic confocal microscopy with a hybrid radial basis function network

Characterization of the displacement response is critical for accurate chromatic confocal measurement. Current characterization methods usually provide a linear or polynomial relationship between the extracted peak wavelengths of the spectral signal and displacement. However, these methods are susceptible to errors in the peak extraction algorithms and errors in the selected model. In this paper, we propose a hybrid radial basis function network method to characterise the displacement response. With this method, the peak wavelength of the spectral signal is firstly extracted with a state-of-art peak extraction algorithm, following which, a higher-accuracy chromatic dispersion model is applied to determine the displacement-wavelength relationship. Lastly, a radial basis function network is optimized to provide a mapping between the spectral signals and the residual fitting errors of the chromatic dispersion model. Using experimental tests, we show that the hybrid radial basis function network method significantly improves the measurement accuracy, when compared to the existing characterizing methods.

Chromatic confocal microscopy using liquid crystal display panels

A chromatic confocal microscopy system in combination with two liquid crystal display (LCD) panels is proposed and demonstrated for surface profiling. The major advantage of this system is no mechanical translation is needed for three-dimensional (3D) imaging. Axial scanning is realized thanks to the chromatic aberration in the objective, whereas lateral scanning is achieved by turning on different pixels on LCDs. Chromatic aberration of the objective lens is used to provide wavelength-to-depth coding, and decoding is realized by using a dispersion prism. System performance is validated with a 50 μm step standard and the capability of 3D imaging is demonstrated with an onion epidermis.

Multipoint scanning dual-detection confocal microscopy for fast 3D volumetric measurement

We propose a multipoint scanning dual-detection confocal microscopy (MS-DDCM) system for fast 3D volumetric measurements. Unlike conventional confocal microscopy, MS-DDCM can accomplish surface profiling without axial scanning. Also, to rapidly obtain 2D images, the MS-DDCM employs a multipoint scanning technique, with a digital micromirror device used to produce arrays of effective pinholes, which are then scanned. The MS-DDCM is composed of two CCDs: one collects the conjugate images and the other collects nonconjugate images. The ratio of the axial response curves, measured by the two detectors, provides a linear relationship between the height of the sample surface and the ratio of the intensity signals. Furthermore, the difference between the two images results in enhanced contrast. The normalising effect of the MS-DDCM provides accurate sample heights, even when the reflectance distribution of the surface varies. Experimental results confirmed that the MS-DDCM achieved high-speed surface profiling with improved image contrast capability.

Development of a spatially dispersed short-coherence interferometry sensor using diffraction grating orders

Modern manufacturing processes can achieve good throughput by requiring that manufactured products be screened by better quality control exercised at a quicker rate. This trend in the quality control of manufactured products increases the need for process-oriented precision metrology capable of performing faster inspections and yielding valuable feedback to the manufacturing system. This paper presents a spatially dispersed short-coherence interferometry sensor using diffraction orders of the zeroth and first order for a diffraction grating introduced as a new compact system configuration for surface profile measurement. In this modified design, the diffraction grating acts as the beam splitter/combiner. Diffractions for the zeroth and first orders are represented by the reference and measurement arms, respectively, of a Michelson interferometer, which reduces the optical path length. This innovative design has been proven effective for determining the step-height repeatability in the sensor range from 27 nm to 22 nm for profiles spanning the step heights of the tested specimens.

A review of snapshot multidimensional optical imaging: measuring photon tags in parallel

Multidimensional optical imaging has seen remarkable growth in the past decade. Rather than measuring only the two-dimensional spatial distribution of light, as in conventional photography, multidimensional optical imaging captures light in up to nine dimensions, providing unprecedented information about incident photons' spatial coordinates, emittance angles, wavelength, time, and polarization. Multidimensional optical imaging can be accomplished either by scanning or parallel acquisition. Compared with scanning-based imagers, parallel acquisition-also dubbed snapshot imaging-has a prominent advantage in maximizing optical throughput, particularly when measuring a datacube of high dimensions. Here, we first categorize snapshot multidimensional imagers based on their acquisition and image reconstruction strategies, then highlight the snapshot advantage in the context of optical throughput, and finally we discuss their state-of-the-art implementations and applications.

Chromatic confocal matrix sensor with actuated pinhole arrays

We present two versions of a chromatic confocal matrix sensor for the snapshot acquisition of three-dimensional objects. The first version contains separate illumination and detection pinhole arrays, while the second version uses a single pinhole array in double pass. The discrete lateral measurement points defined by the illumination and detection pinhole arrays are evaluated in parallel with a hyperspectral detection module. As this approach enables the spectrometric evaluation of all lateral channels, multilayer objects can be analyzed. To increase the lateral resolution the pinhole arrays are moved by micromechanical actuators. The paper includes a quantitative evaluation of the chromatic confocal module and proof-of-principle experiments with the full sensor system.

Spectrally multiplexed chromatic confocal multipoint sensing

We present a concept for chromatic confocal distance sensing that employs two levels of spectral multiplexing for the parallelized evaluation of multiple lateral measurement points; at the first level, the chromatic confocal principle is used to encode distance information within the spectral distribution of the sensor signal. For lateral multiplexing, the total spectral bandwidth of the sensor is split into bands. Each band is assigned to a different lateral measurement point by a segmented diffractive element. Based on this concept, we experimentally demonstrate a chromatic confocal three-point sensor that is suitable for harsh production environments, since it works with a single-point spectrometer and does not require scanning functionality. The experimental system has a working distance of more than 50 mm, a measurement range of 9 mm, and an axial resolution of 50 μm.

Chromatic confocal microscopy with a novel wavelength detection method using transmittance

Chromatic confocal microscopy (CCM) is a promising technology that enables high-speed three-dimensional surface profiling without mechanical depth scanning. However, the spectrometer, which measures depth information encoded by axial color, limits the speed of three-dimensional imaging. We present a novel method for chromatic confocal microscopy with transmittance detection. Depth information can be instantaneously obtained by the ratio of intensity signals from two photomultiplier tubes by detecting a peak wavelength using transmittance of a color filter. This non-destructive and high-speed surface profiling method might be useful in many fields, including the semiconductor and flat panel display industries, and in material science.

Analysis of method for measuring thickness of plane-parallel plates and lenses using chromatic confocal sensor

Noncontact optical metrology based on the chromatic confocal principle is becoming increasingly important for fast and accurate measurements of surface topography, distance, and layer thickness in engineering and industry. These sensors are based on the wavelength dependence of longitudinal chromatic aberration of optical systems, and the distance or thickness of the measured sample is coded into spectral information. We provide a theoretical analysis of a problem of the thickness measurement of transparent samples (glass plane-parallel plates or lenses) with respect to material dispersion. Our work deals with a description and analysis of induced measurement errors in the cases of measurement of the thickness of a plane-parallel plate and the central thickness of a lens. Relations are derived for a quantitative evaluation of these errors and a method is presented for minimizing the influence of these errors on the accuracy of measurement.

Wavelength-coded multifocal microscopy

A wavelength-coded multifocal microscope incorporating multiplexed and wavelength-coded holographic gratings to generate wavelength-selective multifocal planes is presented. The focal planes are longitudinally spaced on the object plane, and each focal plane is probed by a designated wavelength. The recording of the multiplexed gratings takes place at a single wavelength by utilizing the Bragg degeneracy property; thus the maximum sensitive wavelength of blue 488 nm is used for recording, but the device is operated at a broad wavelength band of interest, all the way to red 633 nm. We present the design, implementation, and experimental image data demonstrating this microscope's ability to obtain biological tissue structures simultaneously at different focal planes using broadband illumination by LEDs.

Three-dimensional surface profile measurement using a beam scanning chromatic confocal microscope

In this research, chromatic confocal microscopy with transverse point beam scanning is constructed for three-dimensional surface measurement without longitudinal mechanical translation. In beam scanning chromatic confocal microscopy, the wavelength-to-depth relation and the lateral field of view should be determined considering the beam scanning angle. With the experimental results from a sample structure, the three-dimensional profile is reconstructed by relating the wavelength and scanning angle to the axial and the lateral coordinates.

Chromatic confocal microscopy with a finite pinhole size

Chromatic confocal microscopy has the advantage of short measurement times because of its parallel depth scan. As most white-light sources have limited optical output power, light-efficient setups are necessary. Using an extended detection pinhole is one way to improve light efficiency. We have calculated the effect of extended pinholes in chromatic confocal setups. We found that, for certain pinhole sizes, the FWHM of the confocal signal is nearly constant over a large wavelength interval.

Nontranslational three-dimensional profilometry by chromatic confocal microscopy with dynamically configurable micromirror scanning

A confocal microscope profilometer, which incorporates chromatic depth scanning with a diffractive optical element and a digital micromirror device for configurable transverse scanning, provides three-dimensional (3D) quantitative measurements without mechanical translation of either the sample or the microscope. We used a microscope with various objective lenses (e.g., 40x, 60x, and 100x) to achieve different system characteristics. With a 100x objective, the microscope acquires stable measurements over a 320 microm x 240 microm surface area with a depth resolution of 0.39 microm at a 3-Hz scan rate. The total longitudinal field of view is 26.4 microm for a wavelength tuning range of 48.3 nm. The FWHM value of the longitudinal point-spread function is measured to be 0.99 microm. We present 3D measurements of a four-phase-level diffractive element and an integrated-circuit chip. The resolution and the accuracy are shown to be equivalent to those found with use of conventional mechanical scanning.