Structured illumination in total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy using a spatial light modulator
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Updated: Jun 20, 2026

A Guide to Structured Illumination TIRF Microscopy at High Speed with Multiple Colors
Published on: May 30, 2016
Reto Fiolka1, Markus Beck, Andreas Stemmer
1Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Abstract:
In wide-field fluorescence microscopy, illuminating the specimen with evanescent standing waves increases lateral resolution more than twofold. We report a versatile setup for standing-wave illumination in total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. An adjustable diffraction grating written on a phase-only spatial light modulator controls the illumination field. Selecting appropriate diffraction orders and displaying a sheared (tilted) diffraction grating allows one to tune the penetration depth in very fine steps. The setup achieves 91 nm lateral resolution for green emission.
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