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Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Digital Inline Holographic Microscopy (DIHM) of Weakly-scattering Subjects
Published on: February 8, 2014
Wide field-of-view microscope based on holographic focus grid illumination
Jigang Wu1, Xiquan Cui, Guoan Zheng
1Department of Electrical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91125, USA. jigang@caltech.edu
Abstract:
We have developed a new microscopy design that can achieve wide field-of-view (FOV) imaging and yet possesses resolution that is comparable to a conventional microscope. In our design, the sample is illuminated by a holographically projected light-spot grid. We acquire images by translating the sample across the grid and detecting the transmissions. We have built a prototype system with an FOV of 6 mm x 5 mm and acquisition time of 2.5 s. The resolution is fundamentally limited by the spot size--our demonstrated average FWHM spot diameter was 0.74 microm. We demonstrate the prototype by imaging a U.S. Air Force target and a lily anther. This technology is scalable and represents a cost-effective way to implement wide FOV microscopy systems.
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