Five-lens, easy-to-implement miniature objective for a fluorescence confocal microendoscope.

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Biomedical Engineering
• Microscopy

Background:

• Confocal microendoscopy requires high-performance miniature objectives for in vivo imaging.
• Existing objectives may have limitations in resolution, field of view, or size for certain applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and characterize a novel miniature objective lens for fluorescence confocal microendoscopy.
• To evaluate the imaging performance of the developed objective in a microendoscope system.

Main Methods:

• A miniature objective was designed using four glass lenses and one plastic aspheric lens.
• The objective's numerical aperture (NA), achromatization range, field of view (FOV), and outer diameter were specified.
• Resolution was tested, and imaging quality was compared to a commercial confocal microscope using cellular structures.

Main Results:

• The miniature objective has a 0.5 NA, is achromatized for 488-550 nm, a 360 μm FOV, and a 2.6 mm outer diameter.
• The objective achieved a resolution of 0.78 μm.
• The fluorescence confocal microendoscope with the objective demonstrated imaging quality comparable to commercial systems, resolving crypt structures and epithelial cells.

Conclusions:

• A high-performance miniature objective lens suitable for fluorescence confocal microendoscopy has been successfully developed.
• The objective enables detailed visualization of cellular structures in vivo.
• This advancement has the potential to improve diagnostic capabilities in endoscopic procedures.