Low-cost, readily available 3D microscopy imaging system with variable focus spinner.

Area of Science:

• Optical Engineering
• Microscopy
• Image Processing

Background:

• Large apertures in optical systems provide high resolution but result in a shallow depth of field.
• Achieving 3D imaging and depth information often requires complex or expensive modifications to microscopy systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate a low-cost, accessible method for retrofitting microscopy imaging systems.
• To enable 3D focus scanning and generate all-in-focus images and depth maps.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of variable focus spinners with dissimilar plates.
• Acquisition of a sequence of 12 images at different focal planes.
• Image scale and phase correction, followed by abstraction of in-focus pixels using the Laplacian operator.

Main Results:

• Successful generation of an all-in-focus sharp image from multiple focal planes.
• Obtained a depth map, providing 3D information of the sample.
• Demonstrated a cost-effective solution for enhancing microscopy capabilities.

Conclusions:

• The developed method offers a practical and affordable approach to achieve 3D focus scanning in microscopy.
• This technique overcomes the limitation of shallow depth of field in high-resolution imaging.
• The generated all-in-focus images and depth maps enhance the analytical potential of microscopy systems.