Design and Development of an Automated Dual-Mode Microscopic System Using Electrically Tunable Lenses

Area of Science:

• Microscopy
• Optical Engineering
• Image Processing

Background:

• Maintaining telecentricity and zooming in microscopy with extended depths of focus is challenging.
• Image properties like telecentricity and zoom degrade across different axial planes.
• Existing systems struggle with consistent resolution over prolonged focal depths.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a proof of concept for an automated dual-mode microscopic system.
• To enable multiplane microscopic zooming and telecentricity simultaneously.
• To maintain consistent image resolution throughout an extended focal depth.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing two electrically tunable lenses (ETLs).
• Incorporating a variable numerical aperture controller.
• Conducting simulations and experimental validations across various ETL curvature ranges.

Main Results:

• Achieved experimental zoom ratios ranging from -2.723X to -34.42X.
• Demonstrated low magnification error: 2.26% for zoom mode and 1.27% for telecentric mode.
• Experimental and simulation results showed high similarity.

Conclusions:

• The proposed dual-mode system effectively achieves multiplane zooming and telecentricity.
• The system offers a viable solution for consistent image resolution in microscopic applications.
• The feasibility of the method is confirmed for integrated microscopic platforms.