Dielectric Metasurface Enabled Compact, Single-Shot Digital Holography for Quantitative Phase Imaging

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Biomedical Imaging
• Materials Science

Background:

• Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) is crucial for label-free, real-time analysis of transparent specimens, providing insights into cell morphology, mass density, and dynamics.
• High-performance, low-cost QPI systems are needed for applications such as on-site biomedical imaging and industrial inspection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate an ultracompact, highly stable interferometer for quantitative phase imaging.
• To leverage a single-layer dielectric metasurface for common-path off-axis digital holography.

Main Methods:

• Development of a miniaturized interferometer utilizing a multifunctional metasurface.
• Experimental demonstration of quantitative phase imaging using image plane holograms captured in a single shot.
• Extraction of quantitative phase information for determining sample physical properties.

Main Results:

• Successful implementation of an ultracompact and stable QPI system.
• Demonstration of label-free imaging and analysis of transparent specimens.
• Generation of quantitative phase information from single-shot holograms.

Conclusions:

• The proposed metasurface-based QPI method enables stable, miniaturized, and cost-effective imaging systems.
• This technology is suitable for point-of-care devices, live cell imaging, 3D topography, and edge detection.
• Metasurface integration offers high potential for advanced optical computing and imaging applications.