Acoustic Assembly and Scanning of Superlens Arrays for High-Resolution and Large Field-of-View Bioimaging.

Area of Science:

• Optics
• Biophysics
• Acoustics

Background:

• High-resolution bioimaging is crucial for life sciences and biomedical research.
• Microsphere-based super-resolution microscopy offers a low-cost solution but faces challenges in precise, noncontact control for large-area scanning.
• Existing methods lack efficiency and scalability for dynamic imaging applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an acoustic wavefield-based strategy for assembling and manipulating micrometer-scale superlens arrays.
• To achieve on-demand scanning imaging of nanostructures and biological samples using phase modulation.
• To enhance the efficiency and scalability of super-resolution bioimaging.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing acoustic pressure nodes to arrange spatially dispersed microspheres into arrays.
• Adapting droplet microlenses of various diameters and controlling spacing periods with different frequencies.
• Employing continuous phase shifting in x and y directions for on-demand scanning and virtual image capturing.

Main Results:

• Successfully assembled micrometer-scale superlens arrays using acoustic wavefields.
• Demonstrated on-demand scanning and high-resolution virtual image capturing of nanostructures and biological cells.
• Achieved over 100 times the acquisition efficiency compared to single-lens methods.

Conclusions:

• The acoustic wavefield strategy provides a noncontact, cost-effective method for superlens array manipulation.
• This approach significantly enhances imaging acquisition efficiency for super-resolution microscopy.
• The technology holds promise for advancing subcellular-level bioimaging and large-area scanning applications.