Wide-field reflective imaging with an epi-illumination multi-camera array microscope

Area of Science:

• Optical microscopy
• Industrial imaging
• Materials science

Background:

• Traditional microscopy methods struggle with wide-field, high-resolution imaging of non-transparent, large-scale samples.
• The need for detailed inspection of industrial components like semiconductor wafers and PCBs requires advanced imaging solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and characterize the epi-illumination multi-camera array microscope (epi-MCAM).
• To demonstrate the epi-MCAM's capability for high-resolution, wide-field reflective imaging of non-transparent samples.

Main Methods:

• The epi-MCAM utilizes 24 synchronized epi-illumination microscope units in a 4x6 array.
• Each unit features a 13-megapixel CMOS sensor, objective/tube lens, and epi-illumination path.
• Stitching of images from multiple units and array translation enables coverage of large areas (72x108 mm^2) at 2.46 μm resolution.

Main Results:

• The system successfully captured high-resolution stitched images of reflective samples.
• Demonstrated imaging of both flat (semiconductor wafers) and 3D structured (printed circuit boards) samples.
• Achieved micrometer-scale resolution (down to 2.46 μm) over a large field of view.

Conclusions:

• The epi-MCAM is a powerful tool for wide-field reflective imaging of non-transparent materials.
• Its capabilities are highly suitable for demanding industrial inspection tasks.
• The system offers a significant advancement in imaging large, complex reflective surfaces.