Structured illumination microscopy optical arrangement including projection artifact supression element

摘要

A structured illumination microscopy optical arrangement includes a projection path and an imaging path. The imaging path includes an imaging sensor and imaging optical elements. The projection path includes a light generator, a pattern generating element such as a spatial light modulator (SLM), and projection optical elements including an output lens and a projector artifact suppression element (PASE) located in the projection path between the SLM and the output lens. The PASE may include birefringent material which splits respective light rays of the structured illumination pattern source light to provide at least one replication of the structured illumination pattern with an offset transverse to the projection path. The offset replication of the structured illumination pattern increases the accuracy of the system by reducing spatial harmonic errors and spurious intensity variations due to projector pixel gap artifacts which may otherwise produce errors in resulting Z-height measurements.

主权项

1. A structured illumination microscopy (SIM) optical arrangement, comprising:
a projection path comprising:
a light generator that emits radiation;a pattern generating element that receives radiation that is emitted from the light generator and which generates a structured illumination pattern as an output; anda set of projection optical elements for directing the structured illumination pattern to provide structured illumination pattern source light to illuminate a field of view where a workpiece may be located, the set of projection optical elements comprising an output lens that outputs the structured illumination pattern source light to the field of view; and an imaging path comprising:
an imaging sensor, the imaging sensor comprising an imaging pixel array; anda set of imaging optical elements for receiving structured illumination pattern workpiece light that results from the structured illumination pattern source light having been reflected by or transmitted through the workpiece, and imaging the structured illumination pattern workpiece light along the imaging path toward the imaging sensor, the set of imaging optical elements comprising an objective lens that inputs the structured illumination pattern workpiece light from the workpiece, wherein:
the set of projection optical elements further comprises a projector artifact suppression element located in the projection path between the pattern generating element and the output lens, the projector artifact suppression element configured to split respective light rays of the structured illumination pattern source light and thereby provide at least one replication of the structured illumination pattern with an offset transverse to the projection path.