3D microscopy

A microscope for three-dimensional object imaging using an imaging device that, the microscope comprising:

• a microscope objective lens and a tube lens imaging the object into a first image lying in a first image plane,
• a first microlens array for arrangement in the first image plane of the microscope or in a further image plane derived therefrom by an intermediate optical unit,
• a second microlens array having a same pitch as the first microlens array arranged downstream of the first microlens array and upstream of a detector,
• wherein the first microlens array transmits radiation from the object to the second microlens array and the second microlens array transmits the radiation to the detector, and
• wherein the first and second microlens arrays are configured to segment the first image laterally into segments and to image these into a second image in which the segments are spaced apart from one another and separated by gaps, and
• a phase manipulation device that is disposed downstream of the first microlens array, said phase manipulation device producing a spot in the second image plane for each segment according to a point spread function, a form and/or structure of said spot encoding the depth position in the object and covering the gaps in the second image,
• wherein the detector lies in the second image plane and is configured to capture the form and/or structure of the spots and to produce image data,
• wherein the microscope further comprises a control device for producing a depth-resolved image of the object from the image data, the control device ascertaining a lateral intensity distribution and a depth position specification for each segment from the form and/or structure of the spot and producing the depth-resolved image of the object therefrom, and
• wherein the second microlens array is arranged at a distance from the first microlens array that corresponds to the focal length of the first microlens array, and the phase manipulation device is embodied as a phase mask that is combined with the second microlens array or arranged there.

A method for three-dimensional imaging of an object comprising:

• using a microscope comprising a microscope objective lens and a tube lens,
• optically imaging the object along an imaging beam path by using the microscope objective lens and the tube lens into a first image lying in a first image plane,
• arranging a first microlens array in the first image plane,
• disposing a second microlens array having a same pitch as the first microlens array downstream of the first microlens array and upstream of a detector, wherein the first microlens array transmits radiation from the object to the second microlens array and the second microlens array transmits the radiation to the detector,
• laterally segmenting the first image into segments via the first and second microlens array and imaging the segments into a second image in which the segments are spaced apart from one another and separated by gaps,
• conducting a phase manipulation downstream of the first microlens array, said phase manipulation producing a spot in the second image plane for each segment according to a point spread function, a form and/or structure of said spot encoding the depth position in the object and covering the gaps in the second image,
• using the detector for capturing the intensity distribution for the second image, the form and/or structure of the spots being resolved, and obtaining image data therefrom, and
• ascertaining a lateral intensity distribution and a depth specification for each of the segments from the form and/or structure of the spots and producing a depth-resolved image of the object therefrom,
• wherein the second microlens array is arranged at a distance from the first microlens array that corresponds to a sum of focal lengths of the first and second microlens arrays.

A microscope for three-dimensional object imaging using an imaging device that, the microscope comprising:

• a microscope objective lens and a tube lens imaging the object into a first image lying in a first image plane,
• a first microlens array for arrangement in the first image plane of the microscope or in a further image plane derived therefrom by an intermediate optical unit,
• a second microlens array having a same pitch as the first microlens array arranged downstream of the first microlens array and upstream of a detector,
• wherein the first microlens array transmits radiation from the object to the second microlens array and the second microlens array transmits the radiation to the detector, and
• wherein the first and second microlens arrays are configured to segment the first image laterally into segments and to image these into a second image in which the segments are spaced apart from one another and separated by gaps, and
• a phase manipulation device that is disposed downstream of the first microlens array, said phase manipulation device producing a spot in the second image plane for each segment according to a point spread function, a form and/or structure of said spot encoding the depth position in the object and covering the gaps in the second image,
• wherein the detector lies in the second image plane and is configured to capture the form and/or structure of the spots and to produce image data,
• wherein the microscope further comprises a control device for producing a depth-resolved image of the object from the image data, the control device ascertaining a lateral intensity distribution and a depth position specification for each segment from the form and/or structure of the spot and producing the depth-resolved image of the object therefrom, and
• wherein the second microlens array is arranged at a distance from the first microlens array that corresponds to a sum of the focal lengths of the first and second microlens arrays.