Device and method for calibration-free phase shifting procedure for self-interference holography
AssigneeCelloptic, Inc.
InventorsGary Brooker, Nisan Siegel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method are introduced to produce a hologram of an object from electromagnetic radiation, such as incoherent light, received from the object. The electromagnetic radiation is received by a receiving assembly and transformed into a plurality of co-linear co-propagating beams with different focal distances. The interference of the plurality of beams is enabled by projecting components of each beam along a common polarization direction. The interference patterns thus formed are recorded and then processed to form the hologram of the object.
Claims17
An imaging device configured to produce super-resolved images of an object, said device comprising:
- a means for receiving electromagnetic radiation from an object;
- a means for imposing a linear polarization on at least one portion of the received electromagnetic radiation;
- a birefringent lens assembly for producing a pair of two individual co-propagating linearly orthogonally polarized beams from each of the at least one linearly polarized portions of the received electromagnetic radiation, each individual co-propagating linearly orthogonally polarized beam bearing information about the shape and location of the object, and each individual co-propagating linearly orthogonally polarized beam having a distinct phase curvature from the other individual beam of the pair;
- a wideband quarter waveplate for converting each pair of linearly orthogonally polarized beams into a pair of circularly orthogonally polarized beams without requiring wavelength calibration or otherwise changing their phase curvatures;
- one of a linear polarizer or an array of differentially aligned micropolarizers for causing mutual interference between each individual of each pair of the circularly orthogonally polarized beams with the other individual of said pair, with controlled relative constant phase factors differing between the individuals;
- means for recording at least one image of each the interference patterns by at least one imaging device;
- and
- a computational means for producing holograms and reconstructed images of the object from the recorded images of the interference patterns.
A method to produce super-resolved images of an object, including:
- receiving electromagnetic radiation from an object;
- imposing a linear polarization on at least one portion of the received electromagnetic radiation;
- producing, using a birefringent lens assembly, a pair of two individual co-propagating linearly orthogonally polarized beams from each of the at least one linearly polarized portions of the received electromagnetic radiation, each individual co-propagating linearly orthogonally polarized beam bearing information about the shape and location of the object, and each individual co-propagating linearly orthogonally polarized beam having a distinct phase curvature from the other individual beam of the pair;
- converting, using a wideband quarter waveplate, each pair of linearly orthogonally polarized beams into a pair of circularly orthogonally polarized beams using a wideband quarter waveplate without requiring wavelength calibration or otherwise changing their phase curvatures;
- causing, using one of a linear polarizer or an art of differentially aligned micropolarizers, mutual interference between each individual of each pair of the circularly orthogonally polarized beams with the other individual of said pair, with controlled relative constant phase factors differing between the individuals;
- recording at least one image of each the interference patterns by at least one imaging device;
- and
- computationally operating on the recorded images of the interference patterns to produce holograms and reconstructed images of the object.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.