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AssigneeThe Regents of the University of Colorado
InventorsEdward Raymond Dowski, Jr., Carol Jean Cogswell
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An interference contrast imaging system images phase objects. The system includes an illumination source, illumination optics, polarizing optics for splitting the illumination into orthogonal polarizations and for recombining the polarizations, objective optics that form an image at a detector, a wavefront coding element and a post processor for processing the image by removing a phase shift imparted by the wavefront coding element. The wavefront coding element has an aperture, is between the phase object and the detector, and provides an altered optical transfer function of the imaging system by imparting the phase shift to the illumination transmitted through the wavefront coding element. The altered optical transfer function is insensitive to an object distance between the phase object and the objective optics over a greater range of object distances than would be provided by an optical transfer function of a corresponding interference contrast imaging system without the wavefront coding element.
In a method for imaging a phase object utilizing an interference contrast imaging system, the system having an illumination source, an optical element for dividing light polarizations, illumination optics, an optical element for recombining the light polarizations, and objective optics to form an image at a detector, the system characterized by an unaltered optical transfer function, the improvement comprising:
A method for increasing depth of field in an interference contrast imaging system for imaging a phase object, the system having an illumination source, an optical element for dividing light polarizations, illumination optics, an optical element for recombining light polarizations, and objective optics to form an image at a detector, the system characterized by an unaltered optical transfer function, the method comprising:
An interference contrast imaging system for imaging a phase object, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.