title: Polynomial phase masks for extending the depth of field of a microscope.
abstract: A polynomial phase mask is designed and fabricated for enhancing the depth of field of a microscope by more than tenfold. A generic polynomial of degree 31 that consists of 16 odd power terms is optimized by simulated annealing with a realistic average modulation transfer function (MTF) iteratively set as the target MTF. Optical experimental results are shown.
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Optique, Photonique et Laser, Université Laval, Québec (QC) G1K 7P4, Canada.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Caron
authors.forename: Yunlong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sheng