Modular Scanning Confocal Microscope with Digital Image Processing.
In conventional confocal microscopy, a physical pinhole is placed at the image plane prior to the detector to limit the observation volume. In this work, we present a modular design of a scanning confocal microscope which uses a CCD camera to replace the physical pinhole for materials science applications. Experimental scans were performed on a microscope resolution target, a semiconductor chip carrier, and a piece of etched silicon wafer. The data collected by the CCD were processed to yield images of the specimen. By selecting effective pixels in the recorded CCD images, a virtual pinhole is created. By analyzing the image moments of the imaging data, a lateral resolution enhancement is achieved by using a 20 × / NA = 0.4 microscope objective at 532 nm laser wavelength.
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-2814, United States of America.
Xianjun
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1136-4040
X
Ye
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-2814, United States of America.
Matthew D
MD
McCluskey
D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*