Fast Axial-Scanning Widefield Microscopy with Constant Magnification and Resolution

Abstract

In this paper, we propose the use of electrically-addressable lens devices for performing fast non-mechanical axial scanning when imaging three-dimensional samples. This non-mechanical method can be implemented in any commercial microscope. The approach is based on the insertion of the tunable lens at the aperture stop of the microscope objective. By tuning the voltage, a stack of depth images of 3D specimens can be captured in real time and with constant magnification and resolution. The main advantage of our technique is the possibility of performing fast axial scanning free of mechanical vibrations.