Single-shot smartphone-based quantitative phase imaging using a distorted grating

Abstract

Blood testing has been used as an essential tool to diagnose diseases for decades. Recently, there has been a rapid developing trend in using Quantitative Phase Imaging (QPI) methods for blood cell screening. Compared to traditional blood testing techniques, QPI has the advantage of avoiding dyeing or staining the specimen, which may cause damage to the cells. However, most existing systems are bulky and costly, requiring experienced personnel to operate. This work demonstrates the integration of one QPI method onto a smartphone platform and the application of imaging red blood cells. The adopted QPI method is based on solving the Intensity Transport Equation (ITE) from two de-focused pupil images taken in one shot by the smartphone camera. The device demonstrates a system resolution of about 1 μm, and is ready to be used for 3D morphological study of red blood cells.