Open-source microscope add-on for structured illumination microscopy

Abstract

Super-resolution techniques expand the abilities of researchers who have the knowledge and resources to either build or purchase a system. This excludes the part of the research community without these capabilities. Here we introduce the openSIM add-on to upgrade existing optical microscopes to Structured Illumination super-resolution Microscopes (SIM). The openSIM is an open-hardware system, designed and documented to be easily duplicated by other laboratories, making super-resolution modality accessible to facilitate innovative research. The add-on approach gives a performance improvement for pre-existing lab equipment without the need to build a completely new system.