Rapid axial scanning for light sheet microscopy using a phased array

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11619585-B2
Application number	US-202016874420-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 14, 2020
Priority date	May 22, 2019
Publication date	Apr 4, 2023
Grant date	Apr 4, 2023

Abstract

An axially swept light sheet fluorescence microscope has illumination optics capable scanning the focus region of a line beam along an illumination optical axis to illuminate a light sheet in a sample plane, and detection optics capable of collecting fluorescence light from the sample plane and imaging the collected light on a light detector with a rolling shutter. A microcontroller synchronizes the rolling shutter with the scanning of the focus region. The illumination optics performs the axial scanning using a linear phased array of independently controllable electrostatically driven optical elements controlled by the microcontroller.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An axially swept light sheet fluorescence microscope comprising:
a) a laser configured to produce a light beam;
b) illumination optics configured to form from the light beam a line beam focused in a focus region and configured to scan the focus region of the line beam along an illumination optical axis to illuminate a light sheet in a sample plane;
c) a light detector with a rolling shutter;
d) detection optics configured to collect fluorescence light from the sample plane and imaging the collected light on the light detector; wherein a detection optical axis of the detection optics is orthogonal in the focus region to the illumination optical axis;
e) a microcontroller configured to send control signals to the illumination optics and to the light detector to synchronize the rolling shutter with the scanning of the focus region;
wherein the illumination optics comprise a linear phased array of independently controllable electrostatically driven optical elements;
wherein the linear phased array is configured to be controlled by the microcontroller to display a series of phase patterns to produce translation of the focus region of the line beam along the illumination optical axis.

2. The axially swept light sheet fluorescence microscope of claim 1 wherein the linear phased array is a linear MEMS phased array.

3. The axially swept light sheet fluorescence microscope of claim 1 wherein the independently controllable electrostatically driven optical elements are reflective elements.

4. The axially swept light sheet fluorescence microscope of claim 3 wherein the independently controllable electrostatically driven optical elements are composed of aluminum-coated silicon nitride.

5. The axially swept light sheet fluorescence microscope of claim 1 wherein the independently controllable electrostatically driven optical elements are transmissive elements.

6. The axially swept light sheet fluorescence microscope of claim 5 wherein the independently controllable electrostatically driven optical elements are composed of liquid crystal on silicon.

7. The axially swept light sheet fluorescence microscope of claim 1 wherein the linear phased array is positioned conjugate to a rear pupil plane of an illumination objective lens in the illumination optics.

8. The axially swept light sheet fluorescence microscope of claim 1 wherein the linear phased array is further configured to be controlled by the microcontroller to display a series of phase patterns to produce translation of the focus region of the line beam both along the illumination optical axis and in a lateral direction to the illumination optical axis.

Assignees

• Univ Leland Stanford Junior

Inventors

• Landry Joseph R
• Solgaard Olav
• Hamann Stephen S

Classifications

• G02B21/0076

  arrangements using fluorescence or luminescence · CPC title

• G02B21/0088

  Inverse microscopes · CPC title

• G02B21/0032

  Optical details of illumination, e.g. light-sources, pinholes, beam splitters, slits, fibers (G02B21/0036 - G02B21/008; means for illumination of specimens in general G02B21/06) · CPC title

• G02B21/367 Primary

  providing an output produced by processing a plurality of individual source images, e.g. image tiling, montage, composite images, depth sectioning, image comparison · CPC title

• G02B21/008

  Details of detection or image processing, including general computer control · CPC title