Abstract

Confocal imaging systems rely on the use of an accurately positioned axial point detector. We discuss in this paper the effects on the various imaging modes of using a misaligned pinhole. We pay particular attention to the form of the transfer function and the depth discrimination property. A simple model of a thick edge type object is introduced, and it is found that in certain cases a degree of detector offset may be used to advantage in determining the position of the edge.

© 1988 Optical Society of America

Effect of axial pinhole displacement in confocal microscopes

Shigeharu Kimura and Tony Wilson
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Aberrations in high aperture conventional and confocal imaging systems

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Use of objective lenses with slit pupil functions in the imaging of line structures

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