Abstract

A method is described whereby the effective detector sensitivity function can be modified in a scanning optical microscope by placing a polarizer in front of a photodetector. The technique relies on the polarizer being placed in a divergent cone of light. The technique is powerful as birefringent information from the specimen may be obtained simultaneously. Examples of amplitude and differential phase contrast images are presented.

© 1985 Optical Society of America

Two-dimensional phase imaging in the scanning optical microscope

D. K. Hamilton and T. Wilson
Appl. Opt. 23(2) 348-352 (1984)

Digital scanning laser microscope

Y. Ichioka, T. Kobayashi, H. Kitagawa, and T. Suzuki
Appl. Opt. 24(5) 691-696 (1985)

Scanning differential phase contrast optical microscope: application to surface studies

C. W. See, M. Vaez Iravani, and H. K. Wickramasinghe
Appl. Opt. 24(15) 2373-2379 (1985)

Effect of spherical aberration on the imaging properties of scanning optical microscopes

C. J. R. Sheppard and T. Wilson
Appl. Opt. 18(7) 1058-1063 (1979)

Images of phase edges in conventional and scanning optical microscopes

T. Wilson
Appl. Opt. 20(18) 3238-3244 (1981)