The linear systems optical resolution limit is a dense grating pattern at a λ/2 pitch or a critical dimension (resolution) of λ/4. However, conventional microscopy provides a (Rayleigh) resolution of only ~ 0.6λ/NA, approaching λ/1.67 as NA → 1. A synthetic aperture approach to reaching the λ/4 linear-systems limit, extending previous developments in imaging-interferometric microscopy, is presented. Resolution of non-periodic 180-nm features using 633-nm illumination (λ/3.52) and of a 170-nm grating (λ/3.72) is demonstrated. These results are achieved with a 0.4-NA optical system and retain the working distance, field-of-view, and depth-of-field advantages of low-NA systems while approaching ultimate resolution limits.

© 2007 Optical Society of America

1. G. Donnert, J. Keller, R. Medda, M. A. Andrei, S. O. Rizzoli, R. Lührmann, R. Jahn, C. Eggeling, and S. W. Hell, "Macromolecular-scale resolution in biological fluorescence microscopy," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103, 11440-11445 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
2. V. Westphal and S. W. Hell, "Nanoscale resolution in the focal plane of an optical microscope," Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 143903 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
3. M. G. L. Gustafsson, "Nonlinear structured-illumination microscopy: wide-field fluorescence imaging with theoretically unlimited resolution," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102,13081-13086 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
4. W. Lukosz and M. Marchant, "Optischen Abbildung Unter Ueberschreitung der Beugungsbedingten Aufloesungsgrenze," Optica Acta  10, 241-255 (1963). [CrossRef]
5. W. Lucosz, "Optical Sustems with Resolving Powers Exceeding the Classical Limit," J. Opt. Soc. Am. 57, 932-941 (1967). [CrossRef]
6. X. Chen and S. R. J. Brueck, "Imaging interferometric lithography - approaching the resolution limits of optics," Opt. Lett. 24, 124-126 (1999). [CrossRef]
7. C. J. Schwarz, Y. Kuznetsova, and S. R. J. Brueck, "Imaging interferometric microscopy," Opt. Lett. 28, 1424-1426 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
8. S. A. Alexandrov T. R. Hillman, T. Gutzler and D. D. Sampson, "Synthetic aperture Fourier holographic optical microscopy," Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 168102 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
9. S. A. Alexandrov, T. R. Hillman, and D. D. Sampson, "Spatially resolved Fourier holographic light scattering angular spectroscopy," Opt. Lett. 30, 3305-3307 (2005). [CrossRef]
10. V. Mico, Z. Zalevsky, P. Garcia-Martinez, and J. Garcia, "Single-step superresolution by interferometric imaging," Opt. Express. 12, 2589-2596 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
11. V. Mico, Z. Zalevsky, P. Garcia-Martinez and J. Garcia "Superresolved imaging in digital holography by superposition of tilted wavefronts," Appl. Opt. 45, 822-828 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
12. V. Mico, Z. Zalevsky and J. Garcia, "Superresolution optical system by common-path interferometry," Opt. Express. 14, 5168-5177 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
13. V. Mico, Z. Zalevsky, P. Garcia-Martinez, and J. Garcia "Synthetic aperture superresolution with multiple off-axis holograms," J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 23, 3162-3170 (2006). [CrossRef]
14. J. W. Goodman, Introduction to Fourier Optics, 2nd Ed. (John Wiley and Sons, 1998).

Appl. Opt.

• V. Mico, Z. Zalevsky, P. Garcia-Martinez and J. Garcia "Superresolved imaging in digital holography by superposition of tilted wavefronts," Appl. Opt. 45, 822-828 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

J. Opt. Soc. Am.

• W. Lucosz, "Optical Sustems with Resolving Powers Exceeding the Classical Limit," J. Opt. Soc. Am. 57, 932-941 (1967). [CrossRef]

J. Opt. Soc. Am. A

• V. Mico, Z. Zalevsky, P. Garcia-Martinez, and J. Garcia "Synthetic aperture superresolution with multiple off-axis holograms," J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 23, 3162-3170 (2006). [CrossRef]

Opt. Express.

• V. Mico, Z. Zalevsky and J. Garcia, "Superresolution optical system by common-path interferometry," Opt. Express. 14, 5168-5177 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• V. Mico, Z. Zalevsky, P. Garcia-Martinez, and J. Garcia, "Single-step superresolution by interferometric imaging," Opt. Express. 12, 2589-2596 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Opt. Lett.

• S. A. Alexandrov, T. R. Hillman, and D. D. Sampson, "Spatially resolved Fourier holographic light scattering angular spectroscopy," Opt. Lett. 30, 3305-3307 (2005). [CrossRef]
• X. Chen and S. R. J. Brueck, "Imaging interferometric lithography - approaching the resolution limits of optics," Opt. Lett. 24, 124-126 (1999). [CrossRef]
• C. J. Schwarz, Y. Kuznetsova, and S. R. J. Brueck, "Imaging interferometric microscopy," Opt. Lett. 28, 1424-1426 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Optica Acta

• W. Lukosz and M. Marchant, "Optischen Abbildung Unter Ueberschreitung der Beugungsbedingten Aufloesungsgrenze," Optica Acta  10, 241-255 (1963). [CrossRef]

Phys. Rev. Lett.

• V. Westphal and S. W. Hell, "Nanoscale resolution in the focal plane of an optical microscope," Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 143903 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• S. A. Alexandrov T. R. Hillman, T. Gutzler and D. D. Sampson, "Synthetic aperture Fourier holographic optical microscopy," Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 168102 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA

• M. G. L. Gustafsson, "Nonlinear structured-illumination microscopy: wide-field fluorescence imaging with theoretically unlimited resolution," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102,13081-13086 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• G. Donnert, J. Keller, R. Medda, M. A. Andrei, S. O. Rizzoli, R. Lührmann, R. Jahn, C. Eggeling, and S. W. Hell, "Macromolecular-scale resolution in biological fluorescence microscopy," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103, 11440-11445 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Other

• J. W. Goodman, Introduction to Fourier Optics, 2nd Ed. (John Wiley and Sons, 1998).

Click here to see a list of articles that cite this paper

Related Journal Articles

• Optical Contrast in Apertureless Microscopy (AO)
• Fluorescence lifetime of a molecule near a corrugated interface: application to near-field microscopy (JOSAA)
• Influence of secondary tip shape on illumination-mode near-field scanning optical microscopy images (JOSAA)
• Method to calculate lateral and axial gain factors of optical setups with a large solid angle (JOSAA)
• Generalized confocal imaging and synthetic aperture imaging (JOSAA)

Related Conference Papers

• Femtosecond High-Brightness Nanometer-Sized Coherent Light Source
• Fluorescence 3D-microscopy with 100 nm resolution
• Retinal Motion Tracking in Adaptive Optics Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy
• Information Content of the Near-Field: Three-Dimensional Samples
• Near-Field Inverse Scattering: The Current State of Theory and Experiment