2011 Innovation Awards
screen a few centimeters away; the screen is the photosensitive area of a digital camera. If the amplitude of the scattered waves from the object is small compared to the unscattered reference wave, the interference pattern on the screen constitutes a hologram. Holograms are then recorded and stored as digital images in a computer, with each hologram containing all of the 3-D information of the sample to a resolution of about 0.5 µm. Tese holograms are then reconstructed at varying depths throughout the sample, generating a stack of 2-D reconstructions. Te stacks may be combined into a 3-D image of the sample with enhanced depth of field or leſt as 2-D slices. Capturing a series of images allows the user to generate 3-D movies of events. Resolution Optics soſtware, HoloSuite 2010, uses a proprietary algorithm that allows for fast, accurate reconstructions of in-line holograms. Tis high-speed soſtware package is available exclusively through Resolution Optics Inc. Tis program is an essential tool for reconstructing the
digital inline holograms acquired by any of the DIHM systems. HoloSuite 2010 is capable of reconstructing all digital in-line holographic images and can also be used independently from the DIHM instruments. Applications include determinations of size distributions and 3-D trajectories of particles and micro-organisms, microfluidics research, and refractive index measurements.
VersaChrome® Tunable Bandpass Filters Semrock, Inc. Developers: Ligang Wang, Turan Erdogan, and Rob Beeson
Tese patented thin-film filters
are tunable over a wide range of wavelengths by adjusting the angle of incidence with essentially no change
in spectral performance
for both bandpass and edge filters. Tin-film optical filters produced using previous thin-film design
techniques exhibit spectra that become highly distorted at angles of only 20º to 30º from the norm and are essentially unusable for larger angles. VersaChrome filters maintain high transmission, steep edges, and excellent out-of-band blocking even at angles up to 60º. Tese new filters are tunable over a wide range of wavelengths by adjusting the angle of incidence. Te tuning range for VersaChrome is 12 percent of the starting center wavelength. Existing tunable filters (LCTF, AOTF, LVF) all have compromised performance characteristics, such as low transmission, non-steep edges, small working aperture, variation of spectral performance over a non-infinitesimal aperture, polarization sensitivity, or poor out-of-band blocking. Te VersaChrome filters
allow high passband
transmission, have a “top hat” passband shape, steep spectral edges, high out-of-band blocking, adjustable bandwidth, high laser damage threshold, and polarization insensitivity. One VersaChrome filter can replace dozens of individual filters.
46
Only 5 filters are needed to cover the entire visible spectrum. Tey can be employed in both the excitation and emission beam paths. At the heart of this invention is Semrock’s discovery of a
way to make steep-edge filters at very high angles of incidence with essentially no polarization splitting and nearly equal edge steepness values for both polarizations. Tese properties are maintained over a very wide range of angles. Applications include sensor and detector calibration, fluorescence microscopy, hyper-spectral imaging, forensic analysis, environmental monitoring, gemology, and microelectronic and photovoltaic device production.
MICA-1600 Microcalorimeter Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectrometer
STAR Cryoelectronics LLC H.K.N. Inc.
Developer: Robin Cantor Microcalorimetry energy-
dispersive X-ray spectrometry (Microcal EDS) offers the same qualitative and quantitative analysis capabilities as conventional EDS but with better spatial resolution because
improved energy resolu-
tion allows analysis at low electron beam energies. Te Microcal EDS consists of a thin Bi X-ray absorber in thermal contact with a superconducting transition-edge
sensor (TES) thermometer. A thermo-isolation structure made of a Si3N4 membrane isolates the absorber and TES from the Si substrate. When an X-ray photon hits the X-ray absorber, its temperature increases, which increases the electrical resistance of the TES. Te X-ray absorption event results in a decrease of the Joule power dissipated by the TES, a rapid return to the nominal operating temperature, and a current pulse whose magnitude is proportional to the incident X-ray energy. Te current flowing through the TES is measured with an ultra-low noise superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) amplifier. Te output of
the SQUID amplifier therefore
provides a measure of the X-ray energy from the unknown sample. Te SQUID output is coupled to a pulse processor and a conventional X-ray analyzer to display the X-ray. For optimal stability and S/N ratio, the X-ray absorber/TES/ SQUID must be operated at a very low working temperature, typically below 100 mK. Terefore, a cryogen-free pulse tube cryocooler and an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator are used on the Microcal EDS to provide the required cooling. Te Microcal EDS, MICA-1600, is a next-generation
EDS that brings the high-energy resolution typical of a wavelength-dispersive crystal spectrometer to an EDS-type detector. Te Microcal EDS easily resolves peak overlaps,
www.microscopy-today.com • 2011 September
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84