Fourier ptychographic imaging systems, devices, and methods

Abstract

Systems, devices, and methods of Fourier ptychographic imaging configured for illuminating a specimen being imaged from a plurality of incidence angles, for acquiring variably-illuminated, low-resolution intensity images of the specimen, and for reconstructing a high-resolution image of the specimen by iteratively determining the high resolution image that is self-consistent with the variably-illuminated, low-resolution intensity images, for example, by updating overlapping regions of variably-illuminated, low-resolution intensity images in Fourier space.

1 . Fourier ptychographic imaging device, comprising:
 a variable illuminator for providing illumination to a specimen from a plurality of incidence angles;   an optical element for filtering illumination issuing from the specimen;   a detector for acquiring a plurality of variably-illuminated, low-resolution intensity images of the specimen based on light filtered by the optical element; and   a processor for computationally reconstructing a high-resolution image of the specimen by iteratively updating overlapping regions in Fourier space with the variably illuminated, low-resolution intensity images.   
     
     
         2 . The Fourier ptychographic imaging device of  claim 1 , wherein the optical element is a low numerical aperture objective lens. 
     
     
         3 . The Fourier ptychographic imaging device of  claim 2 , wherein the low numerical aperture objective lens has a numerical aperture between about 0.02 and 0.13. 
     
     
         4 . The Fourier ptychographic imaging device of  claim 2 , wherein the low numerical aperture objective lens has a numerical aperture of about 0.08. 
     
     
         5 . The Fourier ptychographic imaging device of  claim 2 , wherein a difference between the two most adjacent incidence angles in the plurality of incidence angles is between 10% and 90% of an acceptance angle corresponding to a numerical aperture of the low aperture objective lens. 
     
     
         6 . The Fourier ptychographic imaging device of  claim 2 , wherein a difference between the two most adjacent incidence angles in the plurality of incidence angles is between 33% and 66% an acceptance angle corresponding to a numerical aperture of the low aperture objective lens. 
     
     
         7 . The Fourier ptychographic imaging device of  claim 2 , wherein a difference between the two most adjacent incidence angles in the plurality of incidence angles is less than 76% of an acceptance angle corresponding to the numerical aperture of the low aperture objective lens. 
     
     
         8 . The Fourier ptychographic imaging device of  claim 1 , wherein the variable illuminator comprises a two-dimensional matrix of light elements, each light element providing illumination from one of the plurality of incidence angles. 
     
     
         9 . The Fourier ptychographic imaging device of  claim 8 , wherein each light element is a set of one or more light-emitting diodes. 
     
     
         10 . The Fourier ptychographic imaging device of  claim 8 ,
 wherein each light element comprises three quasi-monochromatic light sources, and;   wherein the processor computationally reconstructs high-resolution images corresponding to the three quasi-monochromatic light sources, and combines the high-resolution images to generate a color high-resolution image.   
     
     
         11 . The Fourier ptychographic imaging device of  claim 1 , wherein the variable illuminator comprises a hexagonal array of light elements, each light element providing illumination from one of the plurality of incidence angles. 
     
     
         12 . The Fourier ptychographic imaging device of  claim 11 , wherein each light element is a set of one ore more light-emitting diodes. 
     
     
         13 . The Fourier ptychographic imaging device of  claim 1 , wherein the overlapping regions overlap by between 20% and 90% in area. 
     
     
         14 . The Fourier ptychographic imaging device of  claim 1 , wherein the overlapping regions overlap by between 2% and 99.5% in area. 
     
     
         15 . The Fourier ptychographic imaging device of  claim 1 , wherein the overlapping regions overlap by about 66% in area. 
     
     
         16 . The Fourier ptychographic imaging device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor also automatically refocuses to an in-focus plane of the specimen. 
     
     
         17 . The Fourier ptychographic imaging device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is part of the detector. 
     
     
         18 . The Fourier ptychographic imaging device of  claim 1 , further comprising a display for displaying the high-resolution image. 
     
     
         19 . A method of Fourier ptychographic imaging, comprising:
 illuminating a specimen from a plurality of incidence angles using a variable illuminator;   filtering light issuing from the specimen using an optical element;   capturing a plurality of variably-illuminated, low-resolution intensity images of the specimen using a detector; and   computationally reconstructing a high-resolution image of the specimen by iteratively updating overlapping regions variably-illuminated, low-resolution intensity images in Fourier space.   
     
     
         20 . The method of Fourier ptychographic imaging of  claim 19 , wherein each overlapping region corresponds to an approximate optical transfer function of the optical element. 
     
     
         21 - 33 . (canceled)