Coherence-controlled holographic microscopy principle embodiment into Q-PHASE microscope: story of a successful technology transfer

摘要

Curiously, the coherence-controlled holographic microscopy (CCHM) was brought into the world owing to the endeavor of Chmelik's team at Brno University of Technology (BUT) to avoid scanning in confocal microscopy. As coherence gating seemed to be the way, the Leith & Upatnieks proposal of incoherent holography had been considered attractive. Their method made interference system free from strict dependence on both spatial and temporal coherence. Off axis holographic system proposed on such basis has been proved capable of coherence based depth discrimination in single wide-field shot in reflected-light arrangement. Consequently, extremely low-coherence holographic imaging had been found highly contributive also to the image quality depriving it from coherence artefacts and improving its transversal resolution. This is why CCHM promised high precision of quantitative phase imaging (QPI) in transmitted light set up that was realized for cell biology. However the cost of necessarily complicated optical design and need of very precise mechanics forced the team of prof Chmelik at BUT to search for a company capable of mastering the instrument. It was TESCAN ORSAY the highly successful scanning electron microscopes producer that finally took charge of the commercial design. Long-term collaboration of the company with BUT made possible both the CCHM technology successful transfer up to Q-PHASE microscope production as well as the company Light microscopy division reinforcement. This contribution merges views of CCHM technology author and the TESCAN development team.