Creation of a three-dimensional spherical fluorescence spot for super-resolution microscopy using a two-color annular hybrid wave plate

摘要

We fabricate a two-color annular hybrid wave plate (TAHWP) for fluorescence depletion super-resolution microscopy by combining quartz plates. Inserting the TAHWP into a commercial laser-scanning microscope together with a quarter-wave plate creates a three-dimensional spherical fluorescence spot smaller than the diffraction limit. Since a simple experimental setup easily provides a spot with a volume of similar to 100 nm(3), the TAHWP can improve the performance of various microspectroscopic devices. (C) 2015 Optical Society of America.