3-D IMAGING WITH PARALLEL PIXEL FILTERING TECHNIQUES

CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY HAS BEEN DEVELOPED TO MEET THE INCREASING DEMANDS OF 3-D IMAGING. THE DEFICIENCY OF THE TECHNIQUE IS THAT THE IMAGE DATA MUST BE COLLECTED PIXEL BY PIXEL THROUGH SCANNING, MAKING THE INSTRUMENT SLOW, INEFFICIENT, COMPLICATED AND EXPENSIVE. THE REALIZATION OF 3-D IMAGING THROUGH PARALLEL PIXEL FILTERING TECHNIQUES IS BEING EXPLORED. A PIXEL FILTER ARRAY MADE OF MICROOPTICS CAN BE CONSTRUCTED TO PERFORM SPATIAL FILTERING FOR ALL IMAGE PIXELS SIMULTANEOUSLY. ONLY THE LIGHT FROM THE FOCAL DEPTH REGION CAN PASS THROUGH THE PIXEL FILTER ARRAY AND THE LIGHT FROM OUT-OF-FOCUS REGIONS IS REJECTED. SECTIONED IMAGES CAN BE OBTAINED WITHOUT SCANNING. THE TECHNIQUE HAS BETTER DEPTH DISCRIMINATION CAPABILITY THAN THAT OF THE CONFOCAL TECHNIQUE. DUE TO THE ELIMINATION OF IMAGE SCANNING, THE TECHNIQUE INCREASES THE IMAGING SPEED, SIMPLIFIES THE INSTRUMENT DESIGN, AND GREATLY REDUCES THE COSTS.