High performance commercial 3D scanners and profilometers are complex and expensive for individual users. On the other hand, there are many onsite applications that require handheld portable devices to reliably measure 3D structures with high accuracy and sensitivity, such as inspecting flat mechanical surfaces and testing water quality. Here, we present a portable quantitative phase microscopy (QPM) system to tackle such onsite applications and laboratory needs. Our portable QPM system integrates digital holography, optical microscopy, and smartphone technologies into one single platform to allow for a broader user accessibility. Unlike the current prevailing smartphone imaging techniques, our method does not require heavy computations and complicated algorithms. Our image retrieval algorithm, particularly phase retrieval based on digital holographic measurements, is simply that allows for achieving real-time imaging on mobile devices. Our system is an effort on miniaturizing a compact QPM system and reducing their cost. With this portable system, we are currently exploring various applications ranging from characterizing microfluidic devices to imaging microscopic structures in water. We envision our QPM unit will be widely available to individual users for more exciting applications in the near future.
|