SBIR Phase II: Wavefront Microscopy: A low-Cost Implementation of High-Quality Microscopic Phase Imaging for Bioscience Teaching and Training

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目将开发一种革命性的方法并将其商业化，将标准的低成本光学显微镜转化为高性能、低成本的成像仪器，用于生物研究和教育。这项技术使用一种专门的图像传感器，使透明的生物样品在光学波长下可见，而不需要染色技术或需要大量培训的昂贵光学显微镜元件。此外，该技术可以自然地去卷积幅度和相位，从而能够更好地解释“暗斑”。该项目代表了硅光子学的主要应用，利用了巨大的半导体制造基础设施来开发新的光学制造技术。此外，该方案还针对特定的性能改进，例如通过增加冷却单元来降低噪音，以及通过更密集的像素阵列来扩大视场。当安装在标准的实验室显微镜上时，我们的新型传感器相机能够以显著较低的成本产生高质量、实时的活体显微相位成像。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是能够对活体生物样本进行高质量的实时显微成像。我们的业务战略和产品计划面向两个潜在的市场：1)中学、大学教学实验室和其他教育机构；2)学术和工业研究实验室。我们的市场渗透战略为教育显微镜用户提供了以显著降低的成本访问我们的新型成像功能，通过实时呈现透明样本并支持具有更高实验成分的新课程，从而彻底改变了生物科学的教学和培训。学术和工业研究人员还可以利用我们的创新技术，利用它来获得更好的成像能力，并消除黑点解释中的歧义。我们的相机与标准显微镜完全兼容，可以在没有技术挑战或高级培训的情况下进行改造；与竞争技术不同，它还有助于观察标准培养皿中的文化。这项技术处于生物技术硅光子学应用的前沿，代表着一种令人兴奋的利用硅制造经济性用于成像应用的新方法。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop and commercialize a revolutionary method to convert standard low-cost optical microscopes into high-performance, low-cost imaging instruments for biological research and education. The technology uses a specialized image sensor to render transparent biological samples visible at optical wavelengths without staining techniques or expensive optical microscope elements requiring extensive training. In addition, the technique naturally deconvolves amplitude and phase, enabling better interpretation of "dark spots". This project represents a major application of silicon photonics, exploiting the vast semiconductor fabrication infrastructure for novel optics manufacturing techniques. In addition, this proposal addresses selected performance improvements, such as noise reduction via an added cooling unit and enlarging the field of view through denser pixel arrays. When fitted to a standard laboratory microscope, our novel sensor camera offers the capability to produce high-quality, real-time in vivo microscopic phase imaging at a significantly lower cost. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is to enable high-quality, real-time microscopic images of in vivo biological samples. Our business strategy and product plan addresses two potential marketplaces: 1) Secondary schools, college teaching laboratories, and other educational settings; and 2) Academic and industrial research laboratories. Our market penetration strategy provides for educational microscope users to access our novel imaging capabilities at significantly reduced cost, revolutionizing bioscience teaching and training by rendering transparent samples visible in real time and enabling new curricula with a higher experimental component. Academic and industrial researchers also can exploit our innovative technology, using it for better imaging capabilities and removing ambiguities in dark spot interpretation. Our camera is entirely compatible with standard microscopes, enabling retrofits without technical challenges or the need for advanced training; it is also useful for observation of cultures in standard culture dishes, unlike competing techniques. This technology lies at the cutting edge of silicon photonics applications for biotechnology and represents an exciting new way to leverage silicon manufacturing economics for imaging applications.