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

该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目将开发并商业化一种革命性的方法，将标准低成本光学显微镜转换为高性能，低成本的成像仪器，用于生物研究和教育。 该技术使用专门的图像传感器，使透明的生物样品在光学波长下可见，而无需染色技术或需要大量培训的昂贵光学显微镜元件。 此外，该技术自然地对振幅和相位进行去卷积，从而能够更好地解释“暗点”。 该项目代表了硅光子学的一个主要应用，利用庞大的半导体制造基础设施进行新型光学制造技术。 此外，该提案还解决了选定的性能改进问题，例如通过增加冷却单元降低噪音，并通过更密集的像素阵列扩大视野。 当安装到标准实验室显微镜时，我们的新型传感器相机能够以显著降低的成本产生高质量的实时体内显微相位成像。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是实现体内生物样品的高质量实时显微图像。 我们的业务战略和产品计划针对两个潜在市场：1）中学，大学教学实验室和其他教育环境; 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着降低的成本访问我们的新成像功能，通过使透明样品在真实的时间内可见，并使新课程具有更高的实验成分，彻底改变了生物科学教学和培训。 学术和工业研究人员也可以利用我们的创新技术，使用它来提高成像能力，并消除暗点解释中的模糊性。 我们的相机与标准显微镜完全兼容，无需技术挑战或高级培训即可进行改造;与竞争技术不同，它还可用于观察标准培养皿中的培养物。 该技术处于生物技术硅光子学应用的前沿，代表了一种令人兴奋的新方法，可以利用硅制造经济学用于成像应用。

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.