SBIR Phase I: Fast Focus and Zoom in Microscopy

SBIR 第一阶段：显微镜中的快速聚焦和变焦

• 批准号: 1819493
• 负责人: Sarah Lukes
• 金额: $ 22.5万
• 依托单位: Agile Focus Designs, LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-06-01 至 2019-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1819493&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Fast; Focus; Zoom

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will enable fast focusing and zoom in microscopy with an optomechanical system consisting of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) mirrors. The microscope add-on will enable fast 3D imaging in wide-field microscopes and increase focusing and zoom speeds by 100x when compared with conventional methods in confocal and multiphoton microscopy. The technology allows the sample stage and objective lens turret to remain stationary during experiments. It will increase throughput, preserve sensitive samples, enable observation of dynamic events, and reduce training time. The innovation will spur significant discovery in understanding dynamic reactions that occur in in vivo and in vitro microscopy. The initial target market has an estimated gross revenue of $75M. The technology also promises to benefit 3D imaging systems for manufacturing or machine vision, optical coherence tomography, and endoscopic imaging systems by providing high speed and agile focus control. While MEMS are ubiquitous in mobile platforms and the automotive industry for motion sensing, they have not yet permeated other markets or imaging systems to the same extent. With recent advances in fabrication and performance of optical MEMS devices, bringing this type of technology to other platforms can spark greater commercialization of the technology in non-traditional areas. The intellectual merit of this project is foremost the demonstration of a novel optomechanical system with MEMS mirrors for independent control of focusing and zoom in microscopy. MEMS mirrors are a type of varifocus element. They remain stationary while their voltage-controlled, configurable surface shapes allow for fast focusing and attendant correction of spherical aberration. Fast MEMS mirrors, with sufficient diameters for 2x zoom and significant focusing capability, have not previously been demonstrated in literature or commercially. By producing and characterizing fast, large-diameter MEMS mirrors for this project, knowledge of varifocus elements will be advanced. This project will also continue to define standard optical design practices to best utilize varifocus elements, since traditional optical analyses assume fixed focal length lenses or mirrors. The project objectives are three-fold: 1) fabricate large-diameter MEMS mirrors with greater than 40% yield, 2) characterize their focusing range and dynamic behavior, and 3) demonstrate them in a focus and zoom system suitable as a microscopy add-on component.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目将通过由微机电系统（MEMS）反射镜组成的光学机械系统实现快速聚焦和放大显微镜。显微镜附加组件将在宽视场显微镜中实现快速3D成像，与共焦和多光子显微镜中的传统方法相比，将聚焦和变焦速度提高100倍。该技术允许样品台和物镜透镜转台在实验期间保持静止。它将提高吞吐量，保存敏感样本，实现动态事件的观察，并减少训练时间。这一创新将促进在了解体内和体外显微镜中发生的动态反应方面的重大发现。最初的目标市场估计总收入为7500万美元。该技术还有望通过提供高速和灵活的聚焦控制，使制造或机器视觉，光学相干断层扫描和内窥镜成像系统的3D成像系统受益。虽然MEMS在移动的平台和汽车工业中用于运动传感是普遍存在的，但它们尚未以相同的程度渗透到其他市场或成像系统。随着光学MEMS器件的制造和性能的最新进展，将这种类型的技术引入其他平台可以在非传统领域激发该技术的更大商业化。该项目的智力价值首先是一种新型的光学机械系统与MEMS镜的独立控制聚焦和放大显微镜的示范。MEMS反射镜是一种变焦元件。它们保持静止，而它们的电压控制，可配置的表面形状允许快速聚焦和随之而来的球面像差校正。快速MEMS反射镜，具有足够的直径为2倍变焦和显着的聚焦能力，以前没有在文献或商业上证明。通过生产和表征快速，大直径的MEMS反射镜的这个项目，变焦元件的知识将被推进。该项目还将继续定义标准的光学设计实践，以最好地利用变焦元件，因为传统的光学分析假设固定焦距的透镜或镜子。该项目有三个目标：1）以大于40%的产率制造大直径MEMS反射镜，2）表征它们的聚焦范围和动态行为，以及3）在适合作为显微镜附加装置的聚焦和变焦系统中展示它们。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查进行评估，被认为值得支持的搜索.