3D Upgrade for Optical Microscopes

In conventional microscopic images of materials and life cells, only object intensity and colour are imaged. However, the phase of the light beam bears information about the 3D structure of the object with which the light interacted. The new Digital Phase Technology developed by PhaseView in France allows upgrading conventional microscopes to transform them into a 3D measurement device with vertical resolution in the nanometer range. The upgrade is a device which goes onto the C-mount of the microscope. It communicates via USB with a PC who controls the instrument, acquires the data and is used for the image treatment. The system allows thus to obtain 3D images of a surface, obtain height profiles and calculate surface roughness etc. It can also be used in transmission mode to image cells with much improved contrast.