Implementation of a Wavefront coded microscope by the use of a spatial light modulator

Wavefront Coding (WFC) technique is typically used to compensate for optical aberrations related to defocus. An advantage of WFC are that the depth of field (DOF) will be increased and the weight and size of an optical system are reduced. In this work a WFC system is analyzed to extend the DOF of the microscope objective. The Point Spread Function (PSF) is used to modify in such a way that it is invariant to defocus in a range of axial distances. A liquid crystal display light modulator (LC SLM) in a 4f imaging system is used for the implementation of the phase masks (PM). LC SLM screens modulate both the amplitude and the phase of the input beam. This display allows a flexible implementation of different profiles of phase masks that are generated from different families of functions, this is because the parameters can be dynamically modified. In this document, we propose an experimental setup for extended DOF in optical microscopy. Experimental results are presented using a LC - SLM.