Miniaturized bimodal laser scanning microscopes

In this paper, we report a miniaturized laser scanning microscope. Unlike conventional microscopes, the optical fiber used here for the excitation laser and signal’s transmission largely improves our microscope’s mobility, and thus eliminates the space constraints of the sample stage. This miniaturized microscope can be motorized along XYZ axis and rotated in theta direction. Based on this modified microscope, we take images of test targets and a micrometer, and compare the resolution and signal to background ratio between its confocal and non-descanned detection modules. We also present the imaging results of Hela cells on a tilted sample stage to simulate the imaging of large and irregular samples. Therefore, this miniaturized microscope has the potential to be utilized for in vivo imaging of large animals. © 2014, The Optical Society of India.