The polarization interferometric nonlinear
confocal microscope proposed enhances CTF of images.
Unlike other combination "
confocal microscope plus spectrograph" devices, the new machine is able to gather the spectrographic information from every point in a sample, at a wide range of wavelengths, and in a single scan.
With the addition of IATIA's QPm, Bio-Rad will have the only
confocal microscopes in the world with digital phase imaging capability without the use of additional optical hardware.
In the scanning-disk-type
confocal microscopes, multiple pinholes are located on a spinning Nipkow disk.
The microscope, located at UC Davis' Spectral Imaging Facility, combines an atomic force microscope and a
confocal microscope. It is one of a handful in the United States and one of the most advanced of its type, Liu said.
The VK-9700 color 3D laser scanning
confocal microscope is said to combine the capabilities of SEMs and non-contact profilometry with the simplicity of a conventional microscope.
Typically, an oblong laser spot created by a
confocal microscope has a diffraction-limited size of about 600 nm in depth and 200 nm in girth, says team leader Stefan W.
SDi believes that the introduction of basic
confocal microscope systems with a reasonable price - say between $60,000 and $100,000, which appears doable - could have a major influence in shaping the market for these instruments.