Programmable array microscope employing two ferroelectric liquid crystal spatial light modulators

We present a programmable array microscope (PAM) which uses a pair of ferroelectric liquid crystal spatial light modulators (FLC SLMs). The system is similar to a confocal imaging system called a direct-view microscope (DVM), in which scanned aperture arrays are used to obtain real-time confocal images. The PAM, unlike the DVM, allows arrays to be scanned electronically rather than mechanically. In our system, one SLM is placed in the source plane of a conventional microscope system; the other is placed in the detector plane. Confocal aperture arrays are displayed and scanned synchronously on the SLMs and confocal imaging results. The resolution is improved when compared to a similar previously presented system which employed a single SLM. We present axial resolution measurements for a variety of array dimensions and investigate the use of aperture correlation techniques to improve the light throughput in the devices.