Wide field amplitude and phase confocal microscope with parallel phase stepping

We describe a wide field phase sensitive confocal microscope based on corre lation between speckles. In this system, parallel optical phase stepping pr ovides for the simultaneous capture of four interferograms using a single c amera, giving the system the potential to operate at high speed. The interf erograms are mapped to a common frame of reference, removing any relative d istortion in the process, so that phase, amplitude, and interference effici ency images can be obtained. We use a new phase stepping algorithm that acc ounts for the unequal phase steps and unbalanced beam amplitudes that are a consequence of the optical arrangement. Experimental results to show that the system operates as a wide field amplitude and phase confocal system are presented. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.