High-performance confocal system for microscopic or endoscopic applications.

We designed a high-performance confocal system that can be easily adapted to an existing light microscope or coupled with an endoscope for remote imaging. The system employs spatially and temporally patterned illumination produced by one of several mechanisms, including a micromirror array video projection device driven by a computer video source or a microlens array scanned by a piezo actuator in the microscope illumination path. A series of subsampled "component" video images are acquired from a solid-state video camera. Confocal images are digitally reconstructed using "virtual pinhole" synthetic aperture techniques applied to the collection of component images. Unlike conventional confocal techniques that raster scan a single detector and illumination point, our system samples multiple locations in parallel, with particular advantages for monitoring fast dynamic processes. We compared methods of patterned illumination and confocal image reconstruction by characterizing the point spread function, contrast, and intensity of imaged objects. Sample 3D reconstructions include a diatom and a Golgi-stained nerve cell collected in transmission.