An image pixel array captures and infrared image of an interference between an imaging signal and a reference wavefront. A display pixel array generates an infrared holographic imaging signal and the image pixel array receives the infrared imaging signal through the display pixel array.

A microscope comprising a coherent light source producing a coherent light beam, a light beam guide system comprising a beam splitter configured to split the coherent light beam into a reference beam and a sample illumination beam, a sample holder configured to hold a sample to be observed, a sample illumination device configured to direct the sample illumination beam through the sample and into a microscope objective, a beam reuniter configured to reunite the reference beam and sample illumination beam after passage of the sample illumination beam through the sample to be observed, and a light sensing system configured to capture at least phase and intensity values of the coherent light beam downstream of the beam reuniter.

An imaging device includes an image pixel array and a display pixel array. The image pixel array is configured to capture an infrared image of an interference between an infrared imaging signal and an infrared reference wavefront. The display pixel array is configured to generate an infrared holographic imaging signal according to a holographic pattern driven onto the display pixels. The holographic pattern is derived from the infrared image captured by the image pixel array.

An infrared image is captured by an image sensor and a frequency domain infrared image is generated by performing a Fourier transform operation on the infrared image. A filtered frequency domain infrared image is generated by applying a mask to the frequency domain infrared image. A spatial domain infrared image is generated by performing an inverse Fourier transform on the filtered frequency domain infrared image. Phase data is extracted from the spatial domain infrared image and a holographic pattern generated from the phase data is driven onto a display.

A holographic imaging device and method realizes both a transmission type and a reflection type, and also realizes a long working distance wide field of view or ultra-high resolution. Object light emitted from an object, sequentially illuminated with parallel illumination light whose incident direction is changed, is recorded on a plurality of object light holograms for each incident direction using off-axis spherical wave reference light. The reference light is recorded on a reference light hologram using in-line spherical wave reference light being in-line with the object light. An object light wave hologram and its spatial frequency spectrum at the object position are generated for each incident direction using each hologram. A synthetic spectrum which occupies a wider frequency space is generated by matching each spectrum in the overlapping area, and a synthetic object light wave hologram with increased numerical aperture is obtained thereby.

A holographic interferometer, comprising: at least one imaging device capturing an interference pattern created by at least two light beams; and at least one aperture located in an optical path of at least one light beam of the at least two light beams; wherein the at least one aperture is located away from an axis of the at least one light beam, thus transmitting a subset of the at least one light beam collected at an angle range.

Systems and methods for simultaneous multi-channel off-axis holography are described. Multi-channel imaging systems can include a light system including a plurality of light sources configured to generate illumination and reference beams at a plurality of wavelengths, an illumination system configured to illuminate a target object with the illumination beams, an optical assembly configured to receive a reflected target beam and condition the target beam for recording at an optical imaging system, and a reference system configured to propagate the reference beams to the optical imaging system. The reference beams are interfered with the target beam at the optical imaging system to create interference patterns, which can be recorded in a collective image having a plurality of side lobes. Holographic information in the side lobes can be combined to generate 3D images having a substantially reduced signal to noise ratio.

A holographic interferometer, comprising: at least one imaging device capturing an interference pattern created by at least two light beams; and at least one aperture located in an optical path of at least one light beam of the at least two light beams; wherein the at least one aperture is located away from an axis of the at least one light beam, thus transmitting a subset of the at least one light beam collected at an angle range.

An apparatus for viewing a biological sample that functions as both a microscope and an interferometer. A short-coherence light source directs light onto the sample. A Fourier transform lens and a pixel-array detector are positioned to collect light scattered by the sample. An optic fiber assembly conveys a reference beam from the short-coherence light source. The detector collects the reference beam and the signal beam and uses coherence gating to acquire interferometric image data. In some embodiments the axis of the incident light striking the sample and the axis of collected scattered signal light form an angle of less than 180 degrees and advantageously an angle between 120 and 150 degrees. A method of converting a microscope into an interferometer is also disclosed.

The present invention provides an ellipsometry device and an ellipsometry method whereby measurement efficiency can be enhanced. In this method, an object is illuminated by spherical-wave-like illumination light Q linearly polarized at 45 (S1), and an object light O, being a reflected light, is acquired in a hologram I.sub.OR using a spherical-wave-like reference light R having a condensing point near the condensing point of the illumination light Q, and a hologram I.sub.LR of the reference light R is furthermore acquired using a spherical-wave reference light L having the same condensing point as that of the illumination light Q (S2). The holograms are separated into p- and s-polarized light holograms I.sup.K.sub.OR, I.sup.K.sub.LR, =p, s and processed to extract object light waves, and object light spatial frequency spectra G.sup.K(u, v), =p, s are generated (S3) (S4). Ellipsometric angles (), () are obtained for each incident angle from the amplitude reflection coefficient ratio =G.sup.p/G.sup.s=tan .Math.exp(i). Through use of numerous lights having different incident angles included in the illumination light Q, data of numerous reflection lights can be acquired collectively in a hologram and can be processed.