A focus adjustment method for acquiring an image of a surface of interest of a sample by a holographic imager includes the steps of: placing the sample including at least one reference object having a known shape and described by characterising parameters having at least position parameters acquiring an image and determining the position of the reference object with respect to the acquisition plane, by applying a light diffraction model involving the spatial parameters of the reference object estimated by approximating the appearance of the reference object in the holographic image acquired, and determining the position of the surface of interest with respect to the acquisition plane from a position of the reference object and focus adjustment of the image acquisition.

A method having the steps of obtaining prepared image data captured by an image sensor receiving light propagated across a sample volume, containing a fluid possibly comprising microscopic objects of foreign origin, while illuminating the sample volume by coherent light. The prepared image data comprising, for a microscopic object, a prepared hologram pattern with prepared spatially alternating intensity formed by the interference fringes; providing filtered image data, comprising automatically filtering the prepared image data by an edge enhancing filter. the filtered image data comprising, for a prepared hologram pattern, a filtered hologram pattern. The presence of the microscopic object associated with the filtered hologram pattern in the sample volume of the fluid is automatically detected on the basis of the filtered hologram pattern.

An advance in high-resolution optical metrology has been achieved by the introduction of incoherent holographic imaging. FINCH, an example of incoherent holography, is shown to simplify the process, eliminating many steps in metrology and at the same time increasing throughput, resolution and accuracy of the method. A proposed technique requires only a single image capture with a non-moving camera rather than the capture of multiple stacks of images requiring many camera exposures and movement of the camera or sample in the conventional techniques.

A holographic security or identification device (10) comprises an object, or a flexible substrate (12) configured to be conformable to a desired, curved shape; and a plurality of structures (14) formed on or in the object to have a desired curved configuration, or formed in or associated with the substrate and arranged to adopt a desired curved configuration when the substrate is conformed to a desired shape, wherein the plurality of structures (14) are configured to receive light (20) of a selected at least one wavelength or range of wavelengths and to produce, using the received light, a desired holographic image (22) for security or identification purposes when in the desired configuration.

A method for optimally producing a holographic image using a Holographic Optical Element (HOE) and the HOE meant for controlling directions and divergences of light beams to impart system compactness. The system uses concave and convex lenses and other beam expanding, splitting, modulating and combining optics for realization of compactness and high throughput. The thin laser beam is split using a holographic optical element and a conventional beam splitter. A neutral density filter adjusts the intensity of a reference beam to match the intensity of an object beam so that high quality digital holograms can be recorded. Effects of vibrations are minimized by the compact optical design, by anti-vibration mounts, by mounting all the opto-mechanical components on a single rigid platform and by enclosing the system. An electro-optical sensor array records holograms digitally and an algorithm numerically reconstructs and further quantifies the results using a personal computer/laptop/tablet etc.

A method for optimally producing a holographic image using a Holographic Optical Element (HOE) and the HOE meant for controlling directions and divergences of light beams to impart system compactness. The system uses concave and convex lenses and other beam expanding, splitting, modulating and combining optics for realization of compactness and high throughput. The thin laser beam is split using a holographic optical element and a conventional beam splitter. A neutral density filter adjusts the intensity of a reference beam to match the intensity of an object beam so that high quality digital holograms can be recorded. Effects of vibrations are minimized by the compact optical design, by anti-vibration mounts, by mounting all the opto-mechanical components on a single rigid platform and by enclosing the system. An electro-optical sensor array records holograms digitally and an algorithm numerically reconstructs and further quantifies the results using a personal computer/laptop/tablet etc.

A holographic security or identification device (10) comprises an object, or a flexible substrate (12) configured to be conformable to a desired, curved shape; and a plurality of structures (14) formed on or in the object to have a desired curved configuration, or formed in or associated with the substrate and arranged to adopt a desired curved configuration when the substrate is conformed to a desired shape, wherein the plurality of structures (14) are configured to receive light (20) of a selected at least one wavelength or range of wavelengths and to produce, using the received light, a desired holographic image (22) for security or identification purposes when in the desired configuration.

An information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present technology includes an acquisition unit, a calculation unit, and a display controller. The acquisition unit acquires image data in which an interference fringe of illumination light passing through liquid including a cell is recorded. The calculation unit calculates cell information regarding the cell by performing propagation calculation on the illumination light on the basis of the image data. The display controller controls display of a monitoring image indicating a temporal change in the cell information.

A method of correcting a holographic image, a processing device, a dark field digital holographic microscope, a metrology apparatus and an inspection apparatus. The method includes obtaining a holographic image; determining at least one attenuation function due to motion blur from the holographic image; and correcting the holographic image, or a portion thereof, using the at least one attenuation function.

A method having the steps of obtaining prepared image data captured by an image sensor receiving light propagated across a sample volume, containing a fluid possibly comprising microscopic objects of foreign origin, while illuminating the sample volume by coherent light. The prepared image data comprising, for a microscopic object, a prepared hologram pattern with prepared spatially alternating intensity formed by the interference fringes; providing filtered image data, comprising automatically filtering the prepared image data by an edge enhancing filter. the filtered image data comprising, for a prepared hologram pattern, a filtered hologram pattern. The presence of the microscopic object associated with the filtered hologram pattern in the sample volume of the fluid is automatically detected on the basis of the filtered hologram pattern.