Authors: JF Power
Publish Date: 2004/04/01
Volume: 78, Issue: 6, Pages: 693-703
Abstract
Light profile microscopy is a new method of thin film imaging in which a microscope forms an image of a laser beam intersecting a thin layer along its depth axis Emission luminescence or scatter from the beam volume is transmitted through a cross sectional view surface and used by a microscope to form an image of the beam propagating through the sample Fresnel diffraction theory is used in this work to derive a point spread model for a microscope operating in this configuration assuming that the emission from the source beam is completely incoherent This theory illustrates the dependence of the image resolution on the laser beam radius which determines the effective thickness of the system object seen by the microscope The effect of relative displacement of the source beam center from the object plane of the microscope is evaluated The present theory shows that radial resolution may be evaluated by means of an object focus envelope and a focal energy distribution computed for the objective lens
Keywords: