Large field-of-view super-resolution image obtained by manipulating submerged microsphere

Abstract

Images with super-resolution can be obtained by dielectric microspheres with appropriate refractive index. However, in practical applications, the microsphere must be moved to the desired position and can scan the large specific area. Here we present a simple method of positioning a microsphere by using a four-dimensional precision translation stage. The simulations have been performed to confirm that 16 μm ϕ barium titanate glass (BTG) microsphere submerged in alcohol can obtain high quality images and the influence of the probe and the flowing liquid on imaging can be ignored. Therefore, by driving the translation stage, the submerged microsphere can scan the sample surface along the X and Y axis at the speed of 10 μm/s and the large field-of-view image can be achieved by stitching the pictures of different positions. This work has provided a new technique in super-resolution imaging and can be widely applied in field of scientific research.