Michael P. Lee

Development of a 3D printer using scanning projection stereolithography

We have developed a system for the rapid fabrication of low cost 3D devices and systems in the laboratory with micro-scale features yet cm-scale objects. Our system is inspired by maskless lithography, where a digital micromirror device (DMD) is used to project patterns with resolution up to 10 µm onto a layer of photoresist. Large area objects can be fabricated by stitching projected images over a 5cm2 area. The addition of a z-stage allows multiple layers to be stacked to create 3D objects, removing the need for any developing or etching steps but at the same time leading to true 3D devices which are robust, configurable and scalable. We demonstrate the applications of the system by printing a range of micro-scale objects as well as a fully functioning microfluidic droplet device and test its integrity by pumping dye through the channels.

Partial synchronization of stochastic oscillators through hydrodynamic coupling.

Holographic optical tweezers are used to construct a static bistable optical potential energy landscape where a brownian particle experiences restoring forces from two nearby optical traps and undergoes thermally activated transitions between the two energy minima. Hydrodynamic coupling between two such systems results in their partial synchronization. This is interpreted as an emergence of higher mobility pathways, along which it is easier to overcome barriers to structural rearrangement.

A multi-modal stereo microscope based on a spatial light modulator

Spatial Light Modulators (SLMs) can emulate the classic microscopy techniques, including differential interference (DIC) contrast and (spiral) phase contrast. Their programmability entails the benefit of flexibility or the option to multiplex images, for single-shot quantitative imaging or for simultaneous multi-plane imaging (depth-of-field multiplexing). We report the development of a microscope sharing many of the previously demonstrated capabilities, within a holographic implementation of a stereo microscope. Furthermore, we use the SLM to combine stereo microscopy with a refocusing filter and with a darkfield filter. The instrument is built around a custom inverted microscope and equipped with an SLM which gives various imaging modes laterally displaced on the same camera chip. In addition, there is a wide angle camera for visualisation of a larger region of the sample.

Dynamic stereo microscopy for studying particle sedimentation

We demonstrate a new method for measuring the sedimentation of a single colloidal bead by using a combination of optical tweezers and a stereo microscope based on a spatial light modulator. We use optical tweezers to raise a micron-sized silica bead to a fixed height and then release it to observe its 3D motion while it sediments under gravity. This experimental procedure provides two independent measurements of bead diameter and a measure of Faxéns correction, where the motion changes due to presence of the boundary.

Optical tweezers: a light touch

Optical tweezers use focused laser light to manipulate microscopic particles. We discuss the underlying physics of the technique in terms of a gradient force exerted by the light on the particles. The versatility of optical tweezers is highlighted, in particular, we explain how spatial light modulators and various imaging methods have greatly enhanced their range of applications.

Optical shield: measuring viscosity of turbid fluids using optical tweezers

The viscosity of a fluid can be measured by tracking the motion of a suspended micron-sized particle trapped by optical tweezers. However, when the particle density is high, additional particles entering the trap compromise the tracking procedure and degrade the accuracy of the measurement. In this work we introduce an additional Laguerre-Gaussian, i.e. annular, beam surrounding the trap, acting as an optical shield to exclude contaminating particles.

Four-directional stereo-microscopy for 3D particle tracking with real-time error evaluation

High-speed video stereo-microscopy relies on illumination from two distinct angles to create two views of a sample from different directions. The 3D trajectory of a microscopic object can then be reconstructed using parallax to combine 2D measurements of its position in each image. In this work, we evaluate the accuracy of 3D particle tracking using this technique, by extending the number of views from two to four directions. This allows us to record two independent sets of measurements of the 3D coordinates of tracked objects, and comparison of these enables measurement and minimisation of the tracking error in all dimensions. We demonstrate the method by tracking the motion of an optically trapped microsphere of 5 μm in diameter, and find an accuracy of 2-5 nm laterally, and 5-10 nm axially, representing a relative error of less than 2.5% of its range of motion in each dimension.

Observation of the rotational Doppler effect from an optically trapped micro-particle

The linear Doppler shift forms the basis of various sensor types for the measurement of linear velocity, ranging from speeding cars to fluid flow. Recently, a rotational analogue was demonstrated, enabling the measurement of angular velocity using light carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM). If measurement of the light scattered from a spinning object is restricted to a defined OAM state, then a frequency shift is observed that scales with the rotation rate of the object and the OAM of the scattered photon. In this work we measure the rotational Doppler shift from micron-sized calcite particles spinning in an optical trap at tens of Hz. In this case the signal is complicated by the geometry of the rotating particle, and the effect of Brownian motion. By careful consideration of these influences, we show how the signal is robust to both, representing a new technique with which to probe the rotational motion of micro-scale particles.

Spatial light modulation for improved microscope stereo vision and 3D tracking

We present a new type of stereo microscopy which can be used for tracking in 3D over an extended depth. The use of Spatial Light Modulators (SLMs) in the Fourier plane of a microscope sample is a common technique in Holographic Optical Tweezers (HOT). This set up is readily transferable from a tweezer system to an imaging system, where the tweezing laser is replaced with a camera. Just as a HOT system can diffract many traps of different types, in the imaging system many different imaging types can be diffracted with the SLM. The type of imaging we have developed is stereo imaging combined with lens correction. This approach has similarities with human vision where each eye has a lens, and it also extends the depth over which we can accurately track particles.

Quad stereo-microscopy

Stereo-microscopy is a technique that enables a sample to be imaged from two directions simultaneously, allowing the tracking of microscopic objects in three dimensions. This is achieved by illuminating the sample from different directions, each illumination direction producing an individual image. These images are superimposed in the image plane but can be easily separated using a diffractive optical element in the Fourier plane of the imaging arm. Therefore this enables 3-dimensional coordinates to be reconstructed using simple 2-dimensional image tracking and parallax. This is a powerful technique when combined with holographic optical tweezers (HOT), where multiple objects can be trapped and tracked simultaneously in three dimensions. In this work, we extend this concept to four different illumination directions: quad stereo-microscopy. This allows us to measure the accuracy of tracking in three dimensions, and to optimise the system.