Single-Shot Quantitative Phase Imaging with Common-Path Interferometric Systems

The phase of light carries important information about a wavefront and is often used for detecting important physical parameters of objects. This thesis develops novel common-path interferometric methods for single-shot quantitative phase imaging, particularly in the fields of speckle interferometry and digital holographic microscopy.

Firstly, a dual-sensitive image-shearing speckle interferometer is developed, which enables simultaneous measurements of in-plane and out-of-plane strain components in a single shot. Next, the common-path image-shearing speckle interferometer with an unlimited minimal shear amount is developed by placing a Wollaston prism near the Fourier plane of a quasi-4f imaging system. To correct wavefront aberrations in common-path digital holographic microscopy, a low-pass filtering compensation (LPFC) method is developed. Finally, a new common-path interferometric microscopy method, termed multibeam array interferometric microscopy (MAIM), is developed for single-shot high-throughput quantitative phase imaging.

All of these developed methods are based on the off-axis interferometric configuration of common-path geometry, and therefore they offer both high imaging speeds (temporal resolution) and high temporal phase stability.