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DTSTART:20240723T123000Z
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TRANSP:OPAQUE
LOCATION:ICFO Auditorium and Online (Teams)
SUMMARY:ICFO | SEBASTIAN HÄGELE
CLASS:PUBLIC
DESCRIPTION:As the world moves towards increasingly miniaturized and comple
 x technologies and devices\, the need for imaging and metrology tools for 
 precise material characterization and fabrication process control is risin
 g accordingly. For highly transparent and ultra-thin structures and sample
 s (e.g.\, optical coatings\, lithographic structures or biological cells)\
 , intensity-based imaging techniques fall short due to insufficient contra
 st\, as well as failing to provide quantitative information.\nTo overcome 
 these limitations\, the field of phase imaging\, based on superposition an
 d interference of light\, has emerged. In order to create image contrast\,
  phase imaging does not leverage changes in intensity\, but rather\, as th
 e name implies\, changes in the phase of the electro-magnetic wave. With a
  long-standing history\, and Nobel prizes awarded in 1953 to Zernike&rsquo
 \;s &ldquo\;phase contrast microscope&rdquo\; and 1971 to Gabor&rsquo\;s h
 olographic methods\, the field has evolved to &ldquo\;quantitative phase i
 maging&rdquo\; (QPI)\, using sophisticated methods and setups to control a
 nd manipulate the state of light in order to recover the phase information
  quantitatively. Herein\, the category of &ldquo\;common-path&rdquo\; tech
 niques promises adaptable\, compact\, robust\, and cost-efficient imaging 
 devices\, enabling use in industrial applications outside of a well-contro
 lled lab environment.\nIn this thesis\, we will describe the development a
 nd technological innovations of a &ldquo\;common-path&rdquo\; phase imagin
 g platform based on the &ldquo\;lateral-shearing interferometric microscop
 y&rdquo\; (LIM) technology. We will implement and adapt the platform to va
 rious optical setups\, e.g.\, for large-area lens-free imaging and for hig
 h-resolution microscopic imaging. We will also demonstrate the performance
  and versatility of the platform by exploring a range of applications\, wi
 th a focus given to material science and manufacturing.\nSpecifically\, we
  will perform volumetric imaging of the tiniest femtosecond laser-written 
 refractive index (RI) changes inside glass. This is followed by the charac
 terization of semi-transparent ultra-thin gold films using multispectral i
 ntensity and phase imaging\, enabling us to determine the complex RIs of t
 he films of varying thickness. Lastly\, we will apply the platform to the 
 imaging of curing grades and RI changes in photopolymers\, such as those u
 sed in resin-based 3D printing. Further applications of the platform could
  include surface metrology\, imaging of 2D materials\, as well as quantita
 tive phase imaging for bio- and cell-imaging applications\, with the possi
 bility of integrating the whole platform into a compact add-on which could
  be added to any commercial microscope.\nIn summary\, this thesis will mak
 e evident the significant potential of phase imaging in both research and 
 industrial settings\, enabled by the proposed compact phase imaging platfo
 rm. The work builds the foundation for future innovations and developments
  with a potentially lasting impact on the photonics industry.\n&nbsp\;\nTu
 esday July 23\, 14:30 h. ICFO Auditorium and online via Teams\nThesis Dire
 ctor: Prof. Dr. Valerio Pruneri and Dr. Roland Alfonso Terborg
DTSTAMP:20260407T072302Z
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