Wedge prism assisted quantitative phase imaging on standard microscopes

Adoption of quantitative phase imaging for biomicroscopy applications has been limited due to the technical knowledge requirements or the cost of commercial systems. Here, a wedge prism based simple approach is introduced to acquire quantitative phase images on a standard microscope. The proposed approach minimizes the alignment requirements and the cost. Acquired quantitative phase images reflect the sample morphology and the refractive index. Hence, it enables quantitative microscopy without the need for labeling. Optimization parameters are explored for the physical constraints of the cameras and microscope objectives. Experimental quantitative phase images are provided for the USAF-1951 test target, epithelial cell samples, and microsphere samples. Cell imaging results demonstrate the qualitative performance in an exemplary scenario. Quantitative phase imaging of microsphere samples provides experimental proof for the preservation of the resolving power.