Phase Focus Limited0 Part of the group of companies

Coherent Diffractive X-Ray MicroscopyUsing the Phase Focus Virtual Lens®

Ian Pykett, CEO

Phase Focus Limited1 Part of the group of companies

Phase Focus

• Phase Focus – a 2006 spin-out from the University of Sheffield

• Co-founders: Ian Pykett (CEO) and Prof. John Rodenburg (CSO),

Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering

• Commercialising a coherent diffractive imaging technology

developed by Prof. Rodenburg

• Raised £1.3 million in equity and grant funding to date

• Associated academic research continuing under a £4.3 million

Basic Technology Programme – “Ultimate Microscopy” – led by

Prof. Rodenburg at Sheffield and involving 6 other UK Universities

Phase Focus Limited2 Part of the group of companies

The Phase Focus Virtual Lens®

• A method for coherent diffractive imaging (“lensless” imaging)

that transfers the task of image formation from physical

components (lens) to a software algorithm

• A platform technology – applicable in principle to the entire

electromagnetic spectrum

• Initial commercial focus: optical, electron and X-ray microscopy

“… a very clever approach … a practical method of lensless imaging”

J. Murray Gibson, Assoc. Director, ANL

January 26 2007

Phase Focus Limited3 Part of the group of companies

The Phase Focus Virtual Lens®

With no degradation of the image by imperfect X-ray optics

… lensless imaging has the potential to achieve diffraction-

limited resolution in three dimensions … For non-symmetrical

objects, coherent diffractive imaging opens broad new

horizons for structure determination and visualization that

were unthinkable only ten years ago … Lensless microscopy

can open broad new horizons for high-resolution 3-D imaging

of single macromolecules.

With no degradation of the image by imperfect X-ray optics

… lensless imaging has the potential to achieve diffraction-

limited resolution in three dimensions … For non-symmetrical

objects, coherent diffractive imaging opens broad new

horizons for structure determination and visualization that

were unthinkable only ten years ago … Lensless microscopy

can open broad new horizons for high-resolution 3-D imaging

of single macromolecules.

W. Eberhardt, F. Himpsel (Chairs). Report of the Workshop on Solving Science and Energy Grand Challenges

with Next-Generation Photon Sources, U.S. Department of Energy, May 2009

Phase Focus Limited4 Part of the group of companies

Virtual Lens: Benefits

• “Lensless” – no high quality focussing devices (lenses; zone

plates) required

• Imaging of arbitrarily large fields of view within extended

specimens

• Imaging of quasi- and non-crystalline specimens

• Post-acquisition multi-focal-plane reconstructions though the

specimen thickness

• Routine acquisition of quantitative phase data

• Resolution limited in principle only by wavelength

• Readily interfaced with existing instrumentation

Phase Focus Limited5 Part of the group of companies

Virtual Lens: Method

Diffraction Patterns

1. Moving illumination

Phase Focus Limited6 Part of the group of companies

Virtual Lens: Method

Diffraction Patterns

1. Moving illumination

Phase Focus Limited7 Part of the group of companies

Virtual Lens: Method

2. Processing: The Virtual Lens

a.k.a. Ptychographic Iterative Engine

Diffraction Patterns

Phase Focus Limited8 Part of the group of companies

Virtual Lens: Method

From any (or every) focal plane within the specimen:

A. Amplitude image (traditional “brightfield” image) …

… how much the specimen

absorbs (or reflects) the light

B. Phase image…

… how much the specimen

changes the phase of the

light

2. Processing: The Virtual Lens

a.k.a. Ptychographic Iterative Engine

Phase Focus Limited9 Part of the group of companies

Virtual Lens: Method

Amplitude Phase

Phase Focus Limited10 Part of the group of companies

Virtual Lens: Method

Phase

25.4 mm

Phase Focus Limited11 Part of the group of companies

Virtual Lens: Optical Applications

Eggs: lily anther

Fly’s wing

• Stain-free live cell imaging

• Multi-phase systems

• Transmission; reflection

• Thickness; refractive index

• MetrologyBrightness =

absorption.

Colour =

quantitative

phase

Phase Focus Limited12 Part of the group of companies

Virtual Lens: First X-Ray Results

• Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute

J. M. Rodenburg, A. C. Hurst, A. G. Cullis, B. R. Dobson, F. Pfieffer,

O. Bunk, C. David, K. Jefimovs, I. Johnson. Hard-X-Ray Lensless Imaging

of Extended Objects. Phys. Rev. Lttrs. 98:034801-1 – 034801-4 (2007)

10

µµµµm

SEM of Zone Plate

Phase Focus Limited13 Part of the group of companies

Virtual Lens: First X-Ray Results

• Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute

10

µµµµm10 µµµµm

SEM of Zone Plate Virtual Lens Image of Zone Plate

J. M. Rodenburg, A. C. Hurst, A. G. Cullis, B. R. Dobson, F. Pfieffer,

O. Bunk, C. David, K. Jefimovs, I. Johnson. Hard-X-Ray Lensless Imaging

of Extended Objects. Phys. Rev. Lttrs. 98:034801-1 – 034801-4 (2007)

Phase Focus Limited14 Part of the group of companies

Swiss Light Source

P. Thibault, M. Dierolf, A. Menzel, O. Bunk, C. David, F. Pfeiffer. High-Resolution Scanning X-ray

Diffraction Microscopy. Science 321: 379-382, 2008

Amplitude Phase

• Subsequent work

Phase Focus Limited15 Part of the group of companies

Advanced Photon Source, Argonne

• Work towards coherent diffraction imaging of collagen-rich

biological soft tissues

F. B. de la Cuesta, M. P. E. Wenger, R. J. Bean, L. Bozec, M. A. Horton, I. K. Robinson. Coherent X-ray diffraction from

collagenous soft tissues. PNAS 106: 15297–15301, 2009.

First meridional reflection

from rat tail tendon

Phase Focus Limited16 Part of the group of companies

Diamond Light Source

• Prof. Rodenburg invited to serve on Working Group for

I13 – X-Ray Imaging and Coherence Beamline

– Due to be complete by 2012

First turf cut for Diamond's X-ray imaging and coherence

beamline: 26 June 2009

Phase Focus Limited17 Part of the group of companies

Virtual Lens: Invitation to Collaborators

• Phase Focus welcomes collaborators

– Strategic business partners

– Vendors to synchrotron facilities

– Commercial users of synchrotron facilities

– Scientific researchers

– Applications definition

– Applications research

Phase Focus Limited18 Part of the group of companies

Virtual Lens: Further Information

• J. M. Rodenburg, H. M. L. Faulkner. A phase retrieval algorithm for shifting

illumination. App. Phys. Lttrs. 85: 4795-4797, 2004

• J. M. Rodenburg, A. C. Hurst, A. G. Cullis. Transmission microscopy without

lenses for objects of unlimited size. Ultramicroscopy 107: 227-231, 2007

• J. M. Rodenburg, A. C. Hurst, A. G. Cullis, B. R. Dobson, F. Pfieffer, O. Bunk, C.

David, K. Jefimovs, I. Johnson. Hard-X-Ray Lensless Imaging of Extended

Objects. Phys. Rev. Lttrs. 98:034801-1 – 034801-4 (2007)

• J. M. Rodenburg. Ptychography and related diffractive imaging methods.

Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics (Ed. P. W. Hawkes) 150: 87-184,

2008

• A. M. Maiden, J. M. Rodenburg. An improved ptychographical phase

retrieval algorithm for diffractive imaging. Ultramicroscopy, Volume 109: 1256-

1262, 2009

• www.phasefocus.com

Phase Focus Limited19 Part of the group of companies

Acknowledgements

• Phase Focus, Ltd.

– John Rodenburg

(CSO)

– Andrew Hurst

– Andrew Maiden

– Vassilios Albanis

– Martin Humphry

– Joanne Sharp

– Francis Sweeney

– Nick Sleep

• Swiss Light Source

– Franz Pfeiffer, et al

• University of Sheffield

Ultimate Microscopy Basic

Technology Programme

– John Rodenburg (PI)

– Andrew Maiden

– Francis Sweeney

– Liu Cheng

– Tega Edo

– Katherine Atkinson

– Thomas Walther

– Tony Cullis

– Ian Robinson, et al (UCL)

Phase Focus Limited20 Part of the group of companies

Redefining microscopyand imaging