An AOTF-based molecular hyperspectral imaging (MHSI) system

A novel molecular hyperspectral imaging (MHSI) system based on AOTF (acousto-optic tunable filters) was presented. AOTF is a rapid wavelength-scanning solid-state device that operates as a tunable optical band pass filter. AOTF offers the advantage of having no moving parts and can be scanned at very high rates. The system consists of microscope, AOTF-based spectrometer, matrix CCD, image collection card and computer. The spectral range of the MHSI is from 550 to 1000 nm. The spectral resolution is less than 2 nm, and the spatial resolution is about 0.3 μm. The valid pixels are 1024×1024. The system can capture 30 frames per min in burst mode of CCD. The system not only can supply single band images in the visible range, but also spectrum curve of random pixel of sample image. Each pixel of the image has two properties: the spectral property and the luminance property. Initial experiment shows that molecular hyperspectral imaging system coupled with multivariate data analysis is a powerful new tool for understanding complex biological and biomedical samples.