# Super-resolution imaging within reach

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a simple microsphere-assisted microscopy method that enables contactless, full-field super-resolution imaging of nanostructures and biological samples with 200 nm resolution, overcoming traditional resolution limits.

## Contribution

The authors present an easy-to-implement optical setup that enhances classical microscopes with a transparent microsphere for super-resolution imaging.

## Key findings

- Achieved 200 nm lateral resolution in air.
- Enabled visualization of 100 nm features.
- Provided a contactless, full-field imaging technique.

## Abstract

Although several optical techniques have been recently developed in order to overcome the resolution limit in microscopy, the imaging of sub-wavelength features is still a real challenge. In practise, super-resolution techniques remain difficult to build or are photo-toxic for the biological samples. However, microsphere-assisted microscopy has recently made super-resolution imaging accessible to scientists (e.g. optical metrologists, engineers and biologists). This paper presents an easy-to-implement optical setup to perform full-field and contactless super-resolution measurements of nanostructured media or biological elements. For this purpose, a classical microscope was enhanced by introducing a transparent microsphere. We show that this rather simple approach makes it possible to achieve a lateral resolution of 200 nm in air, i.e. the visualization of feature sizes of 100 nm.