# Amplitude- and Phase-Programmable Dual-Color Photonic Chip for High-Contrast Structured Illumination Microscopy

## TL;DR

A new photonic chip generates structured light patterns for high-contrast microscopy, enabling simpler and more adaptable imaging techniques.

## Contribution

The chip introduces amplitude- and phase-programmable dual-color illumination for multicolor structured illumination microscopy.

## Key findings

- The device enables optical sectioning in HiLo microscopy through amplitude modulation.
- It allows controlled structured illumination contrast across multiple wavelengths.
- Integrated photonics offer a compact and robust solution for advanced microscopy.

## Abstract

Advanced optical
microscopy techniques, such as structured illumination
microscopy (SIM), often rely on precise and complex illumination setups,
which can be challenging to implement and maintain. Integrated optics
can offer compact, stable, and easy-to-align alternatives, enabling
efficient light manipulation for advanced imaging applications. We
present an integrated photonic device that generates structured illumination
patterns directly within an optical microscope. The device incorporates
optical waveguides in a Mach–Zehnder interferometer configuration,
generating two separate coherent point sources with controlled amplitudes
and phases. When optically conjugated to the pupil plane of a conventional
widefield microscope, the device generates sinusoidal illumination
patterns in the object plane, which can be translated and modulated
via the Mach–Zehnder interferometer. We demonstrate that amplitude
modulation enables (i) optical sectioning in HiLo (High and Low Frequency
Illumination) microscopy and (ii) controlled structured illumination
contrast across multiple wavelengths, making the system adaptable
for multicolor SIM. Our results highlight the potential of integrated
photonics as a compact and robust approach for advanced microscopy
techniques, contributing to the development of simplified, high-resolution
structured illumination imaging in biomedical and materials science
applications.