Enhancement of the Optical Image with a DC Blocked Spiral Holographic Pattern

A modification of microscopy using a spiral phase plate, which enhanced the optical image by blocking the DC part of the object spectrum is presented. In conventional differential-interference-contrast microscopy, enhancement of optical images is achieved by interference of mutual coherent beams which experience different optical phases. This method increases the contrast of the optical image compared to normal microscopy, but the image still has some blurring around the edge of the sample. Our modification consists of placing a DC blocking region on an optical spatial filter, which allows us to achieve a sharp edge compared to the conventional one. By patterning the grating of the circular area in the center with a different direction (pi/4 in our case), we could redirect the DC part of the Fourier component that passed through the center of the phase plate. By eliminating the DC part of the object spectrum, we could get a highly enhanced image and clearly observed the inside of the cheek cell, which was invisible otherwise.