Confocal microscopy
Confocal microscopy is a technique employed in optical imaging.
It enables the increasing of micrograph contrast and the reconstruction of 3D images.
Confocal microscopy offers many advantages in optical imaging. These include greater control of the depth of field, the removal of degradation due to out-of-focus information, and the capability to gather sectional information from specimens that are quite thick. Today, confocal microscopy is being used widely in various fields of science and industrial applications as well.
Basic concept behind confocal microscopy
How does a confocal microscope work?
In contrast to conventional microscopy which makes use of a flood of light to illuminate the specimen, confocal microscopy makes use of point illumination.
This is done by using a pinhole whereby the light is made to pass through. As a result, only the light that is covered by the illumination plane is detected, getting rid of the out-of-focus information.
The concept of confocal microscopy is actually attributed to Marvin Minsky who patented it in 1957.