Integrated Multifunctional Computational Imaging Platform Using Cascaded Electrically Tunable Liquid Crystal Elements

Abstract

Comprehensive multidimensional analysis and systematic integration of structural information in biological specimens are fundamentally essential for elucidating intricate biological processes. However, conventional multimodal imaging techniques are hindered by complex optics and bulky hardware, limiting their clinical utility for point‐of‐care diagnostics and portable healthcare. Here, an integrated multifunctional computational imaging platform based on two cascaded electrically tunable liquid crystal (LC) elements are presented, which can achieve spin‐dependent beam splitting through spatially varying birefringence, allowing for optical differentiation operations by separating circularly polarized components. The anisotropic and isotropic homogeneity of the active LC devices can be switched electrically, thus achieving flexible mode switching among bright‐field imaging, edge‐enhanced imaging, quantitative phase gradient imaging (QPGI), and quantitative phase imaging (QPI). The common‐path optical design significantly reduces the system's footprint while enhancing stability. As a proof‐of‐concept, the applicability of the proposed platform in plant cells are experimentally demonstrated, living animal cells, and animal tissue samples. The results showcase the potential of cascaded active LC elements for developing miniaturized multifunctional imaging systems for high‐contrast biomedical imaging, real‐time analog optical processing, industrial inspection, as well as other high‐precision optical applications.