The invention of optical microscopy is one of the most important discoveries that has accelerate the human quest to understand the nature around us. The optical microscope has found immense usage in the field of biology and life science, such that today every biological laboratory is equipped with advanced optical microscopes. During last decade the invention of super-resolution optical microscopes, commonly referred as optical nanoscopy has emerged. Optical nanoscopy enables imaging of small structures down to 20-50 nm routinely, which was previously limited to about 200-250 nm. The invention of optical nanoscopy was awarded Nobel Prize in 2014. However, the present day optical nanoscopy systems are complex and costly that has hindered its widespread usage and therefore obstructed its potential impact to the society.
In this project we have invented revolutionary photonic-chip based optical nanoscopy platform. We took out the entire light illumination from the microscopy body and put it into tiny photonic chips. By retrofitting the photonic-chips a standard microscope can be converted into an advanced optical nanoscopy platform, that yields unprecedented optical resolution and throughput. The photonic chips can be mass produced on a standard silicon chip. This discover will enable widespread adaption of cutting-edge super-resolution imaging technology at an affordable cost. By way of analogy, this will be a similar passage of technology from main-frame computers to mobile telephones, bringing high end technology to general use.
The Nano-Chip project has demonstrated that chip-based optical nanoscopy platform can be mainstream super-resolution imaging solution in bio-labs and clinical setting all over the world. Besides being simple, compact and affordable, chip-based nanoscopy has surpassed the present day nanoscopy by imaging an area 100 times larger than any present solution. With this super resolution optical microscopy can potential become a routine tool in diagnostic centre, pathology where high-throughput is the holy-grain.
