This is a Phase I SBIR application to develop an add on system for fluorescence microscopes to provide control over the incident wavelength and to provide accurate spectral analysis and discrimination of spectral bands in image space. This will be accomplished without moving parts at high speed using improved acousto-optic devises. The proposal focuses on the development of transducer technologies such as apodization, array geometries, acousto-optic resonance enhancement and novel fabrication methods involving transducer cutting. The objective is to improve the capabilities of acousto-optic tunable filters by at least an order of magnitude.
