C H R O M A T E C H N O L O G Y C O R P

H A N D B O O K of
O P T I C A L F I LT E R S
for F L U O R E S C E N C E
MICROSCOPY

by J A Y R E I C H M A N

HB2.0/June 2017
 C H R O M A T E C H N O L O G Y C O R P

AN INTRODUCTION TO
H A N D B O O K of
FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY 2
O P T I C A L F I LT E R S Excitation and emission spectra
Brightness of the fluorescence signal
for F L U O R E S C E N C E
The fluorescence microscope
MICROSCOPY Types of filters used in fluorescence microscopy
The evolution of the fluorescence microscope
by J A Y R E I C H M A N

A GENERAL DISCUSSION
OF OPTICAL FILTERS 8
Terminology
Available products
Colored filter glass
Thin-film coatings
Acousto-optical filters
Liquid Crystal Tunable Filters

DESIGNING FILTERS FOR

FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY 14
Image Contrast
Fluorescence spectra
Light sources
Detectors
Beamsplitters
Optical quality
Optical quality parameters
Optical quality requirements for wide-field microscopy

FILTER SETS FOR SUB-PIXEL REGISTRATION 24

FILTERS FOR CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY 25

Optical quality requirements
Nipkow-disk scanning
Laser scanning
Spectral requirements
Nipkow-disk scanning
Laser scanning

FILTERS FOR MULTIPLE PROBE APPLICATIONS 29

REFERENCES 30

GLOSSARY 31
Fluorescence microscopy requires optical filters that have demanding spectral
and physical characteristics. These performance requirements can vary greatly
depending on the specific type of microscope and the specific application.
Although they are relatively minor components of a complete microscope
system, optimally designed filters can produce quite dramatic benefits, so it
is useful to have a working knowledge of the principles of optical filtering as
applied to fluorescence microscopy.

This guide is a compilation of the principles and know-how that the engineers
at Chroma Technology Corp use to design filters for a variety of fluorescence
microscopes and applications, including wide-field microscopes, confocal
microscopes, and applications involving simultaneous detection of multiple
fluorescent probes. Also included is information on the terms used to describe
and specify optical filters and practical information on how filters can affect
the optical alignment of a microscope.

Finally, the handbook ends with a glossary of terms that are italicized or in
boldface in the text.

For more in-depth information about the physics and chemistry of

fluorescence, applications for specific fluorescent probes, sample-preparation
techniques, and microscope optics, please refer to the various texts devoted
to these subjects. One useful and readily available resource is the literature
on fluorescence microscopy and microscope alignment published by the
microscope manufacturers.

ABOUT CHROMA TECHNOLOGY CORP

Employee-owned Chroma Technology Corp specializes in the design and
manufacture of optical filters and coatings for applications that require
extreme precision in color separation, optical quality, and signal purity:
• low-light-level fluorescence microscopy and cytometry
• spectrographic imaging in optical astronomy
• laser-based instrumentation
• Raman spectroscopy.

Our coating lab and optics shop are integrated into a single facility operated
by a staff with decades of experience in both coating design and optical
fabrication. We are dedicated to providing the optimum cost-effective
solution to your filtering requirements. In most cases our staff will offer, at no
extra charge, expert technical assistance in the design of your optical system
and selection of suitable filtering components.

© 2000-2010 Chroma Technology Corp An Employee-Owned Company

10 Imtec Lane, Bellows Falls, Vermont 05101-3119 USA
Telephone: 800-8-CHROMA or 802-428-2500 Fax: 802-428-2525 E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.chroma.com
1
 AN INTRODUCTION TO FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY

Fluorescence is a molecular phenomenon in which a substance absorbs light

of some color and almost instantaneously 1 radiates light of another color,
one of lower energy and thus longer wavelength. This process is known as
excitation and emission. Many substances, both organic and non-organic,
exhibit some fluorescence. In the early days of fluorescence microscopy (at
the turn of the century) microscopists looked at this primary fluorescence, or
auto­fluorescence, but now many dyes have been developed that have very
bright fluorescence and are used to selectively stain parts of a specimen. This
method is called secondary or indirect fluorescence. These dyes are called
fluorochromes, and when conjugated to other organically active substances,
such as antibodies and nucleic acids, they are called fluorescent probes or
fluorophores. (These various terms are often used interchangeably.) There
are now fluorochromes that have characteristic peak emissions in the near-
infrared as well as the blue, green, orange, and red colors of the spectrum.
When indirect fluorescence via fluorochromes is used, the autofluorescence
of a sample is generally considered undesirable: it is often the major source
of unwanted light in a microscope image.

EXCITATION AND EMISSION SPECTRA

Figure 1 shows a typical spectrum of the excitation and emission of
a fluorochrome. These spectra are generated by an instrument called
a spectrofluorimeter, which is comprised of two spectrometers: an
illuminating spectrometer and an analyzing spectrometer. First the
Excitation
Arbitrary Units

Spectra Emission
Spectra dye sample is strongly illuminated by a color of light that is found
to cause some fluorescence. A spectrum of the fluorescent emission
is obtained by scanning with the analyzing spectrometer using this
fixed illumination color. The analyzer is then fixed at the brightest
emission color, and a spectrum of the excitation is obtained by
scanning with the illuminating spectrometer and measuring the
Wavelength
variation in emission intensity at this fixed wavelength. For the
purpose of designing filters, these spectra are normalized to a scale of
FIGURE 1
relative intensity.
Generic excitation and emission spectra
for a fluorescent dye.
These color spectra are described quantitatively by wavelength of light. The
most common wavelength unit for describing fluorescence spectra is the
nanometer (nm). The colors of the visible spectrum can be broken up into the
approximate wavelength values (Figure 2):

violet and indigo 400 to 450 nm

blue and aqua 450 to 500 nm
green 500 to 570 nm
yellow and orange 570 to 610 nm
red 610 to approximately 750 nm

1 The time it takes for a molecule to fluoresce is on the order of nanoseconds

9
(10 - seconds). Phosphorescence is another photoluminescence phenomenon,
with a lifetime on the order of milliseconds to minutes.

2
On the short-wavelength end of the visible spectrum is the
near-ultraviolet (near-UV) band from 320 to 400 nm, and on
the long-wavelength end is the near-infrared (near-IR) band
from 750 to approximately 2500 nm. The broad band of light
from 320 to 2500 nm marks the limits of transparency of
crown glass and window glass, and this is the band most often
used in fluorescence microscopy. Some applications, especially
in organic chemistry, utilize excitation light in the mid-
ultraviolet band (190 to 320 nm), but special UV-transparent
illumination optics must be used.

There are several general characteristics of fluorescence

spectra that pertain to fluorescence microscopy and filter
design. First, although some substances have very broad
FIGURE 2
spectra of excitation and emission, most fluorochromes have
Color regions of the spectrum.
well-defined bands of excitation and emission. The spectra
of Figure 1 are a typical example. The difference in wavelength between
the peaks of these bands is referred to as the Stokes shift. Second, although
the overall intensity of emission varies with excitation wavelength, the
spectral distribution of emitted light is largely independent of the excitation
wavelength.2 Third, the excitation and emission of a fluorochrome can shift
with changes in cellular environment such as pH level, dye concentration,
and conjugation to other substances. Several dyes (FURA-2 and Indo-1,
for example) are useful expressly because they have large shifts in their
excitation or emission spectra with changes in concentration of ions such as
H + (pH level), Ca 2+, and Na + . Lastly, there are photochemical reactions that
cause the fluorescence efficiency of a dye to decrease with time, an effect
called photobleaching or fading.

BRIGHTNESS OF THE FLUORESCENCE SIGNAL

Several factors influence the amount of fluorescence emitted by a stained
specimen with a given amount of excitation intensity. These include 1) the
dye concentration within stained sections of the specimen, and the thickness
of the specimen; 2) the extinction coefficient of the dye; 3) the quantum
efficiency of the dye; and, of course, 4) the amount of stained material
actually present within the field of view of the microscope. The extinction
coefficient tells us how much of the incident light will be absorbed by a given
dye concentration and specimen thickness, and reflects the wavelength-
dependent absorption characteristics indicated by the excitation spectrum of
the fluorochrome. Although many of the fluorochromes have high extinction
coefficients at peak excitation wavelengths, practical sample preparation
techniques often limit the maximum concentration allowed in the sample,
thus reducing the overall amount of light actually absorbed by the stained
specimen.

2 The emission spectrum might change “shape” to some extent, but this is an insignificant effect for most
applications. See Lakowicz (1983) for an in-depth description of the mechanism of fluorescence.

3
 The quantum efficiency, which is the ratio of light energy absorbed to
fluorescence emitted, determines how much of this absorbed light energy
will be converted to fluorescence. The most efficient common fluorochromes
have a quantum efficiency of approximately 0.3, but the actual value can be
reduced by processes known as quenching, one of which is photobleaching.

The combination of these factors, in addition to the fact that many specimens
have very small amounts of stained material in the observed field of view,
gives a ratio of emitted fluorescence intensity to excitation light intensity in
a typical application of between 10 -4 (for very highly fluorescent samples) and
10 -6. Current techniques (e.g. fluorescence in situ hybridization), which utilize
minute amounts of fluorescent material, might have ratios as low as 10 -9
or 10 -10.

Thus, in order to see the fluorescent image with adequate contrast, the
fluorescence microscope must be able to attenuate the excitation light
by as much as 10-11 (for very weak fluorescence) without diminishing the
fluorescence signal. How does the fluorescence microscope correct for this
imbalance? Optical filters are indeed essential components,
but the inherent configuration of the fluorescence microscope
also contributes greatly to the filtering process.

Eyepiece Camera Illumination Path THE FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPE

Imaging Path
Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a typical epifluorescence
microscope, which uses incident-light (i.e., episcopic)
Field Heat
Stop
Aperature
Filter illumination. This is the most common type of fluorescence
Filter Stop microscope. Its most important feature is that by illuminating
Slider

Fluorescence
with incident light it need only filter out excitation light
Filter scattering back from the specimen or reflecting from glass
Cube
surfaces. The use of high-quality oil-immersion objectives
(made with materials that have minimal autofluorescence
Filter and using low-fluorescence oil) eliminates surface reflections,
Arc Lamp
Slider Collector
Lenses which can reduce the level of back-scattered light to as
Objective
little as 1/100 of the incident light. In addition, the dichroic
beamsplitter, which reflects the excitation light into the
Specimen Stage
objective, filters out the back-scattered excitation light by
another factor of 10 to 500. (The design of these beamsplitters
is described below.)
FIGURE 3
Schematic of a wide-field epifluorescence microscope, An epifluorescence microscope using oil immersion, but without any filters
showing the separate optical paths for illuminating
the specimen and imaging the specimen: other than a good dichroic beamsplitter, can reduce the amount of observable
illumination path excitation light relative to observed fluorescence to levels ranging from 1
imaging path
(for very bright fluorescence) to 10 5 or 10 6 (for very weak fluorescence). If
one wants to achieve a background of, say, one-tenth of the fluorescence
image, then additional filters in the system are needed to reduce the observed
excitation light by as much as 10 -6 or 10 -7 (for weakly fluorescing specimens)
and still transmit almost all of the available fluorescence signal. Fortunately,
there are filter technologies available (described in the section beginning on
page 10) that are able to meet these stringent requirements.

4
TYPES OF FILTERS USED IN
FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY
The primary filtering element in the epifluorescence microscope is the set
Ocular
of three filters housed in the fluorescence filter cube (also called the filter
block): the excitation filter, the emission filter, and the dichroic beamsplitter. Emission
Filter
A typical filter cube is illustrated schematically in Figure 4.
Beamsplitter

1) The excitation filter (also called the exciter) transmits only those
wavelengths of the illumination light that efficiently excite a specific dye.
Excitation
Common filter blocks are named after the type of excitation filter: Filter

UV or U Ultraviolet excitation for dyes such as DAPI

Light
and Hoechst 33342 Sourc
e

B Blue excitation for FITC and related dyes

G Green excitation for TRITC, Texas Red ® , etc.

Although shortpass filter designs were used in the past, bandpass filter designs
are now used almost exclusively. Objective

FIGURE 4
2) The emission filter (also called the barrier filter or emitter) attenuates all Schematic of a fluorescence filter cube
of the light transmitted by the excitation filter and very efficiently transmits
any fluorescence emitted by the specimen. This light is always of longer
wavelength (more to the red) than the excitation color. These can be either
bandpass filters or longpass filters. Common barrier filter colors are blue or
pale yellow in the U-block, green or deep yellow in the B-block, and orange
or red in the G-block.

3) The dichroic beamsplitter (also called the dichroic mirror or dichromatic

beamsplitter3 ) is a thin piece of coated glass set at a 45-degree angle to
the optical path of the microscope. This coating has the unique ability
to reflect one color, the excitation light, but transmit another color, the
emitted fluorescence. Current dichroic beamsplitters achieve this with great
efficiency, i.e., with greater than 95% reflectivity of the excitation along with
approximately 95% transmission of the emission. This is a great improvement
over the traditional gray half-silvered mirror, which reflects only 50% and
transmits only 50%, giving only about 25% efficiency. The glass (called the
substrate) is usually composed of a material with low autofluorescence such
as UV-grade fused silica.

Most microscopes have a slider or turret that can hold from two to four
individual filter cubes. It must be noted that the filters in each cube are a
matched set, and one should avoid mixing filters and beamsplitters unless the
complete spectral characteristics of each filter component are known.

3 The term “dichroic” is also used to describe a type of crystal or other material that selectively absorbs light depending

on the polarization state of the light. (Polaroid ® plastic film polarizer is the most common example.) To avoid confusion,
the term “dichromatic” is sometimes used.
5
 Other optical filters can also be found in fluorescence microscopes:

1) A heat filter, also called a hot mirror, is incorporated into the illuminator
collector optics of most, but not all, microscopes. It attenuates infrared light
(typically wavelengths longer than 800 nm) but transmits most of the visible
light.

2) Neutral-density filters, usually housed in a filter slider or filter wheel

between the collector and the aperture diaphragm, are used to control the
intensity of illumination.

3) Filters used for techniques other than fluorescence, such as color filters for
transmitted-light microscopy and linear polarizing filters for polarized light
microscopy, are sometimes installed.

THE EVOLUTION OF
THE FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPE 4
The basic configuration of the modern fluorescence microscope described
above is the result of almost 100 years of development and innovation. By
looking at its development over the years, one can gain a better understanding
of the function of these various components.

The first fluorescence microscopes achieved adequate separation of excitation

and emission by exciting the specimen with invisible ultraviolet light. This
minimized the need for barrier filters.5 One of these turn-of-the-century
microscopes used for its light source a bulky and hazardous 2000 W iron arc
lamp filtered by a combination of Wood’s solution (nitrosodimethylaniline
dye) in gelatin, a chamber of liquid copper sulfate, and blue-violet colored
filter glass. This first excitation filter produced a wide band of near-UV light
with relatively little visible light, enabling the microscopist to observe the
inherent primary fluorescence of specimens. Microscopists were aided by the
fact that most substances will fluoresce readily when excited by UV light. In
1914 fluorochromes were first used with
GLASS/LIQUID this type of microscope to selectively
SPECIMEN EXCITATION
FILTER QUARTZ
SLIDE COLLECTOR stain different parts of cells, the first
OBJECTIVE LENS
CONDENSER utilization of secondary fluorescence.6
EYEPIECE
CARBON ARC
LAMP These first fluorescence microscopes,
illustrated schematically in Figure 5,
used diascopic (i.e., transmitted light)
illumination. Both brightfield and
darkfield oil-immersion condensers were
FIGURE 5
Schematic of an early transmitted-light
used, but each had certain important disadvantages. With the brightfield
fluorescence microscope. condenser, the maximum intensity of illumination was severely limited
(After Kasten, 1989.)
by the capabilities of the optical filters that were available at the time. The

4 Most of this information is taken from the following excellent reference: Kasten (1989).

5 The first barrier filter to be used was a pale yellow coverslip, which protected the eye from hazardous radiation, but
some of the early fluorescence microscopes might have lacked even this.

6 6 Several fluorescent dyes were synthesized in the eighteenth century for other purposes, including use as chemo-
therapeutic drugs that stained parasitic organisms and sensitized them to damaging rays.
darkfield condenser, which directed the excitation light into a cone of light
at oblique angles, prevented most of the excitation light from entering the
objective lens, thus reducing the demands on the optical filters. However,
the efficiency of the illumination was greatly reduced, and the objective lens
required a smaller numerical aperture, which resulted in a further reduction
in brightness as well as lower resolution.7

The most important advance in fluorescence microscopy was the development

of episcopic illumination for fluorescence microscopes in 1929. Episcopic
illumination was first utilized to observe the fluorescence of bulk and opaque
specimens. These first epifluorescence microscopes probably used half-
silvered mirrors for the beamsplitter, with a maximum overall efficiency of
25%, but important advantages were 1) the ability to use the high numerical
aperture objective as the condenser, thus achieving greater brightness;
2) the fact that the intensity of excitation light that reflects back into
an oilimmersion objective is, as discussed above, roughly 1% of the
incident light;8 and 3) ease of alignment. The development of dichroic
mirrors, introduced by E. M. Brumberg in 1948 for ultraviolet excitation
and independently developed by J. S. Ploem in the 1960’s to enable visible
excitation, increased the efficiency of beamsplitters to nearly 100% and
further improved the filtering capabilities of the microscope. Further advances
in the optics of epi-illuminators by Ploem included the introduction of narrow-
band interference filters for blue and green excitation and the development of
the filter-cube, which permitted an easy exchange of filters and beamsplitters
for multiple fluorochromes.9 These advances led to the commercialization of
the epifluorescence microscope.

Other important technical advances during this historical period were 1)

the development of compact mercury-vapor and xenon arc lamps (1935);
2) advances in the manufacture of colored filter glasses, which enabled the use
of fluorochromes that were efficiently excited by visible light (thus allowing,
for example, the use of simple tungsten filament light sources); 3) advances
in microscope objective design; and 4) the introduction of anti-reflection
coatings for microscope optics (c. 1940).

More recent technological developments have enabled fluorescence

microscopy to keep pace with the remarkable advances in the biological and
biomedical sciences over the years.  These include ultrasensitive cameras10,
laser illumination, confocal and multi-photon microscopy, digital image
processing, new fluorochromes and fluorescent probes, and, of course, great
improvements in optical filters and beamsplitters. 

7 Abramowitz (1993).

8 Assuming nonmetallic specimens.

9 Information and sequence of events confirmed through communication with Dr. Bas Ploem, 2006. 7
10 Inoué (1986) is an excellent text detailing the use of video imaging and microscopes in general.
 A GENERAL DISCUSSION OF OPTICAL FILTERS

Before describing in detail the design of optical filters for fluorescent

microscopy, it is worthwhile to introduce some of the terms used to specify
filter performance and describe the characteristics of available products.

TERMINOLOGY
Although color designations such as U, B, and G are often adequate for
describing the basic filter sets, it is useful to be familiar with the terms used
for more precise descriptions of filters, especially when dealing with special
sets for unusual dyes and probes. The most common unit for describing
filter performance is the wavelength of light in nanometers, the same as for
fluorochrome spectra described previously. Note that the perceived color
of a filter depends on the bandwidth (described below) as well as specific
wavelength designation. This is especially noticeable when looking through
filters in the range of 550 to 590 nm: a filter with a narrow band will look
pale green while a filter with a wide band, especially a longpass filter, will
look yellowish or even bright orange.

Some of the important terms used to describe the spectral performance of

optical filters are defined below. Please refer to the illustrations in Figures
6 through 9.

FIGURE 6 1) Bandpass filters are denoted by their center wavelength (CWL) and
A) Nomenclature for transmission bandwidth (FWHM).11 The center wavelength is the arithmetic mean of the
characteristics
wavelengths at 50% of peak transmission. The FWHM is the bandwidth at
B) Nomenclature for blocking
50% of peak transmission.

2) Longpass and shortpass cut-on filters (LP and SP) are denoted by their cut-on
or cut-off wavelengths at 50% of peak transmission. LP or SP filters that have
a very sharp slope (see next page) are often called
edge filters. The average transmission is calculated
over the useful transmission region of the filter,
rather than over the entire spectrum. (Please note
that the use of terms “highpass” and “lowpass” are
discouraged because they more accurately describe
frequency rather than wavelength.)

3) The attenuation level, also called blocking level,

and attenuation range, also called blocking range, are
normally defined in units of optical density (OD):

OD = – log(T) or OD = – log(%T / 100)

-5
Example: OD 4.5 = 3 x 10 T (0.003 %T)
FIGURE 7
Cross-talk level of two filters in series.
Optical density uses the same logarithmic units as the quantity absorbance,
which is a measure of absorption, but filters can attenuate light in various

11 Full Width at Half of Maximum Transmission

8
 %T
ways other than absorption. For example, thin-film interference filters
block primarily by reflection, and acousto-optical filters block by
diffraction. Therefore, the term “optical density” is more precise. (Both
of these filter products are described in detail in the section beginning
on page 10.)

A term related to attenuation level is cross-talk (Figure 7), which

describes the minimum attenuation level (over a specific range) of two
filters placed together in series. This value is important when matching
excitation filters with emission filters for a fluorescence filter set.

4) The term slope describes the sharpness of the transition from

transmission to blocking. Figure 8 illustrates two sets of filters with
FIGURE 8
the same bandwidth or cut-on point but different slope. In the Figure Filter sets with varying slope, shown in A) percent
note that although the bandpass filters look very similar on a 100% transmission and B) in optical density.

transmission scale, the slopes as indicated on the optical density scale are
significantly different. Slope can be specified by stating the wavelength at
which a particular filter must have a specified blocking level.

5) The angle of incidence (AOI) is the angle between the optical axis
of the incident light and the axis normal to the surface of the filter, as
illustrated in Figure 9. Most filters are designed to be used at zero degrees
angle of incidence, called normal incidence, but for beamsplitter coatings
the usual angle is 45 degrees. It should be noted that most types of filters, FIGURE 9
Schematic illustration of terms used to describe polarization.
such as thin-film interference coatings and acousto-optical crystal devices,
The normal axis is the axis perpendicular to the surface of the
are “angle-sensitive,” which means that the characteristic performance coating, and the plane of incidence is defined by the normal
changes with angle. (These products are described in greater detail in the axis and the direction vector of the incident light beam.

next section.) If a filter or beamsplitter is to be used at any angle other than

Filter
the usual zero- or 45-degree angle, it must be specified explicitly.
Half-cone
Light Cone Angle
One consequence of angle sensitivity is that the half-cone angle of the
incident light might need to be specified if the filter is to be used in a
converging or diverging beam (Figure 10). The half-cone angle can also be
described in terms of the f-number, or the numerical aperture (NA), of
the light beam, which equals the sine of the half-cone angle.
FIGURE 10
Illustration of half-cone angle of divergent or convergent
6) Dichroic beamsplitters (and, in fact, any thin-film interference coating incident light.

that is used at non-normal angles-of-incidence) will cause some amount

of polarization (see Glossary), the precise effect varying greatly with
wavelength and with the particular coating design. Some relevant terms
are illustrated in Figure 9: P-plane (also called TM-mode, i.e., transverse
magnetic) is the component of the electric field vibration that is parallel to
the plane of incidence of the beamsplitter, and S-plane (also TE-mode, i.e.,
transverse electric) is the component of the electric field vibration that is
perpendicular to the plane of incidence of the beamsplitter. The polarizing
effect of a typical dichroic beamsplitter is illustrated in Figure 11.

FIGURE 11
Polarizing effect of a typical dichroic mirror. This
particular coating is designed for reflecting the 488 nm
linearly polarized argon-ion laser line in the S-plane.
9
 AVAILABLE PRODUCTS
The two main types of filter technology used in fluorescence analysis are
colored filter glass and thin-film coatings. In addition, acousto-optical tunable
filters are finding increased use in special applications. These products are
described below. Other products, such as holographic filters and liquid-crystal
tunable filters, are available, but they are used infrequently in fluorescence
microscopy.

Colored Filter Glass

Colored filter glass, also called absorption glass, is the most widely used type
of filter in fluorescence analysis, particularly the yellow and orange sharpcut
glasses and “black” glasses that transmit the UV and absorb the visible. Filter
glass attenuates light solely by absorption, so the spectral performance is
dependent on the physical thickness of the glass. Increasing the thickness
will increase the blocking level but also reduce the peak in-band transmission
(Figure 12), so an optimum thickness value must be determined. Stock
thicknesses offered by the glass manufacturers represent a thickness value
that is typical for the general uses of the glass, but other thicknesses might be
better for a specific application.

Following are some advantages of filter glass:

1) It is relatively inexpensive;

2) It is stable and long-lived under normal conditions;12

3) Its spectral characteristics are independent of angle of incidence,

except for slight changes due to increased effective thickness.

Disadvantages of filter glass include the following:

1) There is a limited selection of glasses;

2) The bandpass types have poor slope and often low peak
transmittance;

3) There is less flexibility in the specification of filter thickness

because of the dependence of spectral performance on thickness;

4) Most of the longpass filter glasses have high auto-fluorescence;

5) Since absorption converts most of the radiant energy into heat,

untempered filter glass might crack under conditions of intense
FIGURE 12 illumination.
Spectra of near-IR blocking glass (Schott® BG-39) at
1 mm and 2 mm thickness, shown in A) percent internal
transmission and B) optical density. Included in the category of filter glass are polymer-based filters,
(From Schott Glasswerke catalogue.)
which are sometimes used as longpass barrier filters because they
have low autofluorescence compared to an equivalent filter glass,
and a type of neutral-density glass (not to be confused with thin-film neutral-
density coatings described below).

12 Some minor exceptions are: 1) sharp-cut longpass filter glasses have a shift in cut-on of approximately 0.1 to
10 0.15 nm/ °C temperature change; and 2) some types of filter glass can be affected by unusual environments such as
intense UV radiation (“solarization”) or high humidity. (Schott Glasswerke catalogue.)
Thin-Film Coatings NOT TO SCALE!!!
Two widely used categories of thin-film coating are 1) metallic coatings Incident Reflected Light,
light modified by interference
for making fully reflective mirrors and neutral-density filters; and 2) thin-
film interference coatings, which are the main component of interference
filters. The main advantage of thin-film interference coatings is the
Thin Film
tremendous flexibility of performance inherent in the way they work. layers
Thickness
As shown in Figure 13, interference coatings are composed of a stack Glass Substrate

of microscopically thin layers of material, each with a thickness on the Transmitted light, modified by
order of a wavelength of light (usually around a quarter of a wavelength interference

of light—approximately 1/10,000 of a millimeter in thickness). Although

FIGURE 13
each material is intrinsically colorless, the reflections created at
Schematic illustration of a thin-film interference coating
each interface between the layers combine through wave interference
to selectively reflect some wavelengths of light and transmit 100

others. A common natural example of thin-film interference is the

formation of swirls of color on a soap bubble. Interference occurs
between the reflections from the inner and outer surfaces of the bubble, %T

and the colors follow contours of constant thickness within the single
layer of soap.13

Almost any filter type can be designed using interference coatings, 0

400 500 600 700

including bandpass, shortpass, and longpass filters, and dichroic Wavelength (nm)

beamsplitters. By adjusting the number of layers in the stack and the FIGURE 14
thickness of each layer, one can control to high precision the nominal Spectra of a triple-band filter designed for DAPI, FITC, and
Texas Red ® emissions. (Chroma Technology Corp P/N 69002
wavelength, the bandwidth, and the blocking level. One can also emission filter)
create filters with greater complexity than the standard bandpass,
longpass, or shortpass. For example, filters with multiple bands
produced using the modified magnetron sputter deposition process,
illustrated in Figure 14, have several highly transmissive bands and
are valuable tools in fluorescence microscopy.

There are several limitations to thin-film interference coatings,

including the following:

1) In traditional interference filter design, the characteristic

blocking performance only holds within a finite wavelength range.
This coating technology has been the industry standard for many
decades, using dielectric materials in a sealed, laminated format.
Additional components, both interference coatings and absorption
glass, can be added to increase blocking range, but with reduced
transmission and increased physical thickness.  An example of a
filter with no added blocking (often called an "unblocked" filter),
and the same filter blocked with added components, is shown
in Figure 15. For applications such as fixed cell stains, plant
imaging with autofluorescence, flow cytometry, plate readers, and FIGURE 15
An example of a blocked filter: A) spectra of an unblocked filter and
anywhere there is an adequate signal this type of filter performs blocking components, including a wide-band “blocker” and infrared-
excellently. blocking blue filter glass; and B) the spectrum of the blocked filter.
The blocking range in the infrared (not shown) is determined by the
range of the blue glass, approximately 1.2 microns.

13 But unlike a soap bubble, the optical thin-films are of solid material (either polycrystalline or
amorphous), and the coating layers are extremely uniform in thickness.
11
 Due to advances in coating technology, some of these limitations
have been greatly reduced. All interference coatings, unlike metal
coatings or absorption glass, have a finite blocking range, but high
energy coating technology maintains transmission while extending
the blocking region. Filters produced by modified magnetron sputter
technology, for example, have broader ranges of extinction by using
sophisticated blocking strategies incorporated into the coating
design.  The extended blocking region using this coating process
has a negligible effect on the transmission through the bandpass.
The signal-to-noise ratio that this type of filter offers allow for the
FIGURE 16 acquisition of high quality data in many photon-critical applications.
Reflectivity vs. absorptance. This dichroic
beamsplitter sample has high absorption in the UV.
2) In traditional filter technology, the coating materials are limited in
their range of transparency. Outside of this range, coatings become highly
absorbing rather than highly transmissive or reflective. Some of the coating
materials that are ideal for visible filters have excessive absorption in the UV,
so materials with different and less-than-ideal characteristics must be used
for UV filters. As a result, UV filters tend to have more limited performance
and less design flexibility. Another consequence is that one cannot always
calculate the reflectivity from a transmission spectrum by assuming zero
absorption in the wavelength range shown in the spectrum. Figure 16 is an
example of a dichroic beamsplitter designed for high reflectivity in the visible
only. The drop in transmission in the UV is a result of absorption instead
of reflection. In general, one cannot assume that a beamsplitter designed to
reflect the visible will also reflect the UV. Filters produced with newer high
energy coating technology use materials with broader ranges of transparency
in the violet and near UV.

3) As noted on page 9, interference coatings are sensitive to angle of incidence.

As the angle is increased, the spectral characteristics of the coating shift to
14
shorter wavelengths, i.e., the spectrum is “blue-shifted.” In addition the
polarizing effect of coatings at oblique angles of incidence is undesirable
in most applications. Although the coating designer can minimize the
polarization, it cannot be eliminated entirely. This effect is, however, utilized
advantageously in some special applications.
FIGURE 17
Schematic representation of an acousto-optical
tunable filter. (From Brimrose Corp.) Acousto-Optical Filters
The acousto-optical tunable filter (AOTF), shown schematically in Figure 17,
is most often used for filtering excitation light, especially laser excitation.
This filter works by setting up radio-frequency acoustical vibrations in an
appropriate crystal and creating, in effect, a bulk transmission diffraction
grating. By varying the frequency, one can rapidly tune the filter to diffract
out with high precision any wavelength of light within the useful range. A
typical AOTF will accept incident light with a maximum half-cone angle of
approximately 5 degrees. The AOTF is an electronically controlled device
that uses an external control unit.

12 14 The effective physical thickness of the thin-film coating does indeed increase with increasing angle of incidence,
but the difference in path length of the interfering reflected light rays decreases.
Advantages of the AOTF include:

1) the ability to change to any wavelength within microseconds, perform

wavelength scanning, and generate multiple-band filtering by mixing multiple
radio frequencies; and

2) the ability to rapidly vary the intensity by changing the amplitude of the
acoustic vibrations.

Some disadvantages include:

1) limited FWHM (approximately 2 nm in the visible), which restricts the
available light output from white light sources when the AOTF is used as an
excitation filter;

2) limited physical dimensions such as a small aperture (approximately 10 mm

or less) and a large overall thickness of approximately 25 mm; and

3) linearly polarized output, giving a maximum of 50% T when using

unpolarized incident light.

Liquid Crystal Tunable Filters*

The liquid crystal tunable filter (LCTF) is another electronically controlled
device that is finding increasing use as an emission filter because it works on
a principle that enables imaging-quality filtering with an ample clear aperture
and an in-line optical path. At the heart of the LCTF are a series of waveplates,
each composed of a layer of birefringent material paired with a liquid crystal
layer and sandwiched between linear polarizers. The birefringence of the liquid
crystal layer, and thus the total magnitude of the waveplate, is fine-tuned by
varying the voltage applied to transparent conductive coatings adjacent to the
liquid crystal layer.

Briefly, the birefringence of the waveplate induces a wavelength-dependent

rotation of the incoming polarized light. The second polarizer then attenuates
the polarized and rotated light to varying degrees, in effect converting the
rotation into an amplitude variation which is also wavelength-dependent. The
LCTF designer is able to control filtering parameters by varying structural
aspects such as the number of waveplates in series and the birefringence
qualities of each waveplate.

Characteristics of LCTFs include:

1) a speed of wavelength selection on the order of milliseconds;
2) no wavelength-dependent image-shift;
3) variable attenuation capabilities; and

4) a choice of bandwidths (FWHM), spectral range of tunability, and blocking

level, although these parameters are somewhat interdependent.

LCTFs are polarizing optical components, so the maximum peak transmission

for unpolarized light is fifty percent. Existing devices can have significantly
less than fifty percent, depending on wavelength and blocking level. However,
the use of special polarizing beamsplitters in an epi-fluorescence microscope
can mitigate the overall effect of these losses. The maximum blocking level
commercially available is around 10 -5.

* See references on page 31

13
 A) 100

FITC
FITC
DESIGNING FILTERS
FOR FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY
Excitation
Emission

%
The primary goal of filter design for fluorescence microscopy is to
create filter sets (typically an excitation filter, emission filter, and
dichroic beamsplitter) that maximize image contrast and maintain
0
300 400 500
Wavelength (nm)
600
image quality.
B)
100

Image contrast is a combination of several factors: 1) the absolute

Excitation Emission brightness of the image; 2) the brightness of the fluorescing substance
Filter Filter
relative to the background, known as signal-to-noise ( S/N ); and 3) to a
%

lesser extent in the case of visual or photographic observation, the color

balance as perceived by the eye. Filters must have high throughput (i.e.,
wide bandwidth combined with high transmittance), as well as low
0
300 400 500 600 cross-talk, because no amount of improvement in S/N will improve
Wavelength (nm)
C) the image contrast if the image is not bright enough to be adequately
100
detected. In addition, the best way to achieve maximum contrast often
Emission depends on the specific application or technique, so the filter designer
Bandpass Filter
Excitation
should have a conceptual understanding of these various applications.
%

Filter How the filter designer incorporates the available information regarding
a particular application is described in detail below.

0
300 400 500 600
Image quality is maintained by ascertaining the optical quality

D)
Wavelength (nm)
requirements at each point in the microscope where a filter is
100
TRITC inserted, and ensuring that each filter is manufactured to the correct
TRITC Emission
Excitation specifications. In order to ascertain these requirements, one must be
well grounded in the fundamentals of microscope optics and have
%

an understanding of the requirements of particular applications

and techniques. This is especially true today, with the growing
number of applications that are taking advantage of the newest
0 technologies: lasers for both illumination and sample manipulation,
300 400 500 600
Wavelength (nm) digital image processing, computerassisted positioning and controls,
E)
and ultrasensitive detection devices.
100

Bandpass
Emission
Bandpass
Excitation In addition, the filter designer must be aware of all the physical
dimensions required by the various microscope brands and models.
%

IMAGE CONTRAST
0
The general process by which a filter set is optimized for a particular
fluorochrome can be illustrated by taking as an example a specimen
300 400 500 600
Wavelength (nm)

stained with the dye FITC and explaining how filters are designed for
FIGURE 18
this dye.
A) FITC excitation and emission spectra
B) Perfect filter pair for FITC, overlaid on excitation and
emission spectra Fluorescence spectra
C) Filter pair with bandpass excitation filter specific to FITC
D) TRITC excitation and emission spectra, overlaid on The single most important parameter for designing a filter set is the
FITC spectra spectral characteristic of the dye, with excitation and emission spectra
E) Bandpass filter pair for FITC (Chroma Technology Corp P/N
shown in Figure 18A. If this were the only parameter to be considered,
49002), overlaid with excitation/emission spectra for FITC
and TRITC

14
one would illuminate the specimen using a shortpass excitation filter that
transmits all of the excitation spectrum and observe the fluorescence using
a longpass emission filter that transmits the entire emission spectrum. A
pair of filters for FITC having these characteristics is shown in Figure 18B.
These represent “ideal” shortpass and longpass filters: real filters would need
a wider separation between the cut-on and cut-off because of slope limitations
of filters, and the shortpass excitation filter would have a cut-off point
somewhere in the UV.

But in a real specimen there are other considerations. Many substances in

the specimen are likely to autofluoresce if a shortpass excitation filter is
used, especially one that transmits UV light. Tissue specimens for pathology
are especially prone to autofluorescence. Also, the presence of UV light,
which has higher intrinsic (i.e., quantum) energy, might increase the rate
of photobleaching of the fluorochrome and/or cause photodamage to the
specimen. Therefore, one should limit the band to a region where the FITC
excitation is at a maximum, but still wide enough to allow adequate intensity,
using a bandpass excitation filter as shown in Figure 18C.

If a second fluorochrome is included in the specimen, for example TRITC

with excitation and emission spectra as shown in Figure 18D, there is low but
significant excitation efficiency in the blue for this dye. If a longpass emission
filter is used for the FITC, a small but noticeable orange emission from TRITC
might be seen. This is usually considered an undesirable effect, especially
when imaging with a monochrome camera that does not distinguish between
colors. In this case, one should restrict the FITC emission filter to a narrower
band (Figure 18E) that is more specific to the band of peak emission for FITC.
The filters in Figure 18E are examples of Chroma's 49-series ET filters.

For cytometric applications where image brightness is not critical, even more
narrow bands are often used in order to maximize the selectivity between
fluorochromes.

Light sources
So far, a hypothetical light source having an equal output in all
colors—a pure white light—has been assumed. Real light sources
can have a wide variety of spectral output, and in many cases it is
important to design filters with the type of light source in mind.
Following is a list of light sources often used for fluorescence
microscopy.

1) Mercury arc lamps are the most common light source for
fluorescence microscopy, chosen for its high brightness (known
technically as luminance or radiance) in the ultraviolet and
visible spectrum. The spectrum of this light source (Figure 19) is FIGURE 19
far from continuous; most of its light output is concentrated in Spectrum of a mercury arc lamp. (Mid-UV output below 300
nm is not shown.)
a few narrow bands, called lines, and each line is approximately

15
 10 nm wide. Most general-purpose filter sets should have
100 00 400 500 600
excitation filters that transmit one or more of these lines, but
Mercury
Spectrum there can be noticeable exceptions, one of which is illustrated in
the following example. Figure 20 shows the effect of modifying the
excitation spectrum of FITC by the output of a mercury arc
%

illuminator. A wide-band excitation filter that included the light at

436 nm would provide an emission signal significantly brighter than
the filter that excludes this line. But for most specimens a reduction
in overall S/N is to be expected because the increase in noise from
0
300 400 500 600
autofluorescence will outweigh the increase in fluorescence signal.
Wavelength (nm)
However, for certain applications involving extremely low absolute
100 levels of fluorescence, or for specimens in which the FITC spectrum
Wide-Band has been blue-shifted15, a wide-band excitation filter that includes
Excitation
Filter the 436 nm line might provide improved detection. Note that the
same emission filter would be used regardless of excitation band
because the emission spectrum would not be significantly altered.
%

2) Xenon arc lamps (Figure 21), have a relatively continuous

spectrum in the visible. They are preferred in systems where the
0 spectral characteristics of dyes and/or specimens are being analyzed
300 400 500 600

Wavelength (nm) quantitatively, but they are not as bright as a mercury lamp of
equivalent wattage. Even in the region of FITC excitation (between
FIGURE 20 450 and 500 nm) where the mercury lamp is relatively weak,
A) FITC excitation spectrum unmodified, and modified the xenon arc lamp is only marginally brighter. There are two
by the mercury arc lamp spectrum (normalized to 100%
relative peak T). main reasons for this. First, the light-producing arc of the xenon
B) Modified FITC excitation spectrum overlaid with lamp is larger than the arc in the equivalent mercury lamp, which
standard and wide-band excitation filters.
reduces the amount of available light that can be focused onto
the specimen using a typical microscope configuration. Some
relevant data concerning mercury and xenon arc lamps are given in
Table 1. Note the differences in arc size between the lamps. Second,
the xenon arc lamp has proportionally much greater output in the
Near-IR as seen in Figure 21, as well as the IR.

This high IR output poses another disadvantage of the xenon arc

lamp. Excitation filters must be designed to have excellent blocking
in the Near-IR (>800 nm,) and depending on the location of the filter,
they must be designed to withstand higher thermal loads.

FIGURE 21
3) Metal-halide short-arc lamps are used increasingly for fluorescence
Spectrum of a xenon arc lamp.
microscopy. Spectrally, there is significant variation in output
between models. In general they are similar to mercury arc lamps,
but with greater relative intensity between the main emission lines.
In this respect they are similar to standard xenon arc lamps. Metal
halide sources have significant advantages over traditional mercury
and xenon arc lamps: a) they have a useful life up to 2000 hours,
compared to 200 hour of the typical mercury illuminators and 400

15 This shift can occur, for example, under conditions of low pH values (pH less than 6) (Haugland, 1992).

16
 LAMP TYPE RATED POWER LUMINOUS FLUX AVERAGE BRIGHTNESS ARC SIZE RATED LIFE
(watts) (lumens) (candela/mm2) w x h (mm) (hours)

Mercury
HBO 50W/3 50 1300 900 0.20 x 0.35 200
HBO 100W/2 100 2200 1700 0.35 x 0.25 200
HBO 200W/2 200 10000 400 0.60 x 2.20 400

Xenon
XBO 75W/2 75 1000 400 0.25 x 0.50 400
XBO 150W/1 150 3000 150 0.50 x 2.20 1200

TABLE 1
Data for xenon and mercury arc lamps. Boldface entries indicate most common sizes for fluorescence microscopes. (From Abramowitz, 1993)

hours of the xenon lamps; and b) they are usually configured in a

precisely machined housing with an integral elliptical reflector, making
possible easy and stable alignment.

The main disadvantage is that due to larger arc size (the smallest size
being approximately 1.2 mm) and limitations of optics of the elliptical
reflector, the average brightness is similar to the xenon arc lamps. And
like xenon arc lamps, they generally have higher output in the IR than
the mercury arc lamp.

4) Light-emitting diode (LED) sources are also gaining in popularity,

particularly in less expensive microscopes used in schools. LEDs
are uniquely different than arc lamps in that they emit light within
a relatively narrow spectral bandwidth, with FWHMs ranging from
approximately 10 to 40 nm. Figure 22 shows spectra for some
100

typical LED sources. This is an attractive feature for fluorescence

microscopy because the need for an excitation filter to have an
extended blocking range is eliminated. In some applications
using fluorochromes with large Stokes shifts an excitation filter
might not even be necessary. However most applications use
%

fluorochromes with narrow Stokes shifts and still require an

excitation/emission filter pair.

LED's have other significant advantages: a) LEDs are typically 0

rated for at least 10,000 hours, with many lasting upwards of 300 400 500 600

Wavelength (nm)
700 800 900

50,000 hours; b) their output intensity remains relatively constant

over the entire rated life; and c) since they are solid-state devices, FIGURE 22
Spectra for typical LED sources. Nominal wavelengths:
their output (both on/off and intensity) can be controlled very
365 nm, 390 nm, 455 nm, 470 nm, 505 nm and 535 nm.
rapidly, on the order of a millisecond. (390 nm LED data from Nichia Corp.)

A main drawback of LED sources that has limited their use in

fluorescence microscopy has been their brightness. However, recent
advances in LED technology have led to LED's that are approximately
as bright as the arc lamps within the narrow spectral band emitted by
the LED.

17
 The main disadvantage now is, ironically, the narrow spectral emission
band. This is for two reasons: a) for multi-channel applications, the output
of several diffferent colors of LED must be combined, necessitating relatively
complex optical schemes that can limit overall brightness; and b) there are
only a limited number of spectral bands available, especially one in the green
spectral region that can match the very useful 546 nm mercury line.16 One
must also be aware that for any single LED color, there can be significant
variability in peak wavelength from batch to batch (up to 20 nm,) as well
as a wavelength dependence on the temperature and magnitude of the drive
current used to power the LED (up to 5 nm.)

5) Lasers have become almost ubiquitous in confocal fluorescence

microscopy because of there extremely high brightness over narrow
(usually monochromatic) spectral bands. However, they are rarely used
for wide-field fluorescence microscopy because the coherent nature
of laser light makes it difficult to achieve a uniform illumination
over the sample field. A detailed discussion of filter design for laser
illumination can be found on page 25.

Detectors
The excitation filter must be designed to block any out-of-band light
FIGURE 23
that can be picked up by the detector. Arc lamps and filament lamps
Typical spectrum of an argon-ion laser. (Data from Spectra-physics
Lasers, Inc.) have output throughout the near-UV, visible, and IR, so the filter
must have adequate attenuation over the whole range of sensitivity of
the detector. But for laser illumination, the blocking range of excitation
filters need only cover the range of output of the laser. For example, IR
1 00
50 blocking is not required for the argon-ion laser (Figure 23).

10
5 Figure 24 shows some sensitivity spectra of important detectors.
%

Not shown is the sensitivity of unintensified silicon photodiodes or

1
0.5
CCDs, which have sensitivity to 1100 nm, falling to zero by 1200 nm.
Note that silicon detectors that are intensified with, for example, a
0.1
300 500 700 900
microchannel plate, have sensitivity ranges similar to the intensified
Wavelength (nm) video spectra shown in Figure 23.

FIGURE 24
Sensitivity of various detectors. Each spectrum is In general it is preferable to block out-of-band light with the excitation
normalized to peak sensitivity. (Video and PMT filter instead of the emission filter for three reasons: 1) the specimen will be
data from Hamamatsu Corp.)
exposed to less radiation; 2) fewer components in the emission filters generally
improve its optical imaging quality; and 3) many microscopes have shallow
cavities for holding emission filters, so it is beneficial to eliminate components
that add to the finished thickness. There are certain cases, for example UV
excitation, where the process of extending the blocking of the excitation filter
greatly reduces the peak transmission of the filter. In these cases it would be
appropriate to provide extended IR blocking in the emission filter instead.

16 The recent use of conversion phosphors has helped to overcome this limitation. Conversion phosphors are coat-
18 ings that are added to LED systems that absorb the LED light and emit light at a longer wavelengths. Phosphors
having output spectra that better match the excitation spectra fluorochromes can be selected.
When doing visible photographic work, it is important to have IR blocking
because some built-in light meters have IR sensitivity that could affect
exposure times.

Beamsplitters
The final stage in the design of a filter set is to select a dichroic beamsplitter
that matches the spectra of the excitation and emission filters. Beamsplitters
having both high reflectance of the excitation band and high transmittance
of the emission band not only maximize the signal but also improve contrast
by further reducing background noise. Reflectance of greater than 95% of
the excitation band, with average transmission greater than 95% in the
emission band, can now be achieved with advanced coating technology such
as modified magnetron sputtering.

At the relatively high angle of incidence of 45 degrees, the coatings can

be highly polarizing, so the designer must work to minimize this effect.
Beamsplitters for imaging systems, such as microscopes, usually consist of
one or two coatings applied directly onto the glass substrate, so extra care in
handling is advised. The surface that is designed to face the light source and
specimen is called the front surface of the beamsplitter. Determining which
is the front surface can be difficult, so the manufacturer usually provides
some type of marking to indicate the correct
orientation.

Figure 25 shows a completed design for a

filter set for FITC, including excitation filter,
emission filter, and dichroic beamsplitter
matched to these filters.

FIGURE 25
Completed filter set design for FITC (Chroma Technology Corp P/N 49002)

19
 OPTICAL QUALITY
The optical quality requirements for an optical filter depend very much
on such factors as the type of filter (especially whether it is a component
of the illumination optics or the imaging/detection optics), the type of
microscope, and the intended application. For example, the optical quality
specifications for an emission filter used for quantitative image analysis with
a laser scanning confocal microscope are much different from those for an
excitation filter used for qualitative visual observation with a standard wide-
field microscope. Although specific requirements for every type of filter and
every application cannot be described here, by introducing the key optical
quality parameters and analyzing a few basic microscope configurations, one
can develop a set of general guidelines that can be applied to most situations.

SURFACE FLATNESS Optical quality parameters

The following is a list of important parameters used to define the overall
incident image quality of a filter or beamsplitter. The first three parameters are
wavefront
illustrated in Figure 26.

1) Surface flatness is a measure of the deviation of the surface of an

reflected
optical element from a perfect plane, usually measured in fractions or
wavefront
multiples of a wavelength of visible light (usually 550 or 630 nm, but
TRANSMITTED WAVEFRONT DISTORTION
sometimes using the CWL for a bandpass filter). The actual reflected
wavefront distortion (RWD) that a plane wave of light undergoes when
incident transmitted
reflected from the surface is twice the value of the surface flatness.17
wavefront wavefront
It should be noted, however, that specifications using the term "RWD"
are usually interpreted as the surface flatness of the substrate at normal
incidence, because this is the standard configuration when measuring
WEDGE (PARALLELISM)
with a commercial interferometer. If the specification must truly be for
RWD and not flatness, then this should be clearly noted.
incident
wavefront deviated
wavefront
The RWD of light reflected off a beamsplitter or mirror is solely
wedge angle determined by the surface flatness of the reflecting surfaces, usually just
the front surface.

FIGURE 26 2) Transmitted wavefront distortion (TWD) is a measure of the distortion

Illustration of the effects of surface flatness,
a plane wave of light undergoes when transmitted through an optical element,
transmitted wavefront distortion, and wedge.
also measured in fractions or multiples of a wavelength of light, the same
as for surface flatness, described above. The surface flatness of the outer
surfaces of the element and, to a lesser degree, internal structures that cause
inhomogeneity of the refractive index, combine to make up the overall TWD
of the optical element.

3) Wedge (also called parallelism) is a measure of how parallel are the outer
surfaces of an optical element. Wedge is usually measured in arc-minutes
or arc-seconds of angle. The main effect of wedge is to induce an angular

17 This is strictly true only for light reflected at normal incidence. The value for light reflected at non-normal incidence
is modified by a cosine factor. For example, the reflected wavefront distortion at 45 degrees angle of incidence is
approximately 1.4 times the surface flatness.

20
deviation in the direction of a light beam, causing, for example, image shifting.
The amount of angular deviation is about one-half the wedge angle for a typical
filter.18 The wedge of internal coating surfaces, while not contributing greatly
to beam deviation, can cause noticeable ghost images as a result of off-axis
internal reflections.

4) The clear aperture of optical filters should not restrict the overall aperture
of the microscope. It is also of critical importance that there is no leakage of
unfiltered light around the edge of the clear aperture. Filter manufacturers
usually sell filters in rings to ensure there is no leakage. If a filter is purchased
without a ring, it is usually the responsibility of the customer to install the
filter in a way that eliminates leakage.

5) Scratches and digs are measured in terms of mil-spec standards; e.g., “80/ 50
scratch/dig.” The term digs includes such things as particles and small bubbles
embedded inside a filter and macroscopic inclusions in exposed coatings.

6) Pinholes are small breaks in the coating of an interference filter, usually

caused by the presence of dust particles on the substrate during coating.
Pinhole size must be measured against standard maximum-tolerance pinholes
under specific conditions using a high-intensity illuminator.

Optical quality requirements for wide-field

microscopes with Köhler illumination

Most fluorescence microscopes are wide-field epifluorescence systems that

utilize Köhler illumination (illustrated in Figure 3, on page 4). Following is a
brief description:

In Köhler illumination, two adjustable diaphragms are provided for control of

the light beam: the aperture diaphragm that gets imaged onto (i.e., is conjugate
to) the back aperture of the objective, and the field diaphragm that gets imaged
onto the in-focus specimen plane. The field diaphragm is positioned near the
lens that images the aperture diaphragm onto the objective back aperture. The
collector lens assembly focuses the arc lamp onto the aperture diaphragm and
thus onto the objective back aperture. Three essential effects are achieved with
this configuration: 1) the image of the arc lamp is completely out of focus at
the specimen plane, thus creating a uniform field of illumination; 2) the image
of the field diaphragm appears in sharp focus on the specimen, and it can be
adjusted to precisely fill the field of view or isolate any part of it; and 3) the
numerical aperture of the illuminating beam can be adjusted (by adjusting the
aperture diaphragm) without affecting the size of the illuminated field.19

With this in mind, some observations can be made regarding optical quality
requirements for this type of microscope.

18 For small angles of incidence, the angular deviation = ( N - 1) α, where N is the refractive index of the glass in the
filter, and α is the wedge angle. Most filters use optical glass with a refractive index of approximately 1.5.
19 For an in-depth description of Köhler illumination optics, please refer to Inoué (1986) or literature from the micro-
scope manufacturers. 21
 1) The illumination optics of the microscope are designed for uniform
illumination of the specimen with minimal flare, and not necessarily for
faithful imaging of the light source or apertures. Therefore, excitation filters
do not require transmitted wavefront distortion of imaging quality,20 but
only what is generally considered the industry standard of optical quality.
Likewise, the surface flatness of the dichroic mirror does not require imaging
quality.

2) Variations in the alignment of the beamsplitter inside the filter cube

assembly will produce noticeable shifts in the position of the illumination
spot (i.e., the image of the field diaphragm on the specimen plane) when
switching filter cubes. For typical applications, an alignment of 45 degrees
plus or minus three arc-minutes is considered adequate. (Because the angle
of the reflected beam is always equal to the angle of the incident beam, the
overall angular deviation caused by this alignment tolerance would be twice
this, i.e., plus or minus six arc-minutes.) When filter cubes are supplied
with the beamsplitter premounted, it is the responsibility of the supplier to
properly align the beamsplitter. In addition, care must be taken to ensure
proper alignment when the filter cube is installed into the microscope.

In contrast, variations in alignment have little effect on the apparent position

of the image in the field of view, known as registration shift.

3) Similarly, the effect of angular deviation induced by wedge in the excitation

filter will be a shift in the position of the illumination spot, but there will
be no registration shifts of the image itself. Wedge must be controlled only
to within alignment tolerances of the dichroic mirror mounted in the filter
block assembly.

4) Filters in the image path, including the dichroic beamsplitter as well as

the emission filter, generally do require transmitted wavefront distortion of
imaging quality.

5) The effect of wedge in the emission filter and beamsplitter will be a

registration shift of the image when switching filters or cubes. Wedge must
be controlled in these components.

In addition, variations in the thickness of the beamsplitter might cause

registration shifts. The extent of this thickness-related shift depends on the
microscope: epifluorescence microscopes with standard tube-length optics
have a light beam in the imaging path that is not collimated.21 They are
therefore more sensitive than microscopes with infinity-corrected optics that
have, in principle, collimated light in the image path.

20 The term "imaging quality" denotes a level of optical quality that will not degrade the overall performance of a spe-
cific optical system. For a typical microscope, a TWD of 1 wave per inch is generally considered adequate for optical
filters and beamsplitters.
22 21 Most
 modern microscopes of this type have relay lenses in the filter-block housing that improve the collimation
inside the cube. The sensitivity is reduced but not eliminated entirely.
The wedge and, to a lesser extent, the thickness of the dichroic beamsplitters
and the emission filters must be tightly controlled for filter sets that require
sub-pixel registration (SPR). The optical-quality requirements for SPR filter
sets is discussed in more detail on page 24.

6) Since the excitation filter is usually positioned near the field diaphragm (a
point conjugate to the image plane in Köhler illumination), pinholes in the
excitation filter are very noticeable and must be eliminated.

7) Autofluorescence of the dichroic beamsplitter must be minimized because

this is the one element that is both fully illuminated by excitation light and
part of the optical path of the image.

It is important to note that the beamsplitter requires separate and independent

specifications for surface flatness and transmitted wavefront distortion.

Based on the above observations, some typical optical quality specifications

for filters used in wide-field epifluorescence microscopes are listed in Table 2.

FILTER TYPE
OPTICAL QUALITY
PARAMETER EXCITATION EMISSION BEAMSPLITTER

Surface flatness no specification no specification <10 waves per inch

Transmitted wavefront no specification 1 wave per inch 1 wave per inch
Wedge <6 arc-minutes 1 arc-minute 1 arc-minute
Scratch/dig 80/50 60/40 40/40
Pinholes none minimal no specification*
Autofluorescence no specification moderate control minimal

*Measured as a dig using scratch/dig specifications.

TABLE 2
Typical optical quality specifications for filters in a wide-field epifluorescence microscope.

23
 FILTER SETS FOR SUB-PIXEL REGISTRATION
A common method for imaging specimens with multiple fluorochromes
is to record images of each fluorochrome separately, using a high-
resolution monochrome CCD camera. The separate images are then
pseudo-colored and overlaid into a single image. Images are obtained
using a different filter "cube" for each fluorochrome. The matched set
of filter cubes are installed in a multi-position slider or turret.

Some applications, in particular those that involve co-localization

analysis, require the separate images to be registered to within one
pixel. Filter sets that are manufactured to have this level of image
registration are called sub-pixel registration (SPR) filter sets.

As described above, the primary cause of a shift in image registration is the

wedge of the dichroic beamsplitter and the emission filter. Although the
specific requirements for achieving SPR depend on the optical layout of the
microscope and the type of CCD detector, typical specifications for wedge are
2 arc-seconds for beamsplitters and 10 arc-seconds for emission filters. The
wedge specification for the beamsplitter is typically lower for two reasons:

1) the angular deviation induced by a substrate at 45 degrees AOI is greater

than at normal incidence, and

2) beamsplitters are always composed of a single substrate that can be

controlled readily for wedge.

A secondary cause of image shift can be the thicknesses of the emission

filter and dichroic beamsplitter. As noted above, the extent of this thickness-
related shift depends on the microscope: epifluorescence microscopes with
standard tube-length optics have a light beam in the imaging path that is not
collimated, and therefore are more sensitive to thickness differences than
microscopes with infinity-corrected optics, which have more collimated light
in the image path where the filter cube is located. Thickness variations of
0.2 mm or less between emission filters in a set, and likewise 0.2 mm or less
between beamsplitters, should eliminate this effect.22

Another secondary cause of image shift can be the flatness of the dichroic
beamsplitter. Thin-film interference coatings in have intrinic mechanical
stress that will cause a substrate to warp. The amount of stress is heavily
dependant on the coating process. Some processes such as magnetron and
ion-beam sputter deposition, make coatings with very high stress, enough
to noticeably warp a thin substrate. If the light beam in the imaging path is
not collimated, this warpage can induce a significant image shift. This effect
may be noticeable if all dichroic beamsplitters in the sets that are installed in
multi-position slider or turret are not made by the same deposition process.

24 22 This assumes that the refractive indices of the glass substrates used in the filters are similar.
 FILTERS FOR CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY

When designing filters for use in confocal fluorescence microscopes

(CFMs), one must consider primarily the optical configuration of the
microscope. Almost every make and model of CFM has a unique
configuration and therefore a unique set of optical specifications,
but most systems can be grouped into one of two basic
categories: CFMs that utilize a Nipkow-disk mechanism Camera
Illumination Path
Imaging Path
for scanning the specimen, and those that scan with a laser
beam. The optics used in each of these scanning methods are
briefly described below by comparing them to the optics of a Field Aperture
Stop Stop
standard widefield microscope. For a more detailed analysis Fluorescence
Filter Cube
of CFM optics, such as depth of field, resolution, and image
generation techniques, please refer to the literature available Relay
Optics Arc Lamp
from the CFM manufacturers, as well as articles published in
scientific journals associated with microscopy or laboratory
Nipkow Disk

Relay

techniques for biology and genetics. Optics

Confocal Section

Objective

OPTICAL QUALITY REQUIREMENTS FOR

CONFOCAL FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPES Specimen Stage

FIGURE 27
Nipkow-Disk Scanning CFMs Schematic of a confocal fluorescence microscope
with Nipkow-disk scanning.
Figure 27 is a schematic illustration of a CFM with broad-band arc
lamp illumination, a Nipkow-disk scanning mechanism, and an
image detector, either a camera or direct visual observation.

This microscope has an optical path similar in principle to standard wide-field

scopes (illustrated in Figure 3). The disk is set in a position conjugate to the
specimen plane and must be uniformly illuminated over the entire field of
view, usually with Köhler illumination. Therefore the transmitted wavefront
requirements for the excitation filter and the surface flatness requirement
for the dichroic beamsplitter are the same as for the wide-field microscope.
Similarly, the transmitted wavefront requirements for the emission filter
and beamsplitter are the same as for the wide-field microscope. The wedge
requirements for the various filters are, in general, also unchanged, although
variations in the focal length of specific CFM designs might necessitate
modifications of these specifications.

25
 Laser Scanning CFMs
Figure 28 is a schematic illustration of a CFM with laser illumination, a
Illumination Path
Imaging Path moving-mirror scanning mechanism, and photometric detection such as a
Detectors
With Apertures Emission Filters
photomultiplier tube (PMT). The optical paths in this microscope design
Dichroic Mirror Spatial Filters are significantly different from those in wide-field microscopes. The two
For Emission (Pinholes, Slits)
major differences are:
Laser

1) the pinhole (or slit) in the illuminator is imaged onto the specimen
Excitation/Emission
Laser
Beamsplitter plane via critical illumination, with the laser spot being directly focused
onto the sample; and
Scanner
Excitation Filters

Objective
Dichroic Mirror 2) the image is formed by synchronously matching the train of electrical
For Excitation
signals generated by the detector to the position of the laser beam on the
Specimen specimen, similar to the image-forming mechanism of a television set.
FIGURE 28 The electrical signals from the detector correspond to the variations in
Schematic of a laser scanning confocal fluorescence microscope. the intensity of the fluorescence signal that passes through the conjugate
pinhole (or slit) aperture.

In this configuration the laser beam must remain undistorted in order to

achieve the best focus at the specimen plane, and there must be minimal
angular deviation from the true optical path. In addition, most CFMs of
this type have relatively long optical path lengths that can magnify any
angular deviations introduced by a filter. Therefore, the excitation filters and
beamsplitters require a degree of optical quality and registration equal to or
greater than that required for emission filters and beamsplitters. Most systems
have transmitted wavefront distortion and surface flatness specifications on
the order of one wave per inch for excitation filters and beamsplitters. The
wedge specifications are similarly tighter, typically one arc-minute or less, in
order to minimize alignment adjustments when switching filters.

In the emission optics, any components that are located between the objective
and the detection aperture must be of imaging quality. In the example
illustrated, this includes all of the emission filters and beamsplitters shown.
Some systems might use a single aperture that would be located between the
main excitation/emission beamsplitter and the detection unit. In this case,
the optical requirements for the filters within the detection unit might be less
critical.

SPECTRAL REQUIREMENTS FOR CONFOCAL

FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPES
Any unique spectral requirements generally stem from the type of illumination
and detection in the microscope. Since the illumination and detection
systems of Nipkow-disk scanning CFMs differ from those of laser-scanning
CFMs, most can again be grouped into one of these two categories.

Nipkow-Disk Scanning CFMs

Since the light source and the detection system of this configuration (described
above and illustrated in Figure 26) are the same as for standard wide-field

26
EFMs, the spectral requirements are basically the same, with one exception:
because of reduced signal intensity and the addition of extra optical elements,
each of which produces undesirable reflections and scattering, excitation and
emission filter pairs must have very low cross-talk.23 In addition, extra care is
required in the quality control of pinholes in the filters.

Laser Scanning CFMs

Filters and beamsplitters for this configuration (described above and illustrated
in Figure 27) are designed to work optimally for the specific laser being used.
The most common lasers are now the solid state lasers, including laser-diodes
(LDs) and diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) lasers. There is a wide selection
of laser wavelenghts now available throughout the visible spectrum. More
traditional lasers, such as the argon-ion, illustrated in Figure 22, the helium-
neon. and argon-krypton are also used. When designing filters for use with
lasers, the following considerations must be made:

1) Excitation filters must have a blocking range that covers the entire output
spectrum of the laser. While filters that block to 800 nm are suitable for
traditionalthe laser sources , the DPSS lasers often have residual output at the
NIR wavelengths used in the laser, particularly 1064 nm, that may fall within
the response range of the detector. One special consideration regarding the
filtering of laser excitation is that excitation filters for lasers should attenuate
as much as possible by reflection in order to reduce the thermal load on the
filter. For example, UV excitation filters for argon-ion lasers should have high
reflectivity in the blue-green region of the visible spectrum where most of the
laser power is concentrated.

2) The lasers used in most CFMs are polarized, so knowledge of the polarization
conditions is very useful when designing beamsplitters for optimum
performance. The dichroic beamsplitter illustrated in Figure 9, for example,
was optimized for use in S-plane orientation with the 488 nm argon-ion laser
line, enabling the beamsplitter to have greater throughput in, for example, a
band of fluorescent emission that cuts on at 500 nm. Note that fluorescent
emissions are largely unpolarized even when the excitation light is polarized,
so the beamsplitter must efficiently transmit the fluorescence in both planes
of polarization. Knowledge of the polarization conditions is especially useful
when designing multiple-band polychroic beamsplitters, which must have very
narrow reflection bands in order to maximize the transmission of the emission
signals.

3) Emission filters must have a blocking range on the short wavelength side
of the band that includes all laser lines that might be used with the particular
filter. Blocking on the long wavelength side is recommended for applications
that use multiple probes, to improve selectivity between the probe signals.
Here the range of blocking only needs to cover the range of the detector, which
can be as short as 700 nm for some PMTs (Figure 23).

23 Some systems utilize polarized optics to reduce the effect of these reflections.
27
 TABLE 3
Methods for applications using multiple probes.

ME T H O D COMPONENT S ADVANTAGES DI SAD VA N TA G ES

1. Separate single-band filter sets. Standard microscope. No extra equipment is necessary. Simultaneous imaging is
not possible.
Brightest images.
Imprecise imaging of combined
images.

2. Multi-band filter sets. Standard microscope. Simultaneous visual observation Reduced brightness.
with no registration errors.
Not recommended with xenon arc
No extra equipment is required illumination.
(other than special filter set).
Color balance is fixed.

3. Multi-band beamsplitter and Microscope with filter wheel or Sequential visual observation with Extra equipment (a filter wheel or
emitter, single-band exciter. slider in the illumination path. no registration errors. slider) is necessary.

Photo camera, or electronic Precise registration of combined

camera with image processing. images; adjustable color
balance.

Optimized exciters offer brighter

image than method 2.

4. Multi-band beamsplitter, Microscope with filter wheels or Exciters and emitters can be Extra equipment (two filter wheels
single-band emitters and sliders in both the illumination designed to have brightness or sliders) is necessary.
exciters, single camera. path and imaging path. similar to method 1.
Registration errors between
Photo camera, or electronic Reduction in registration error emitters might still be present.
camera with image processing. (by eliminating movement of the
beamsplitter).

5. Multi-band beamsplitter, Microscope with filter wheel or In addition to advantages in More complicated apparatus
single-band emitters and slider in the illumination path. method 4: requiring additional beamsplitters
exciters, multiple cameras. and cameras.
Beamsplitter assembly for sepa- Registration errors from emitters
rating channels, each channel can be eliminated;
having a separate emission filter.
Additional applications are sup-
ported (e.g., ratio imaging).

6. Neutral beamsplitter, replacing Any valid combination of exciter Brightness can be reduced by
multi-band beamsplitter in and emitter can be used. as much as 80%, so special light
methods 4 and 5. sources are recommended (e.g.,
laser illumination).

28
 FILTERS FOR MULTIPLE PROBE APPLICATIONS
When making a multiple-exposure photograph or multiple electronic
images of specimens stained with several fluorochromes, using separate
filter cubes in a standard microscope, there will be unavoidable
registration shifts between exposures. Varying amounts of wedge in the
emission filter and beamsplitter, variations in thickness and alignment
of the beamsplitter, and mechanical vibration that occurs when the
cubes are switched all contribute to this shift. Although for some
applications these effects can be reduced to acceptable levels, many
others require more sophisticated filter designs and optical apparatus.

Listed in Table 3 are some available methods for applications involving multiple
probes. These include the multi-band filter sets introduced earlier, illustrated
in Figure 29, and various configurations that utilize both multi-band and single-
band filter components. All of these methods are designed to eliminate the
aforementioned registration errors. Method 2 offers the ability to visually observe
up to three colors simultaneously. (Methods 3 through 6 can also do this if multi-
band filters are added to the filter sets.) It should be noted that this list is only a
guide, not an exhaustive list of all possible methods and configurations.

Emission Filter
Excitation Filter

Dichroic Beamsplitter

100

%T

0
400 500 600 700

Wavelength (nm)
FIGURE 29
®
Spectra of a triple-band filter set designed for the dyes DAPI, FITC, and Texas Red .
(Chroma Technology Corp P/N 69002)

29
 REFERENCES
Abramowitz, M. (1993) Fluorescence Microscopy: The Essentials. Olympus
America, Inc.
Brimrose Corp., Baltimore, MD. AOTF Spectroscopy (March 1993 catalogue).
Ealing Electro-optics (1992) Product Guide, Holliston, MA.
Haugland, R.P. (1992) Handbook of Fluorescent Probes and Research
Chemicals, 5th ed. Molecular Probes, Eugene, OR.
Inoué, S. (1986) Video Microscopy. Plenum Press, New York.
Kasten, F. H. (1989) The origins of modern fluorescence microscopy and
fluorescent probes. Cell Structure and Function by Microspectrophotometry
(E. Kohen and J. G. Hirschberg, eds.). Academic Press, San Diego, CA.
Lakowicz, J. (1983) Principles of Fluorescence Spectroscopy. Plenum Press,
NewYork.
Schott Glasswerke. Mainz, Germany. Optical Glass Filters (catalogue).

References for Liquid Crystal Tunable Filters (p.13)

Cambridge Research and Instrumentation, Inc., Cambridge, MA. Varispec
Tunable Imaging Filter (catalogue).
Morris, Hannah R., Clifford C. Hoyt, Peter Miller, and Patrik J. Treado (1996)
Liquid crystal tunable filter Raman chemical imaging. Applied Spectroscopy
50:806-808.
Hoyt, Clifford (1996) Liquid crystal tunable filters clear the way for imaging
multiprobe fluorescence. Biophotonics International July/August.

30
GLOSSARY
with page references

Acousto-optical tunable filter (AOTF) (p. 12)

An active crystal device that works by setting up radio-frequency acoustical
vibrations in the crystal and creating, in effect, a bulk transmission diffraction
grating. By varying the frequency, one can rapidly tune the filter to diffract out
a desired wavelength of light and transmit this wavelength out of the device.

Angle of incidence (AOI) (p. 9, fig. 9)

The angle between the optical axis of the light incident on the surface of a
filter and the axis normal to this surface.

Angular deviation (p. 21)

A shift in the direction of light beam from the true optical axis of the system,
measured in units of angle such as arc-minutes (1/60 of a degree) or arc-seconds
(1/60 of an arc-minute).

Aperture diaphragm (p. 21)

An adjustable diaphragm located in the illumination optics which controls
the numerical aperture of the illuminating beam and affects the brightness
of the beam.

Attenuation level (p. 8, fig. 6)

Also Blocking level. A measure of the out-of-band attenuation of an optical
filter over an extended range of the spectrum. The attenuation level is often
defined in units of optical density (see optical density).

Autofluorescence (p. 2)
In fluorescence microscopy, any fluorescence from substances other
than fluorochromes, including primary fluorescence from the specimen,
fluorescence
from immersion oils and other media, and fluorescence from glass optical
components within the microscope.

Average transmission (p. 8, fig.6A)

The average calculated over the useful transmission region of a filter rather
than over the entire spectrum. For a bandpass filter, this region spans the
FWHM of the transmission band.

Background (p. 4)
Any detectable light that is not a desired primary or indirect fluorescent
emission. Sources of background include cross-talk between excitation and
emission filters, light leaking through pinholes in filters, and electronic noise
in cameras, as well as autofluorescence.

31
 Bandpass (p. 8, fig. 6)
An optical filter that has a well-defined short wavelength cut-on and long
wavelength cut-off. Bandpass filters are denoted by their center wavelength
and bandwidth.

Bandwidth (p. 8, fig. 6A)

Also FWHM (Full width at half of maximum transmission). For optical
bandpass filters, typically the separation between the cut-on and cut-off
wavelengths at 50% of peak transmission. Sometimes a bandwidth at, for
example, 10% of peak transmission is specified.

Barrier filter
See Emission filter.

Blocking level
See Attenuation level.

Blocking range (p. 8, fig. 6B)

The range of wavelengths over which an optical filter maintains a specified
attenuation level.

Blocker (p. 11, fig. 15)

A thin-film interference coating that is incorporated into a bandpass
interference filter to extend the blocking range of the primary coating in
the filter. A blocker is usually a very wide-band bandpass filter having high
transmission in the band of the primary filter.

Brightfield (p. 6)
A kind of diascopic illumination in which the field of view is illuminated
directly. Also, the type of condenser used for this kind of illumination.

Center wavelength (CWL) (p. 8, fig. 6A)

For optical bandpass filters, the arithmetic mean of the cut-on and cut-off
wavelengths at 50% of peak transmission.

Clear aperture (p. 21)

The surface area of an optical filter which is free of any defects or obstructions.
On interference filters the clear aperture is often delimited by an annulus of
metal or opaque material.

Critical illumination (p. 26)

A type of illumination optics in which the image of the light source is focused
onto the specimen plane, in contrast to Köhler illumination optics. See also
Köhler illumination.

32
Cross-talk (p. 9, fig. 7)
The minimum attenuation level (over a specified wavelength range) of two
filters placed together in series. The transmission spectrum of the beamsplitter
is sometimes included in this evaluation.

Darkfield (p. 6)
A kind of diascopic illumination in which the specimen is illuminated
obliquely, i.e., at angles that will not enter the objective directly. Also, the
type of condenser used for this kind of illumination.

Diascopic illumination (p. 6)

Illumination using light transmitted through the specimen, using a condenser
to focus the light.

Dichroic beamsplitter (p. 5, 7 footnote, fig. 4)

Also Dichroic mirror, Dichromatic beamsplitter. A special mirror housed
in the filter cube that selectively reflects the excitation light filtered by the
exciter and transmits the emitted fluorescence. Dichroic beamsplitters can
also be found in any other part of a microscope system where light needs to
be split or combined by wavelength.

Edge filter (p 8)
Another term for either a shortpass or longpass optical filter. The term
usually denotes a filter with a very sharp cut-on or cut-off.

Emission filter (p. 5, fig. 4)

Also Barrier filter, Emitter. A color filter that attenuates all of the light
transmitted by the excitation filter and very efficiently transmits any
fluorescence emitted by the specimen.

Emitter
See Emission filter.

Epifluorescence microscope (p. 4)

A fluorescence microscope that illuminates the specimen episcopically (i.e.,
with light reflected onto the specimen).

Episcopic illumination (p. 7)

Also Incident-light illumination. Illumination with light reflected onto the
specimen rather than transmitted through the specimen. The illuminating
light is reflected through the objective by means of a beamsplitter that is
either partially reflective or a dichroic.

Excitation and emission (p. 2)

See Fluorescence.

33
 Excitation filter (p. 5, fig. 4)
Also Exciter. A color filter that transmits only those wavelengths of the
illumination light that efficiently excites a specific dye. See Emission filter.

Exciter
See Excitation filter.

Extinction coefficient (p. 3)

A measure of the absorption characteristics of a fluorochrome.

Fading
See Photobleaching.

Field diaphragm (p. 21)

An adjustable diaphragm located in the illumination optics which controls
the area of illumination on the specimen.

Filter block
See Filter cube.

Filter cube (p. 5, fig. 4)

A removable cube-shaped unit that holds a matched set of fluorescence filters.
This set usually includes an excitation filter and emission filter but always
includes a dichroic beamsplitter.

Filter glass (p. 10)

Also Absorption glass. Colored glass that is manufactured for technical and
scientific applications. The most common types of filter glass used in fluores-
cence microscopy are UV-transmitting “black glass” filters; IR-absorbing
heat filters; and yellow, orange, and red sharp-cut longpass filters. Filter glass
selectively attenuates light by absorption, so the spectral performance is
dependent on the thickness of the glass.

Fluorescence (p. 2)
A molecular phenomenon in which a substance absorbs light, then radiates
part of this absorbed energy as light of another color, one of lower energy and
thus longer wavelength. This process is known as excitation and emission.
Fluorescence is distinguishable from other types of luminescence in that the
process of excitation and emission occurs nearly instantaneously (i.e., on the
order of nanoseconds).

Fluorescent probe (p. 2)

Also Fluorophore. A fluorochrome that has been conjugated to an active
substance, such as a protein, antibody, or nucleic acid, in order to selectively
stain a targeted substance within the specimen.

34
Fluorochrome (p. 2)
A fluorescent dye used either directly as a specimen stain or conjugated to an
active substance to make a fluorescent probe.

Fluorophore
See Fluorescent probe.

Front surface (p. 19)

The side of a beamsplitter that is designed to face the incident light. In a
filter cube this is the side that faces both the light source and the specimen.
Beamsplitters generally perform better when oriented correctly.

FWHM
See Bandwidth.

Half-cone angle (p. 9)

The angle between the most oblique ray of a convergent or divergent light
beam and the optical axis of the beam. See also Numerical aperture.

Heat filter (p. 6)

An optical filter that attenuates infrared radiation but transmits the visible.
Attenuation is achieved by means of absorption (using filter glass), reflection
(using a thin-film interference coating, often called a hot mirror), or a
combination of the two.

Hot mirror
See Heat filter.

Indirect fluorescence (p. 2)

Also Secondary fluorescence. In fluorescence microscopy, fluorescence
emitted by fluorochromes introduced into a specimen as a stain or probe. See
Primary fluorescence.

Infinity-corrected optics (p. 22)

An optical configuration employed by some microscopes in which the
objective forms an image at infinity, and a secondary tube lens forms an
image at
the intermediate image plane. (This intermediate image is focused in turn
by the ocular.) This configuration allows for a flexible distance between the
objective and ocular because the distance between the objective and the tube
lens can be varied without affecting the image-forming characteristics of the
microscope. Note that objectives designed for infinity-corrected optics are
not interchangeable with objectives designed for standard tube-length optics.

35
 Interference filter
See Thin-film interference coating.

Köhler illumination (pp. 21)

The type of illumination optics, usually used in wide-field epifluorescence
microscopes, in which the image of the light source is completely out of focus
at the specimen plane.

Longpass (LP) (p. 8)

An optical filter that attenuates shorter wavelengths and transmits longer
wavelengths over the active range of the spectrum (which depends on the
specific application). LP filters are denoted by the cut-on wavelength at 50%
of peak transmission.

Luminance
See Radiance.

Nanometer (nm) (p. 2)

A unit of length commonly used for measuring the wavelength of light: 1 nm
= 10 angstroms (A) = 10-9 meters; and 1000 nm = 1 micron (µ) = 10-6 meters.

Near-infrared (NIR) (p. 3)

The region of the electromagnetic spectrum ranging in wavelength from
approximately 750 to 2500 nanometers.

Neutral-density (ND) filter (p. 6)

An optical filter that attenuates light by an amount independent of the
wavelength within the useful range of the filter. Metal-coated filters typically
have a wider neutral range than glass filters and are more heat-tolerant.

Normal incidence (p. 9)

An angle of incidence of zero degrees.

Numerical aperture (NA) (p. 7, 19)

In the microscope, a measure of the effective cone-angle of light focused onto
the specimen (NA of the condenser) or light captured by the objective (NA
of the objective). A high value of NA improves both the brightness and the
resolution of the image. (NA = N sin(θ), where N is the refractive index of the
medium surrounding the specimen and θ is the half-cone angle of the light.)

Optical density (OD) (p. 8)

A logarithmic unit of transmission: OD = -log10(T), where T is the transmission
(0≤T≤1).

Parallelism
See Wedge.

36
Photobleaching (p. 3)
Also Fading. A photochemical reaction that causes the intensity of fluorescence
to decrease with time.

Pinholes (p. 21)

Small breaks in the coating of an interference filter, usually caused by the
presence of dust particles on the substrate during coating.

Polarization (p. 9)
Restriction of the orientation and phase of the electromagnetic field vibrations
caused by propagating light. These vibrations are transverse to the direction
of propagation of the light, and can be oriented at some angle around the axis
of propagation. When the orientation and the phase of the vibrations change
rapidly and randomly in time, the light is said to be unpolarized. When the
vibrations are restricted to one particular orientation angle over an extended
length of time, the light is said to be plane-polarized. Light can be partially as
well as totally plane-polarized. When the relative phase of the vibrations varies
with angle in a regular periodic fashion over an extended length of time, the
light is said to be elliptically polarized. Circular polarization is a special case
in which the amplitude of the vibrations are equal for all angles. When light
is elliptically polarized, the orientation of the vibrations rotates around the
propagation axis at the frequency of the light.

When light strikes a specular surface at non-normal incidence, the component

of the electric field vibrations parallel to the plane of incidence of the surface
(P-plane) behaves differently than the component perpendicular to the plane of
incidence (S-plane). This causes a polarizing effect that is aligned orthogonally
to the orientation of the surface.

Polychroic (p. 27)

A name for a dichroic beamsplitter that has multiple reflection bands and
transmission regions.

P-plane
See Polarization.

Primary fluorescence (p. 2)

In fluorescence microscopy, fluorescent emissions from the specimen itself
rather than emissions from any fluorochromes present in the specimen. See
also Autofluorescence.

Quantum efficiency (p. 3)

A measure of how efficiently a fluorochrome converts absorbed radiation into
emitted fluorescence.

37
 Quenching (p. 4)
Any chemical process which reduces the quantum efficiency of a fluorochrome
in situ.

Radiance (p. 15)

A measure of the radiometric brightness of a light source. Technically, the
radiance is the radiant flux emitted per unit solid angle per unit area of the
light source. A common unit is watts per steradian per square centimeter.
Luminance is a measure of the brightness of a light source as perceived by the
human eye (i.e., a photometric measure), commonly measured in candelas per
square centimeter.

Registration shift (p. 22)

A shift in the apparent position of the specimen that occurs when an optical
element is inserted or removed, adjusted, or switched with another element.

Scratch/dig (p. 21)

A set of specifications for defining the maximum allowable size and number
of scratches and digs on an optical surface. The scratch/dig values (e.g.,
80/50) specify the scratch width in microns and the dig diameter in tens
of microns, respectively. Although extensive evaluation procedures exist if
rigorous standards must be maintained (military specification MIL-F-48616,
for example), a qualitative visual assessment of the scratches and digs usually
suffices.

Secondary fluorescence (p. 6)

See Indirect fluorescence.

Shortpass (SP) (p. 8)

An optical filter that attenuates longer wavelengths and transmits shorter
wavelengths over the active range of the spectrum (which depends on the
specific application). SP filters are denoted by the cut-off wavelength at 50%
of peak transmission.

Signal-to-noise (S/N) (p. 14)

A measure of the brightness of the desired fluorescence (the signal) relative to
the brightness of the background (the noise).

Slope (p. 9)
A measure of the sharpness of the transition from the transmitting region to
the blocking region of a color filter.

Spectrofluorimeter, also spectrofluorometer (p. 2)

An instrument used for measuring the excitation and emission spectra of a
fluorescent substance.

38
S-plane
See Polarization.

Standard tube-length optics (p. 22)

An optical configuration employed by most microscopes in which the
objective forms an image at the intermediate image plane. (This intermediate
image is focused in turn by the ocular.) The distance between the nosepiece
that holds the objective and the barrel that holds the ocular is fixed at a
standard length of 160 mm so that objectives can be interchangeable between
microscopes. See also Infinity-corrected.

Stokes shift (p. 3)

The shift in wavelength between the peak excitation intensity and peak
emission intensity of a fluorochrome.

Sub-Pixel Registration (SPR) (p. 24)

A term used to describe filter sets that are manufactured to a level of precision
that eliminates variations in image registration when switching filters or
filter-cubes.

Substrate (p. 5)
The ground and polished piece of optical glass that is used as a base for the
beamsplitter coating.

Surface flatness (p. 20)

A measure of the deviation of the surface of an optical element from a perfect
plane, measured in fractions or multiples of a wavelength of visible light
(usually 550 or 630 nm).

TE-mode
Another term for S-plane polarization. (Short for “transverse-electric” mode.)
See Polarization.

Thin-film interference coating (p. 11)

A type of optical coating composed of a stack of microscopically thin
layers of material. Although each material is intrinsically colorless, the
reflections created at each interface between the layers combine through
wave interference to selectively reflect some wavelengths of light and
transmit others. Thin-film interference coatings are the main component of
interference filters, which consist of one or more coatings separated by glass
substrates and frequently one or more layers of filter glass.

TM-mode
Another term for P-plane polarization. (Short for
“transverse-magnetic” mode.) See Polarization.

39
 Transmitted wavefront distortion (TWD) (p. 20)
A measure of the distortion a plane wave of light undergoes when transmitted
through an optical element, measured in fractions or multiples of a wave-
length of visible light (usually 550 or 630 nm).

Ultraviolet (UV) (p. 3, fig. 2)

The region of the electromagnetic spectrum ranging in wavelength from
approximately 100 to 400 nanometers. Three distinct bands are: 1) near-UV,
from 320 to 400 nm; 2) mid-UV, from 190 to 320 nm; and 3) vacuum-UV
(VUV), below 190 nm. The terms UV-A and UV-B denote bands with distinct
physiological effects: 320 to 380 nm and 280 to 320 nm, respectively.

Wedge (p. 20)

Also Parallelism. A measure of the deviation of the outer surfaces of an
optical element from perfect parallelism, usually measured in arc-minutes or
arcseconds of angle.

Wide-field (p. 21)

An epifluorescence microscope in which the full field of view is illuminated,
in contrast to a confocal epifluorescence microscope. The term brightfield is
also used, but this might be confused with traditional diascopic brightfield
illumination.

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