James Ridgers: Dual Phase Integrator for Two Photon Microscopy

Many imaging systems require the use of a two photon microscope to measure light intensity very precisely. The output of a two photon microscope is an analog signal which can not be directly read by a computer. For a computer to be able to read the output of a two photon microscope, an analog to digital converter is needed. A dual phase integrator is an analog to digital converter, which can operate at high frequencies with precise conversions.

Joel Kubby’s lab is currently working on an imaging system to look inside living organisms without killing them. The system which is being put together uses a two photon microscope for the final imaging. A dual phase integrator was chosen as the analog to digital converter for the final imaging process.

The dual phase integrator needs to be built to block outside noise with minimal power dissipation and fast reading time. Therefore, the dual phase integrator needs to be built as compact as possible to limit the amount of power dissipation and increase the accuracy. Currently the prototype of the dual phase integrator has been built. Work is currently under way to create the final circuit and its packaging. The finished product will be soldered together and incased inside a box to limit the amount of noise.