Single shot ptychographical iterative engine based on multi-beam illumination

An optical alignment and a corresponding reconstruction algorithm are proposed to realize a single shot Ptychographical Iterative Engine (PIE). Multiple light beams generated by a cross grating are used to illuminate the specimen, and the resulting diffraction patterns formed on the detector plane by each beam are recorded simultaneously. The modulus and phase images are properly reconstructed with standard PIE algorithm. The proposed single shot method omits the needs for a mechanical x-y scanning of standard PIE algorithm and hence dramatically reduces the data acquisition time.