Fabrication and characterization of modulation masks for multimodal spatial frequency modulated microscopy

Spatial frequency modulated imaging (SPIFI) is a powerful imaging method that when used in conjunction with multiphoton contrast mechanisms has the potential to improve the spatial and temporal scales that can be explored within a single nonlinear optical microscope platform. Here we demonstrate, for the first time to our knowledge, that it is possible to fabricate inexpensive masks using femtosecond laser micromachining that can be readily deployed within the multiphoton microscope architecture to transform the system from a traditional point-scanning system to SPIFI and gain the inherent advantages that follow.