Preliminary Research for Enabling Intelligent Focus for 3D Imaging

This research was basically on assessing the focus levels of images from tin ball samples as an ideal test. The results and method used for the ideal test sample was then applied to real datasets of samples like the canine kidney cells that have been infected with influenza virus for 24 hours. The tin ball samples and the samples of the influenza virus was viewed with the Dual Focused Ion Beam/ Scanning Electron Microscope (FIB/SEM). The FIB/SEM facility generated images of these samples. The analysis of these images were carried out by measuring the Derivative Sharpness Function in images called the Derivative Sharpness Function using the Digital Micrograph software: the tin ball samples provided perfect results when a pixel difference of 1 was utilized less perfect result for a pixel difference of 20. Also, a defocus increment of 0.01 mm was better than a defocus image at 0.001 mm displacement. Applying parameters from the successful result of the test samples on real data sets at 0.01 mm and a pixel difference of 1 & 10 also produced reasonable results on assessing the levels of focus in real data samples such as the canine kidney cells.