Quantum dot based compact solid-state swept light source for hyperspectral cellular imaging

We developed a compact solid-state swept light source for hyperspectral microscopic imaging. The light emitting materials are 9 colors of CdSe/ZnS and CdTe/ZnS colloidal quantum dots with the peak emission wavelengths ranging from 520 nm to 800 nm. Multicolor emission from the light source is simply managed by digital on-off control of excitation UVLEDs, enabling a standard microscope with a monochromatic CCD to capture multispectral absorption images of samples. We have demonstrated microscopic imaging of silica coated gold nanorods and cultured cancer cells, showing the efficacy of our swept light source.