Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT
Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT

High-Speed-Microscopy for quality control

Whether in biotechnology, semiconductor manufacturing, or electronics production – whenever large areas need to be examined microscopically in a short amount of time – conventional microscopy reaches its limits: long imaging times, time-consuming post-processing, and often a loss of image quality.

We overcome these very challenges with high-speed microscopy (HSM). It inspects complex samples in their entirety in seconds rather than minutes, without compromising resolution or image quality. A powerful stitching algorithm also combines the individual images into seamless, high-resolution composite images.

How the Turbo Feature Works in Quality Control

In high-speed microscopy, the object moves continuously during recording rather than in stop-and-go mode. This enables high frame rates of over 100 fps. Synchronized flash illumination prevents motion blur, while real-time autofocus ensures a sharp image at all times. The individual frames are then combined into a high-resolution composite image.

Fast, high-quality, and precise quality control

The result is significantly faster inspection processes, shorter production cycles, and reliable quality control even for high-volume production. At the same time, large-area, consistently sharp images increase detection rates and provide a reliable foundation for precise, efficient, and automatable microscopy processes – a clear advantage in terms of time and quality for research and industry.

Our Services at a Glance

  • Development of custom-designed microscopy systems
  • Upgrading existing microscopes for high-speed imaging
  • Development and installation of high-performance short-pulse illumination systems
  • Customized image data analysis – traditional or AI-assisted
  • Integration of fully automated microscopy solutions into existing systems

An Overview of Our High-Speed Microscopy Solutions

Microscopy Modes

We optimize high-speed microscopy for modalities such as brightfield, darkfield, transmitted light, phase contrast, and polarization – tailored to specific requirements, with fast autofocus and a resolution of up to 0.3 µm per pixel.

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HSM Systems

High-speed microscopy systems are custom-designed for applications that can be seamlessly integrated into production processes – from requirements analysis through to final validation.

Fully automated

In-house software solutions complement fully automated systems with real-time data acquisition, automated image processing and analysis, and stitching—whether traditional or using deep learning (CNN) – to achieve the highest detection rates.

Microelectronics

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50 percent reduction in personnel costs—while improving audit reliability

By utilizing our high-speed microscopy technology, a microelectronics manufacturer was able to cut its quality control staffing requirements in half: instead of two specialists, a single person now operates the system. At the same time, process reliability has increased thanks to automated image analysis – while maintaining consistently high product quality.

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Customer Benefits at a Glance

  • 50% reduction in quality control staffing requirements
  • Faster, repeatable inspection directly on the production line
  • Higher detection rates thanks to automated image analysis
  • Lower error rate compared to manual inspection

Initial situation

Until now, the customer had been inspecting its microelectronic components manually using two skilled workers. The process was labor-intensive, costly, and prone to errors—a bottleneck as production volumes increased.

Our Solution

We integrated a high-speed microscope (HSM) directly into the production line. The system inspects components in real time at high resolution and assists the operator through automated image analysis. This transforms a manual inspection process into an efficient, largely automated in-line inspection.

From spot checks to 100% inspection – in just three minutes per microplate

Thanks to our method for optically compensating for the meniscus effect, the entire surface of a microtest plate (MTP) can now be reliably imaged using phase-contrast microscopy for the first time – in about three minutes instead of several hours. This enables comprehensive quality control of biological samples, whereas previously only random sampling was feasible.

© Fraunhofer IPT

Customer Benefits at a Glance

  • 100% inspection instead of random sampling
  • Imaging time reduced from several hours to approximately 3 minutes per MTP
  • Reliable imaging across the entire vessel surface – including the edges
  • New opportunities for quality assurance in cell production (e.g., gene and cell therapies)

Initial Situation

Phase-contrast microscopy is a standard method for examining biological samples in microtiter plates. However, two major limitations restricted its use: the meniscus effect at the edges of the wells meant that only about two percent of the surface area was usable for small diameters. In addition, imaging an entire microtiter plate took several hours – making a complete inspection economically unfeasible.

Our Solution

We developed a method that optically compensates for the meniscus effect in real time during image acquisition. An upstream optical system compensates for refraction at the liquid surface while the sample is continuously moved. This results in wide-area images with an extended phase-contrast range – quickly, completely, and without any loss of quality.