Patent ID: 8660312

Claim:
A method for computing depth sectioning of an object using a quantitative differential interference contrast device comprising a wavefront sensor with one or more structured apertures in a lensless aperture layer, a light detector, and a transparent layer between the lensless aperture layer and the light detector, the method comprising: detecting light received by the light detector through one of the one or more structured apertures, the light from an image wavefront induced by the object; measuring, by the wavefront sensor, an amplitude of the image wavefront based on the detected light; measuring, by the wavefront sensor, a phase gradient in two orthogonal directions of the image wavefront based on the detected light and based on depth of the transparent layer; reconstructing, by a processor, a reconstructed image wavefront using the measured amplitude and phase gradient based on the detected light through the one or more structured apertures in the lensless aperture array; and computing depth sectioning by propagating, by the processor, the reconstructed image wavefront to a first plane intersecting the object at a first depth through the object.