Phase-shifting by means of an electronically tunable lens: quantitative phase imaging of biological specimens with digital holographic microscopy

The use of an electronically tunable lens (ETL) to produce controlled phase shifts in interferometric arrangements is shown. The performance of the ETL as a phase-shifting device is experimentally validated in phase-shifting digital holographic microscopy. Quantitative phase maps of a section of the thorax of a Drosophila melanogaster fly and of human red blood cells have been obtained using our proposal. The experimental results validate the possibility of using the ETL as a reliable phase-shifter device.