A DMD (Digital Mirror Device) is a device whose technology is used in fluorescence microscopy in the context of a Mosaic active illumination module for controlled illumination of the sample being analyzed. A DMD is a high-speed, high-performance semiconductor chip ("light switch") composed of hundreds to thousands of tilted and suspended microscope mirrors. When the DMD is coordinated with a digital video or graphics signal, a light source, and beam-emitting optics, the array of microscopic mirrors reflects the digital image of the illumination mask directly onto the sample (shown in the illustration).
Each hinged microscope mirror in the DMD (800x600 area) can be switched to the "on" or "off" state to produce the desired illumination mask.
