Emerging applications of digital micromirror devices in biophotonic fields

A digital micromirror device (DMD) is a micro-opto-electromechanical deformable mirror device. Since the first investigation of a deformable micromechanical modulator in 1977, DMDs have been employed in various industrial and biophotonic applications. This review article explores two types of biophotonic applications using DMDs: (1) DMD-implemented high-speed and high-resolution imaging microscopes and (2) bioprinting and lithographic applications by freely modulated light patterns using a DMD. Also, several novel implementations of DMDs in advanced biophotonic techniques are briefly described. With these investigations, we aim to present to the reader the existing technologies and the directions for future technologies will take.