ABSTRACT
Imaging technology refers to techniques used to generate, collect, and preserve image data. It is one of the most thriving branches of modern technology, yet its origin can be dated back to 400 BC, when the rst “pinhole experiment” was documented in ancient China. Optical imaging devices are pervasive in our modern lives, with applications ranging from optical communication to entertainment to consumer products to scienti c research. Among a w ide variety of imaging instruments, miniaturized imaging devices have received notable attention in recent years due to their applications in the rapidly developing m arkets of p ersonal ele ctronic de vices (including c ameras, c ell phones, PDAs, a nd u ltraportable laptop computers), in vivo bio-imaging devices such as endoscopes (Descour et al., 2002), surveillance/ security systems, and miniaturized microscopes (Kwon and Lee, 2004). Development of miniaturized imaging systems is notoriously di cult as it requires precise fabrication, a lignment, and actuation of various opt ical components-tasks t hat a re d i cult enough for t raditional-scale systems-all w ithin the con nes of an extremely limited space.
