RICM = Reflexion Interference Contrast Microscopy.
RICM is an interferometric technique suited to visualize objects in the vicinity of a flat substrate. It is very well adapted for membrane contour analysis above a glass coverslip.
Reflection Interference Contrast Microscopy (RICM) is devoted to the observation of an object on a glass surface, with a normal-to-the slide optical penetration depth of typically 500 nm. Grey levels in the image reflect both the glass-object distance (potential sensitivity of 10 nm), and the refractive index variations along the object surface. The technique can be used for example to image cell spreading, or to quantify substrate-bilayer interactions.
