Deconvolution analysis is a technique that applies algorithms to a through-focus
stack of images acquired along the optical (z) axis to enhance photon signals specific for a given image plane or multiple focal planes in an image stack. The microscope must be equipped with a stepper motor attached to the focus gearset to guarantee image acquisition at precisely defined intervals between focal planes in the specimen. In a typical application, deconvolution analysis is utilised to deblur and remove out-of-focus light from a particular focal plane of interest using fluorescence excitation and emission (although the technique is useful for other illumination modes as well). The most sophisticated applications apply deconvolution analysis to an entire image stack to produce projection views or three-dimensional models.