Common-Path Endoscopic Fourier Domain OCT with a ReferenceMichelson Interferometer

摘要

A. common-path Fourier-domain OCT for endoscopic imaging, which uses the distal-end surface of the fiber as a self-aligned reference mirror, is reported. A miniaturized probe is designed for this OCT system. A reference Michelson interferometer is used to compensate for the optical path difference and mismatch of dispersion and polarization states due to the miniaturized probe. This configuration allows arbitrary probe fiber length and provides sufficient working space for imaging optics and their package, and thus is suitable for OCT imaging of lumens of various sizes. Additionally, the reference intensity is able to be tuned by index match oil to optimize the signal to noise ratio of the system. Due to this common-path configuration, the OCT signal is immune to the bending or handling of the fiber connecting with the probe.