Fiber lenses for ultra-small probes used in optical coherent tomography

Youxin Mao, Shoude Chang, Costel Flueraru

.

DOI: 10.4236/jbise.2010.31004                

Abstract

We present a design, construction and characterization of different variations of GRIN and ball fiber lenses, which were recently proposed for ultra-small biomedical imaging probes. Those fiber lens modules are made of a single mode fiber and a GRIN or ball fiber lens with or without a fiber spacer between them. The lens diameters are smaller than 0.3 mm. We discuss design methods, fabrication techniques, and measuring performance of the fiber lenses. The experimental results are compared to their modeling results. The fabrication of a high quality beam director for both lens types is presented as well. These fiber integrated beam directors could be added on the tips of the fiber lenses for side-view probes. A needle probe made by these fiber lenses is demonstrated as a sample of the ultra-small probe for biomedical imaging application. In vivo human finger images acquired by a swept source optical coherence tomography using the fiber lenses with different beam profiles were shown, which indicates the important impact of fiber

Keywords

Optical Fiber Probe; Optical Coherence Tomography; Bio-Medical Imaging

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Huang, D., Swanson, E.A., Lin, C.P., Schuman, J.S., Stinson, W.G., Chang, W., Hee, M.R., Flotte, T., Gregory, K., Puliafito, C.A. and Fujimoto, J.G. (1991) Optical coherence tomography. Science 254, 1178-1181.
[2]	Chen, Z.P., Milner, T.E., Dave, D. and Nelson, J.S. (1997) Optical doppler tomographic image of fluid flow velocity in highly scattering media. Opt. Lett. 22, 64-66.
[3]	Izatt, J.A, Kulkarni, M.D., Yazdanfar, S., Barton, J.K., and Welch, A.J. (1997) In vivo bidirectional color Doppler flow imaging of picoliter blood volumes using optical coherernce tomography. Opt. Lett. 22, 1439-1441.
[4]	Yazdanfar, S., Rollins, A.M. and Izatt, J.A. (2001) Ultrahigh-velocity resolution imaging of the microcirculation in-vivo using color Doppler optical coherence tomography. Proc. SPIE, 4251, 156-164.
[5]	Yang, V.X.D., Gordon, M.L., Qi, B., Pekar, J., Lo, S., Seng-Yue, E., Mok, A., Wilson, B.C. and Vitkin, I.A., (2003) High speed, wide velocity dynamic range doppler optical coherence tomography (Part I): system design, signal processing, and performance. Opt. Express, 11, 794-809.
[6]	White, B.R., Pierce, M.C., Nassif, N., Cense, B., Park, B. H, Tearney, G.J., Bouma, B.E., Chen, T.C. and de Boer J. F., (2003) In vivo dynamic human retinal blood flow imaging using ultra-high-speed spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Opt. Express, 11, 3490-3497.
[7]	Yazdanfar, S., Rollins, A.M. and Izatt, J.A., (2000) Imaging and velocimetry of the human retinal circulation with color Doppler optical coherence tomography. Opt. Lett., 25, 1448-1450.
[8]	Zhao, Y.H., Chen, Z.P., Saxer, C., Xiang, S.H., de Boer, J. F. and Nelson, J.S. (2000) Phase-resolved optical coherence tomography and optical Doppler tomography for imaging blood flow in human skin with fast scanning speed and high velocity sensitivity. Opt. Lett., 25, 114-116.
[9]	Zhao, Y., Chen, Z.P., Saxer, C., Shen, Q., Xiang, S., de Boer, J.F. and Nelson, J.S. (2000) Doppler standard deviation imaging for clinical monitoring of in vivo human skin blood flow. Opt. Lett., 25, 1358-1360.
[10]	Yang, V.X.D., Tang, S., Gordon, M.L., Qi, B., Gardiner, G., Cirocco, M., Kortan, P., Haber, G., Kandel, G., Vitkin, I.A. and Wilson, B.C. (2005) Endoscopic doppler optical coherence tomography in human gastrointestinal tract: initial experience. Gastrointest. Endosc., 61, 879-890.
[11]	Tran, P.H., Mukai, D.S., Brenner, M. and Chen, Z. (2004) In vivo endoscopic optical coherence tomography by use of a rotational microelectromechanical system probe. Opt. Lett., 29, 1236-1238.
[12]	Li, X., Chudoba, C., Ko, T., Pitris, C. and Fujimoto, J. G. (2000) Imaging needle for optical coherence tomography. Opt. Lett., 25, 1520-1522.
[13]	Yang, V.X.D., Mao, Y.X., Munce, N., Standish, B., Kucharczyk, W., Marcon, N.E., Wilson, B.C. and Vitkin, I. A. (2005) Interstitial doppler optical coherence tomography. Opt. Lett., 30, 1791-1793.
[14]	Fujimoto, J.G., Bopart, S.A., Tearney, G.J., Bouma, C.B., Pitris, E. and Brezinski, M.E. (1999) High resolution in vivo intra-arterial imaging with optical coherence tomography. Heart, 82, 128-133.
[15]	Diaz-Sandoval, L.J., Bouma, B.E., Tearnay, G.J. and Jang, I. (2005) Optical coherence tomography as a tool for percutaneous coronary interventions. Catheter. And Cardio. Interventions, 65, 492-496.
[16]	Swanson, E., Petersen, C.L., McNamara, E., Lamport, R. B. and Kelly, D.L. (2002) Ultra-small optical probes, imaging optics, and methods for using same. U.S. Patent, 6445939.
[17]	Shishkov, M., Bouma, B.E. and Tearney, (2006) G.J. System and method for optical coherence tomography. U.S. Patent, 20060067620A1.
[18]	Reed, W.A., Yan, M.F. and Schnitzer, M.J. (2002) Gradient-index fiber-optic microprobes for minimally invasive in vivo low-coherence interferometry. Opt. Lett., 27, 1794-1796.
[19]	Jafri, M.S., Farhang, S, Tang, R.S., Desai, N., Fishman, P. S., Rohwer, R.G., Tang, C. and Schmitt, J.M. (2005) Optical coherence tomography in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders. J. Biomed. Opt. 10(5), 051603.
[20]	Li, H., Standish, B.A., Mariampillai, A., Munce, N.R., Mao, Y., Chiu, S., Marcon, N.E., Wilson, B.C., Vitkin, A. and Yang, V.X.D. (2006) Feasibility of interstitial doppler optical coherence tomography for in vivo detection of microvascular changes during photodynamic therapy. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, 38, 754-761.
[21]	Sainter, A.W., King, T.A. and Dickinson, M.R., (2002) Theoretical comparison of light sources for use in optical coherence tomography. Proc. SPIE, 4619, 289-299.
[22]	Mao, Y., Chang, S., Sherif, S. and Flueraru, C. (2007) Graded-index fiber lens proposed for ultrasmall probes used in biomedical imaging. App. Opt., 46, 5887-5894.
[23]	Kogelnik, H.W. and Li, T. (1966) Laser beam and resonators. Appl. Opt., 5, 1550.
[24]	Emkey, W.L. and Jack, C.A. (1987) Analysis and evaluation of graded-index fiber-lenses. J. of Lightwave Tech., LT-5, 156-1164.
[25]	Mao, Y., Sherif, S., Flueraru, C. and Changm S. (2008) 3x3 mach-zehnder Interferometer with unbalanced differential detection for full range swept-source optical coherence tomography. Appl. Opt., 47, 2004-2010.