Fiber-based optical coherence tomography for biomedical imaging, sensing, and precision measurements

Abstract

Recently published studies on fiber-based optical coherence tomography (OCT) are reviewed mainly in relation to applications within the fields of biomedical imaging and precision measurement. A succinct introduction to fiber-based OCT system configurations is described including history, related core components, and functional characteristics. Then, an overview of fiber-optic probes is presented in terms of actuating method, scanning direction, and functionality. In order to verify the performance of fiber-optic OCT systems, fiber-based OCT images of several biological samples including pearls, fingers, teeth, and tumor tissues are presented. A multi-functional modality combined with laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy is also presented to distinguish between similar samples. Finally, some interesting fiber-optic OCT studies are briefly presented to measure various physical, chemical, and biological parameters. In particular, simultaneous refractive index and thickness measurement systems with self-referencing and dual probing techniques are introduced. Also, high precision measurement using a common-path OCT configuration is demonstrated with the help of Fourier domain phase analysis.