Full-field optical coherence tomography system implemented with fiber-optic components

Abstract

We have presented full-field optical coherence tomography(FF-OCT) system implemented with fiber optics. Usually FFOCT system illuminates large area at once while conventional OCT system irradiates light at single focal point. From these reason, light guidance with single fiber waveguide is not proper in FF-OCT system and fiber-optic components is not dealt in the system implementation. In this paper, we demonstrate FF-OCT system implemented with fiber-optics, where fiber coupler and fiber-optic circulator were used to perform the function of beam splitting and optical delay line. Each arm of fiber coupler acts as reference arm and sample arm. Fiber-optic collimator and metal-coated mirror mounted on translator in the reference arm could adjust optical path length properly. Separated beam after the fiber coupler was combined after bulk beam combiner, where beam size at fiber end is expanded by large fiber-optic collimator and then illuminated to sample. The larger size beam reflected from sample was interfered with reference beam, which experienced optical delay in the reference arm. The utilization of fiber-optic components could provide merits such as easiness in optical alignment and reduction of sensitiveness to external vibration and perturbation.