Half-ball lens couples a beveled fiber probe for depth-resolved spectroscopy: Monte Carlo simulations

Abstract

In this study, we propose a beveled fiber-optic probe coupled with a half-ball lens for improving the depthresolved fluorescence measurements of epithelial tissue. The Monte Carlo (MC) simulation results show that for a given excitation-collection fiber separation, the probe design with a bevel-angled collection fiber is more sensitive to detect fluorescence photons emitted from the shallow layer of tissue, whereas the flattip collection fiber is in favor of probing fluorescence photons originating from deeper tissue areas. This compact half-ball lens-beveled fiber probe design has the potential to facilitate the depth-resolved fluorescence detection of epithelial tissue. © 2008 Optical Society of America.