A 3mm endoscopic probe with integrated MEMS micromirror for optical coherence tomography bioimaging

Abstract

A 3mm diameter endoscopic probe for Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) has been developed. It consists of a 1mm diameter micromirror, a silicon optical bench (SiOB), a gradient refractive index (GRIN) lens and a single mode optical fiber. The optical probe is enclosed within a biocompatible, transparent and waterproof polycarbonate tube for in vivo diagnostic applications. The two-axis scanning micromirror is driven by electrothermal actuators with a voltage less than 2V for a mechanical deflection of up to 11° . By integrating the MEMS micromirror with a commercial Optical Coherence Tomography system and miniaturized probe, high resolution 2-D/3-D in vivo and in situ images and excellent optical sectioning for imaging multilayer microstructures of internal organs can be realized. The capability of the system is demonstrated by obtaining a 2-D image of an onion.