Real Time Gabor-Domain Optical Coherence Microscopy for 3D Imaging

Fast, robust, nondestructive 3D imaging is needed for the characterization of microscopic tissue structures across various clinical applications. A custom microelectromechanical system (MEMS)-based 2D scanner was developed to achieve, together with a multi-level GPU architecture, 55 kHz fast-axis A-scan acquisition in a Gabor-domain optical coherence microscopy (GD-OCM) custom instrument. GD-OCM yields high-definition micrometer-class volumetric images. A dynamic depth of focusing capability through a bio-inspired liquid lens-based microscope design, as in whales' eyes, was developed to enable the high definition instrument throughout a large field of view of 1 mm3 volume of imaging. Developing this technology is prime to enable integration within the workflow of clinical environments. Imaging at an invariant resolution of 2 μm has been achieved throughout a volume of 1 × 1 × 0.6 mm3, acquired in less than 2 minutes. Volumetric scans of human skin in vivo and an excised human cornea are presented.