Tiny endoscopic optical coherence tomography probe driven by a miniaturized hollow ultrasonic motor

Abstract

We present an endoscopic probe for optical coherence tomography (OCT) equipped with a miniaturized hollow ultrasonic motor that rotates the objective lens and provides an internal channel for the fiber to pass through, enabling 360 deg unobstructed circumferential scanning. This probe has an outer diameter of 1.5 mm, which is ultra-small for motorized probes with an unobstructed view in distal scanning endoscopic OCT. Instead of a mirror or prism, a customized aspheric right-angle lens is utilized, leading to an enlargement of the numerical aperture and thus high transverse resolution. Spectral-domain OCT imaging of bio-tissue and a phantom are demonstrated with resolution of 7.5 μm (axial) × 6.6 μm (lateral) and sensitivity of 96 dB.