Ultrathin lensed fiber-optic probe for optical coherence tomography

We investigated and validated a novel method to develop ultrathin lensed fiber-optic (LFO) probes for optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. We made the LFO probe by attaching a segment of no core fiber (NCF) to the distal end of a single mode fiber (SMF) and generating a curved surface at the tip of the NCF using the electric arc of a fusion splicer. The novel fabrication approach enabled us to control the length of the NCF and the radius of the fiber lens independently. By strategically choosing these two parameters, the LFO probe could achieve a broad range of working distance and depth of focus for different OCT applications. A probe with 125µm diameter and lateral resolution up to 10µm was demonstrated. The low-cost, disposable and robust LFO probe is expected to have great potential for interstitial OCT imaging.