BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

The axial resolution of current OCT has been limited to about 10 µm to 15 µm due to lack of the ultra-broad band light sources. In order to improve the image quality and capture fine structures in the tissue, ultra-high axial resolution OCT is required. We have developed three different light sources based on the supercontinuum generation and combined SLEDs. The wavelength range of the light sources is above 1 µm which permits better penetration depth and lower dispersion. Axial resolution up to 2 µm has been achieved with developed light sources. The ultra-high resolution OCT images were demonstrated in human skin, embryonic heart tissue and human colon tissue and compared with normal resolution OCT.