Apparatus and method for low coherence ranging

• US 7,310,150 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2003
• Issued: 12/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bouma, Brett E., Guillermo, Tearney J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Turner; Samuel A.
• Application Number:
  US10/501,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20050018200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,803 Days
• Field of Search: 356/479, 356/497, 250/227.19, 250/227.27, 385/12
• US Class Current: 356/479
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 9/02028 Two or more reference or object arms in one interferometer
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 9/02035 Shaping the focal point, e.g. elongated focus
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 9/02036 by using chromatic effects, e.g. a wavelength dependent focal point
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 9/02091 Tomographic interferometers, e.g. based on optical coherence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/4795 spatially resolved investigating of object in scattering medium in vivo A61B

Abstract

A system, apparatus and method for performing low coherence ranging of a sample with high transverse resolution and large depth of focus can be provided. For example, an optical ranging system including a light source can be used. Certain exemplary arrangement can be provided, e.g., a first arrangement for directing light from the light source to the sample, a second arrangement for directing reflected light from the sample to a detector, at least one detector, and a third arrangement for processing light data received by the detector and which generates an image can be utilized. Further, for example, an optical element can be provided which can have a transverse resolution defined as .Δris less than or equal to about μ5 m, and a depth of focus Δz of at least about 50 μm.

Claims

1. An apparatus for imaging at least a portion of a sample, comprising:

a first interferometric arrangement providing an electro-magnetic radiation; and

a second arrangement configured to receive the electro-magnetic radiation, and configured to generate a resultant electro-magnetic intensity distribution,

wherein, along a particular direction, the intensity distribution is approximately constant for at least a predetermined distance, and wherein a wavelength of the electro-magnetic radiation remains approximately the same for at least the predetermined distance at which the intensity distribution is approximately constant.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second arrangement is an optical arrangement which is configured to optically image the sample.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second arrangement is an axicon lens.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second arrangement is a defractive optical element.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second arrangement is an annulus.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second arrangement includes a combination of a diffractive element and a lens.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second arrangement includes at least one of an apodized lens or a diffractive element.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the intensity distribution is a Bessel beam.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a third arrangement adapted to cooperate with the second arrangement so as to translate at least one of the intensity distribution and the sample.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the translation of the at least one of the intensity distribution and the sample produces an image which has 2 or more dimensions.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the intensity distribution having a transverse resolution of a full width at half maximum is less than 10 μ

m.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined distance is at least 50 μ

m.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the intensity distribution includes a non-Gaussian distribution.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a fourth arrangement configured to received information that is associated with the intensity distribution, and display an image based on the received information.

15. An apparatus for imaging at least a portion of a sample, comprising:

a first interferometric arrangement providing an electro-magnetic radiation; and

a second arrangement configured to receive the electro-magnetic radiation, and configured to generate a resultant electro-magnetic intensity distribution,

wherein, along a particular direction, widths of at least two sections of the intensity distribution are approximately the same, and wherein a wavelength of the electro-magnetic radiation remains approximately the same for at least the at least two sections of the intensity distribution.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the particular direction is approximately a vertical direction.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the second arrangement includes a plurality of lenses.

18. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein one of the sections is at least partially above another one of the sections.

19. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the intensity distribution having a transverse resolution of a full width at half maximum is less than 10 μ

m.

20. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein at least a portion of the intensity distribution includes a non-Gaussian distribution.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein a translation of the at least one of the intensity distribution or the sample produces an image which has 2 or more dimensions.

22. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a third arrangement adapted to cooperate with the second arrangement so as to translate at least one of the intensity distribution and the sample.

23. A method for imaging at least a portion of a sample, comprising:

a) providing an electro-magnetic radiation using an interferometric arrangement;

b) receiving the electro-magnetic radiation and generating a resultant electro-magnetic intensity distribution, wherein, along a particular direction, the intensity distribution is approximately constant for at least a predetermined distance, and wherein a wavelength of the electro-magnetic radiation remains approximately the same for at least the predetermined distance at which the intensity distribution is approximately constant.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein step (b) is performed using an optical arrangement which is configured to optically image the sample.

25. The method according to claim 23, wherein step (b) is performed using an axicon lens.

26. The method according to claim 23, wherein step (b) is performed using a defractive optical element.

27. The method according to claim 23, wherein step (b) is performed using an annulus.

28. The method according to claim 23, wherein step (b) is performed using a combination of a diffractive element and a lens.

29. The method according to claim 23, wherein step (b) is performed using at least one of an apodized lens or a diffractive element.

30. The method according to claim 23, wherein the intensity distribution is a Bessel beam.

31. The method according to claim 23, further comprising translating at least one of the intensity distribution and the sample.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein the translation of the at least one of the intensity distribution and the sample produces an image which has 2 or more dimensions.

33. The method according to claim 23, wherein the intensity distribution having a transverse resolution of a full width at half maximum is less than 10 μ

m.

34. The method according to claim 23, wherein the predetermined distance is at least 50 μ

m.

35. The method according to claim 23, wherein at least a portion of the intensity distribution includes a non-Gaussian distribution.

36. The method according to claim 23, further comprising the steps of receiving information that is associated with the intensity distribution;

and displaying an image based on the received information.

37. A method for imaging at least a portion of a sample, comprising:

providing an electro-magnetic radiation using an interferometric arrangement; and

receiving the electro-magnetic radiation, and generating a resultant electro-magnetic intensity distribution, wherein, along a particular direction, widths of at least two sections of the intensity distribution are approximately the same, and wherein a wavelength of the electro-macinetic radiation remains approximately the same for at least the at least two sections of the intensity distribution.

38. The method according to claim 37, wherein step (b) is performed using an optical arrangement which is configured to optically image the sample.

39. The method according to claim 37, wherein step (b) is performed using an axicon lens.

40. The method according to claim 37, wherein step (b) is performed using a defractive optical element.

41. The method according to claim 37, wherein step (b) is performed using an annulus.

42. The method according to claim 37, wherein step (b) is performed using a combination of a diffractive element and a lens.

43. The method according to claim 37, wherein step (b) is performed using at least one of an apodized lens or a diffractive element.

44. The method according to claim 37, wherein the intensity distribution is a Bessel beam.

45. The method according to claim 37, further comprising translating at least one of the intensity distribution and the sample.

46. The method according to claim 37, wherein the translation of the at least one of the intensity distribution and the sample produces an image which has 2 or more dimensions.

47. The method according to claim 37, wherein the intensity distribution having a transverse resolution of a full width at half maximum is less than 10 μ

m.

48. The method according to claim 37, wherein the predetermined distance is at least 50 μ

m.

49. The method according to claim 37, wherein at least a portion of the intensity distribution includes a non-Gaussian distribution.

50. The method according to claim 37, further comprising the steps of receiving information that is associated with the intensity distribution;

and displaying an image based on the received information.

51. An apparatus for imaging at least a portion of a sample, comprising:

a first interferometric arrangement providing an electro-magnetic radiation; and

a second arrangement provided within the first interferometric arrangement and configured to receive the electro-magnetic radiation, and configured to generate a resultant electro-magnetic intensity distribution,

wherein the second arrangement including a third arrangement which is configured to at least partially block at least one first portion of the electro-magnetic radiation, the third arrangement allowing at least one second portion of the electro-magnetic radiation to be provided in a center of the electro-magnetic radiation to pass there through.

52. The apparatus according to claim 51, wherein the third arrangement is a masking arrangement which includes a section in a center thereof which allows the at least one second portion to pass there through.

53. An apparatus for imaging at least a portion of a sample, comprising:

a first interferometric arrangement providing an electro-magnetic radiation; and

a second arrangement configured to receive the electro-magnetic radiation, and configured to generate a resultant electro-magnetic intensity distribution,

wherein, along a particular direction, a plurality of focal points of the intensity distribution are generated, and

wherein a wavelength of the electro-magnetic radiation remains approximately the same along the particular direction for the focal points.

54. The apparatus according to claim 53, wherein, along a particular direction, the intensity distribution is approximately constant for at least a predetermined distance.

55. The apparatus according to claim 53, wherein the second arrangement includes a plurality of transceiver channels.

56. The apparatus according to claim 55, wherein each of the channels is situated in an individual waveguide.

57. The apparatus according to claim 56, wherein at least one of the waveguides is a optical fiber.

58. The apparatus according to claim 56, wherein the second arrangement includes a plurality of lens, each of the lens being in an optical communication with a separate one of the waveguides.

59. A method for imaging at least a portion of a sample, comprising:

a) providing an electro-magnetic radiation using an interferometric arrangement;

b) at a further arrangement that is provided within the first interferometric arrangement, receiving the electro-magnetic radiation and generating a resultant electro-magnetic intensity distribution, wherein at least one first portion of the electro-magnetic radiation is at least partially blocked by a particular arrangement, and wherein at least one second portion of the electro-magnetic radiation provided in a center of the electro-magnetic radiation is allowed to pass through the particular arrangement.

60. A method for imaging at least a portion of a sample, comprising:

providing an electro-magnetic radiation using an interferometric arrangement; and

receiving the electro-magnetic radiation, and generating a resultant electro-magnetic intensity distribution, wherein, along a particular direction, a plurality of focal points of the intensity distribution are generated, and wherein a wavelength of the electro-magnetic radiation remains approximately the same along the particular direction for the focal points.