Kin Pui CHAN, Manabu SATO, Masahiro AKIBA and Naohiro TANNO

¹Regional Joint Research Project of Yamagata Prefecture, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, 2-2-1 Matsuei, Yamagata, Yamagata, 990-2473 Japan, ²Graduate Program of Human Sensing and Functional Sensor Engineering, Yamagata University, 4-3-16 Jonan, Yonezawa, Yamagata, 992-8510 Japan

(Received May 22, 2000; Accepted June 30, 2000)

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a novel imaging modality based on low-coherence interferometry. This paper summarizes some of our latest work on the development of OCT where we have taken two approaches. In the first approach we have developed a phase-drift-suppression method for stable heterodyne detection in the presence of phase fluctuations. In the second approach we have concentrated on the development of two-dimensional heterodyne detection techniques for real-time imaging. A novel detection scheme has been proposed, which enables parallel heterodyne detection with a commercially available imager such as a charge-coupled-device camera. Meanwhile, a non-scanning OCT system configuration based on off-axis interferometry is being studied. Using a newly developed angular-dispersion imaging scheme, we show that the axial reflectance profile in OCT measurement can be detected instantaneously with a sensor array.

Key words : biomedical imaging, optical coherence tomography, two-dimensional heterodyne detection, interferometric imaging

chan@ckk.ymgt-techno.or.jp