Fiber-optic confocal microscope using a MEMS scanner and miniature objective lens.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical optics
• Microscopy engineering
• Optical imaging technologies

Background:

• Confocal microscopy offers high-resolution imaging but often requires bulky equipment.
• Miniaturization of optical systems is crucial for in vivo and point-of-care applications.
• Developing advanced imaging tools is essential for early disease detection, such as oral cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and construct a compact single-fiber-optic confocal microscope (SFCM).
• To evaluate the imaging performance and resolution of the developed SFCM.
• To demonstrate the potential of SFCM for imaging human oral tissue for cancer detection.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a SFCM integrating a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) scanner and a miniature objective lens.
• Experimental measurement of axial and lateral resolution.
• Acquisition of reflectance images at 8 frames per second over a 140 mum x 70 mum field-of-view.
• Imaging of ex vivo and in vivo human oral tissue samples.

Main Results:

• The SFCM achieved axial and lateral resolutions of 9.55 mum and 0.83 mum, respectively, matching theoretical predictions.
• High-speed image acquisition at 8 frames per second was demonstrated.
• The system successfully resolved cellular details in human oral tissue, both ex vivo and in vivo.

Conclusions:

• The developed SFCM is a compact and high-performance imaging system.
• The achieved resolution and imaging speed are suitable for biological tissue analysis.
• SFCM shows significant potential as a tool for non-invasive oral cancer screening and diagnosis.