Thermal-light full-field optical coherence tomography in the 1.2 μm wavelength region

Full-field optical coherence tomography with dynamic focusing correction is demonstrated in the 1.2 mu m wavelength region using an Indium Gallium Arsenide area camera as image sensor and a halogen lamp as illumination source. An axial image resolution of 1.6 mu m is measured in air (similar to 1.1 mu m in tissue) which is the best resolution ever achieved in OCT in this wavelength region. En face tomographic images are produced using a phase-shifting method requiring the acquisition of only two phase-opposed interferometric images. In spite of a relatively moderate detection sensitivity of 80 dB within 1.0s image acquisition time, ultrahigh resolution imaging in highly scattering biological tissues is possible without immersion medium. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.