High-resolution line-scanning optical coherence microscopy

An optical coherence microscopy system based on line illumination and detection is demonstrated. The system uses a Linnik-type interferometer illuminated by a broadband Ti:sapphire laser and detected by a highspeed, line-scan CCD camera. This approach is less sensitive to incoherent scattering and sample motion than full-field imaging. Spatial resolutions of similar to 2 mu m x similar to 3 Am (transverse x axial) are achieved. The sensitivity of the system is 93 dB with averaging over 30 line scans. En face real time, cellular-level imaging of biological tissues is demonstrated at similar to 2 frames/s. (c) 2007 Optical Society of America.