3D Printing Enables Agile Design for OCT Systems and Applications

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a biomedical optical imaging technique that uses low coherence interferometry to resolve backscattered light by depth. It has become a widely used technique for ophthalmology for its unique ability to noninvasively assess the various layers of the retina. At the heart of a spectral domain OCT system is a spectrometer. While many commercial spectrometers are available, most are not readily adapted to produce the performance needed for OCT. There is a unique set of design constraints for OCT spectrometers. Some parameters are the typical needs of spectrometers, such as high resolution. But these are balanced against others that can be relaxed, such as optical throughput and wavelength precision. Adam Wax discusses the agile design process developed to allow rapid and easy tailoring of the performance of OCT spectrometers for specific applications. The use of this approach has enabled a reduction in the cost of OCT systems, increasing access while also producing highly portable and robust instruments. Wax presents integration of novel 3D-printed spectrometers into low-cost OCT systems and discusses applications that are enabled by this design approach.