Biophotonic Application of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) on a chip

The interaction of light with living tissue can reveal information on the status of that tissue. Next to basic measurement of tissue reflectivity, localized quantitative measurement of optical properties such as refractive index, Doppler shifts, absorption coefficients, is also possible. These parameters can be linked to functional physiological parameters, e.g. flow, oxygenation, hematocrit (red blood cell volume fraction), and tissue composition. In this presentation, various examples of localized quantitative measurements will be presented. With optical coherence tomography (OCT), the optical analogue of ultrasound imaging, the optical properties of tissue can be quantified in a small sampling volume. We are currently investigating the relation between the optical attenuation of tissue and the grade of tumors, and the analysis of the time fluctuations of the OCT signals to determine locally the diffusion and flow of particles in scattering media. Finally, the use of integrated photonics can reduce the foot-print of OCT systems and thereby reducing their costs and increasing the potential applications.