3D-printed micro optics applied for the Life Sciences

Multiphoton 3D-printing allows flexible manufacturing of high-quality micro optics. Combined with single-mode fibers or coherent fiber bundles, they enable construction of highly miniaturized endoscopic devices with diameters < 1 mm. We report on our recent applications of 3D-printed micro optics to advance instrumentation for the Life Sciences. Encapsulated micro optics enable fiber-endoscopic immersion multiphoton-lithography. Such encapsulated optics also increase mechanical robustness and versatility when applied in OCT-imaging of coronary arteries. We further demonstrate a confocal endo-microscope with a high numerical aperture (NA = 0.25) at the tip of a coherent fiber bundle. To overcome the limited depth-of-field and allow sharp imaging of volumetric objects, we use a magnetic actuator that enables axial scanning of the image plane. The endo-microscope allows to resolve lateral structure sizes of ~ 7 µm (size of red blood cells), and can axially scan over a range of ~100 µm.