Focusing and imaging with increased numerical apertures through multimode fibers with micro-fabricated optics

The use of individual multimode optical fibers in endoscopy applications has the potential to provide highly miniaturized and noninvasive probes for microscopy and optical micromanipulation. A few different strategies have been proposed recently, but they all suffer from intrinsically low resolution...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Optics letters 2013-12, Vol.38 (23), p.4935-4938
Main Authors: Bianchi, S, Rajamanickam, V P, Ferrara, L, Di Fabrizio, E, Liberale, C, Di Leonardo, R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Endoscopes
Fibers
Focusing
Imaging
Micromanipulation
Microtechnology - instrumentation
Numerical aperture
Optical Fibers
Optical Imaging - instrumentation
Photons
Polystyrenes - chemistry
Strategy
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Summary:The use of individual multimode optical fibers in endoscopy applications has the potential to provide highly miniaturized and noninvasive probes for microscopy and optical micromanipulation. A few different strategies have been proposed recently, but they all suffer from intrinsically low resolution related to the low numerical aperture of multimode fibers. Here, we show that two-photon polymerization allows for direct fabrication of micro-optics components on the fiber end, resulting in an increase of the numerical aperture to a value that is close to 1. Coupling light into the fiber through a spatial light modulator, we were able to optically scan a submicrometer spot (300 nm FWHM) over an extended region, facing the opposite fiber end. Fluorescence imaging with improved resolution is also demonstrated.
ISSN:0146-9592
1539-4794
DOI:10.1364/OL.38.004935