MEMS-based handheld scanning probe with pre-shaped input signals for distortion-free images in Gabor-domain optical coherence microscopy

High-speed scanning in optical coherence tomography (OCT) often comes with either compromises in image quality, the requirement for post-processing of the acquired images, or both. We report on distortion-free OCT volumetric imaging with a dual-axis micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS)-based handheld imaging probe. In the context of an imaging probe with optics located between the 2D MEMS and the sample, we report in this paper on how pre-shaped open-loop input signals with tailored non-linear parts were implemented in a custom control board and, unlike the sinusoidal signals typically used for MEMS, achieved real-time distortion-free imaging without post-processing. The MEMS mirror was integrated into a compact, lightweight handheld probe. The MEMS scanner achieved a 12-fold reduction in volume and 17-fold reduction in weight over a previous dual-mirror galvanometer-based scanner. Distortion-free imaging with no post-processing with a Gabor-domain optical coherence microscope (GD-OCM) with 2 μm axial and lateral resolutions over a field of view of 1 × 1 mm2 is demonstrated experimentally through volumetric images of a regular microscopic structure, an excised human cornea, and in vivo human skin.