Quantitative phase microscopy with off-axis optical coherence tomography

We have developed a modality for quantitative phase imaging within spectral domain optical coherence tomography based on using an off-axis reference beam. By tilting the propagation of the reference beam relative to that of the sample beam, a spatially varying fringe is generated. Upon detection of this fringe using a parallel spectral domain scheme, the fringe can be used to separate the interference component of the signal and obtain the complex sample field. In addition to providing quantitative phase measurements within a depth resolved measurement, this approach also allows elimination of the complex conjugate artifact, a known limitation of spectral interferometry. The principle of the approach is described here along with demonstration of its capabilities using technical samples. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America