A low-cost swept-source OCT system for retinal imaging was achieved, based on a thermally tuned vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). Its center wavelength can be tuned by adjusting the operating temperature through modulation of the injection current. Sweep rates of 50-100 kHz with a sensitivity 97dB and an axial resolution of about 50μm in air have been achieved. We present the results of a human retina in vivo, using such a thermally tuned VCSEL-based SS-OCT system. Based on our results, we believe that this technology can be used as a cost-effective OCT alternative for point-of-care diagnostics.
Our current understanding of brain function is still too limited to take advantage of the computational power of even the simplest biological nervous systems. To fill this gap, the Si elegans project (www.si-elegans.eu) aims at developing a computational framework that will replicate the nervous system and rich behavior of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, a tiny worm with just 302 neurons. One key element of this emulation testbed is an electro-optical, micromirrorbased connectome. Unlike any other current ICT communication protocol, we expect it to accurately mimic the parallel information transfer between neurons. This strategy promises to give new insights into the nature of two hypothesized key mechanisms - the parallel and precisely timed information flow - that make brains excel von-Neumann-type machines. In this contribution, we briefly introduce the overall Si elegans concept to then describe the requirements for designing a light-based connectome within the given boundary conditions imposed by the hardware infrastructure it will be integrated into.
We present design and optimization of an optofluidic monolithic chip, able to provide optical trapping and controlled
stretching of single cells. The chip is fabricated in a fused silica glass substrate by femtosecond laser micromachining,
which can produce both optical waveguides and microfluidic channels with great accuracy.
Versatility and three-dimensional capabilities of this fabrication technology provide the possibility to fabricate circular
cross-section channels with enlarged access holes for an easy connection with an external fluidic circuit. Moreover, a
new fabrication procedure adopted allows the demonstration of microchannels with a square cross-section, thus
guaranteeing an improved quality of the trapped cell images.
Optical trapping and stretching of single red blood cells are demonstrated, thus proving the effectiveness of the proposed
device as a monolithic optical stretcher.
We believe that femtosecond laser micromachining represents a promising technique for the development of
multifunctional integrated biophotonic devices that can be easily coupled to a microscope platform, thus enabling a
complete characterization of the cells under test.
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