A new imaging probe for optical coherence tomography (OCT) using a micromachine (MEMS) actuator will be developed to be delivered via an endoscope and applied to the early detection of cancer in the gastro-intestinal tract. These devices will be small, inexpensive, and image in a side-viewing sector manner unlike the circular-scanning configuration currently used for OCT endoscopy. A side-scanning probe would have advantages over current technologies, such as the ability to guide interventional procedures occurring simultaneously with the imaging process. The proposed devices consist of millimeter scale mirrors resting on micron scale hinges that are tilted using a linear MEMS actuator, the integrated force array (IFA). The IFA is a thin film of polyimide patterned into a parallel network of deformable capacitor cells that electrostatically contract with an applied voltage. The support structures, hinges, and actuators are all fabricated out of polyimide and the entire device could eventually be fabricated on a single silicon wafer reducing the cost of probe fabrication and eventually decreasing medical costs. These new probes will be further developed to improve their optical quality, they will be integrated into existing OCT systems, and methods of further integrating fabrication to reduce costs will be investigated.
