PFI-TT: Metasurface-Optical Fiber Endoscopy Probe for Advanced Imaging

PFI-TT：用于高级成像的超表面光纤内窥镜探头

• 批准号: 2345825
• 负责人: Ho Wai Howard Lee
• 金额: $ 55万
• 依托单位: University of California-Irvine
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-02-01 至 2026-01-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2345825&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: PFI; TT; Metasurface; Optical; Fiber

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project stems from the drastic reduction in size of an endoscope’s active imaging component to less than 200 microns: the size of a single human hair. Most current endoscope designs are larger than their target body region and must be forced through a narrow passage before imaging begins. The small footprint of the proposed Meta-Optical Fiber Endoscope (MOFE) device allows significantly less invasive treatment, reducing the likelihood of complications and the need for anesthesia during the procedure. The MOFE platform also targets other untapped biomedical imaging markets, such as cardiac, deep brain, and simultaneous multi-functional imaging. Additionally, these all-on-fiber structures offer greater potential for large scale and low-cost fabrication than current designs. Rather than requiring the assembly of many individual components, a complete MOFE probe can be realized in a single standard nanofabrication process, representing a substantial reduction in cost per device. The method employed to produce these probes can also be performed on a planarized fiber bundle, allowing hundreds or thousands of devices to be made in parallel. The proposed project will produce Meta-Optical Fiber Endoscope devices. By using flat optical metasurfaces, i.e. artificial sheet materials with sub-wavelength thickness, no wider than the fiber tip itself, it is possible to replace bulky glass optical imaging components (lenses, mirrors, prisms, etc.) with a device aspect ratio defined by the ultra-thin fiber components. This project will represent the first unification of optical metasurfaces—fabricated directly on-fiber—with other advanced imaging techniques, such as wavefront shaping in multimode fiber, optical coherence tomography, and multifunctional brain imaging, including beta testing of these novel devices. The titanium dioxide nanocylinder metasurfaces used in this project are highly efficient, i.e. over 90% transmission in the visible range, and able to tune the transmitted phase to have full wavefront control. The current prototype will include lensing to a controllable focal length, tunable beam steering, polarization insensitive functionality, and even multifunctionality combining any of the above simultaneously by integrating electrically tunable materials. This project will mark the first integration of high-index visible metasurfaces directly on the fiber endface. The metasurface’s tunability will lead to large field of view imaging, which is not available in existing endoscopy without bulky mechanical scanners.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这种伙伴关系对创新 - 技术翻译（PFI -TT）的更广泛的影响/商业潜力，从内窥镜主动成像组件的大小急剧降低到少于200微米：单个人头发的大小。当前的大多数内窥镜设计都大于其目标身体区域，并且必须在成像开始之前通过狭窄的段落强迫。拟议的元光纤内窥镜（MOFE）设备的较小占地面积可显着降低侵入性治疗，从而减少并发症的可能性以及在手术过程中需要麻醉的可能性。 MOFE平台还针对其他未开发的生物医学成像市场，例如心脏，深脑和简单的多功能成像。此外，这些全纤维结构比当前的设计为大规模和低成本制造提供了更大的潜力。可以在单个标准的纳米制动过程中实现完整的MOFE探针，而不是需要组装许多单个组件，而是每个设备的成本大大降低。该方法采用产生这些问题的方法也可以在计划的光纤束上执行，可以并行制造数百或数千台设备。拟议的项目将生产元光纤内窥镜设备。通过使用平坦的光学元面积，即具有子波长厚度的人造板材材料，不超过纤维尖端本身，可以用超纤维纤维组件定义的设备纵横比定义的笨重的玻璃光学成像组件（镜头，镜子，棱镜，棱镜等）。该项目将代表其他先进的成像技术的光学元面积的第一个统一，例如直接在纤维上进行制作，例如多模纤维中的波前成型，光学相干性层析成像和多功能脑成像，包括这些新颖设备的β测试。该项目中使用的二氧化钛纳米二氧化钛纳米级元面积高效，即在可见范围内的90％以上的传输效率超过90％，并且能够调整传输阶段以具有全波前控制。当前的原型将包括镜头上的镜头，可调横梁转向，极化不敏感的功能，甚至多功能性，将上述任何一个仅通过整合电气可调材料而结合。该项目将直接在光纤端面上直接标记高指数可见的元面的首次集成。元表面的可线性性将导致大量的视野成像，而在没有笨重的机械扫描仪的情况下，现有内窥镜检查就无法获得。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过使用该基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响来审查标准，认为通过评估来获得珍贵的支持。