SBIR Phase I: Development of Miniature Endoscopic Imaging Probes for In Vivo Noninvasive Optical Imaging for Early Diagnosis of Lung Cancer

This Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase I project an Optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging MEMS-based probe of 2.8 mm diameter will be designed and manufactured. The plan is to apply MEMS design and wire bonding free packaging techniques for miniaturization of the probe. In this MEMS design the mirror will have high fill factor and bonding pads on the opposite chip side of the reflective mirror surface. The MEMS mirror and the other optical component will be packaged into the MEMS-based probe; the probe will be attached with the existing OCT system, and then will be tested for lung imaging. The proposed MEMS-based OCT system has the potential to be a low-cost tool for rapid diagnosis or screening of lung cancer at the point of care. It is also expected that the technology could be used for other OCT systems for internal organ imaging. If successful the proposed MEMS design and wire bonding-free (WBF) packaging technique can be applied virtually to all optical imaging systems including coherence, confocal, nonlinear and adaptive optical imaging. They can also be used in laser scanning displays and optical telecommunications. This effort may lead to the world?s first MEMS-based OCT applicable to rapid diagnosis or screening of lung cancer at the point of care (e.g., bedside or office). Due to its low-cost and disposable nature, it is particularly suitable for field use without the need of sterilization equipments. Although the focus of this proposal is on a MEMS based endoscopic OCT system for bronchoscopy, the key technology developed can be adapted for other compact OCT systems for internal organ imaging. The MEMS-based endoscopic OCT probe is applicable to diagnosis and image-guided surgery of various internal cancers such as prostate, colon, rectal, and gastro-intestinal cancers. This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).