OptoNet (United States)

PurposeTo develop a practical technique for visualizing and quantifying retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axon bundles in vivo.MethodsWe applied visible-light optical coherence tomography (vis-OCT) to image the RGC axon bundles, referred to as vis-OCT fibergraphy, of healthy wild-type C57BL/6 mice. After vis-OCT imaging, retinas were flat-mounted, immunostained with anti-beta-III tubulin (Tuj1) antibody for RGC axons, and imaged with confocal microscopy. We quantitatively compared the RGC axon bundle networks imaged by in vivo vis-OCT and ex vivo confocal microscopy using semi-log Sholl analysis.ResultsSide-by-side comparison of ex vivo confocal microscopy and in vivo vis-OCT confirmed that vis-OCT fibergraphy captures true RGC axon bundle networks. The semi-log Sholl regression coefficients extracted from vis-OCT fibergrams (3.7 ± 0.8 mm–1) and confocal microscopy (3.6 ± 0.3 mm–1) images also showed good agreement with each other (n = 6).ConclusionsWe demonstrated the feasibility of using vis-OCT fibergraphy to visualize RGC axon bundles. Further applying Sholl analysis has the potential to identify biomarkers for non-invasively assessing RGC health.Translational RelevanceOur novel technique for visualizing and quantifying RGC axon bundles in vivo provides a potential measurement tool for diagnosing and tracking the progression of optic neuropathies.

The emerging 3D printing technology has the potential to transform manufacturing customized optical elements, which currently heavily relies on the time-consuming and costly polishing and grinding processes. However, the inherent speed-accuracy trade-off seriously constraints the practical applications of 3D printing technology in optical realm. In addressing this issue, here, we report a new method featuring a significantly faster fabrication speed, at 24.54 mm3/h, without compromising the fabrication accuracy or surface finish required to 3D-print customized optical components. We demonstrated a high-speed 3D printing process with deep subwavelength (sub-10 nm) surface roughness by employing the projection micro-stereolithography process and the synergistic effects from the grayscale photopolymerization and the meniscus equilibrium post-curing methods. Fabricating a customized aspheric lens with 5 mm in height and 3 mm in diameter could be accomplished in less than four hours. The 3D-printed singlet aspheric lens demonstrated a maximal imaging resolution of 2.19 μm with low field distortion less than 0.13% across a 2-mm field of view. This work demonstrates the potential of 3D printing for rapid manufacturing of optical components.

A novel enhanced radiation-loss (ERL)-based radial waveguide coupling mechanism for microresonator lasers is experimentally demonstrated for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, resulting in single-directional output from the lasers. A 20 microm diameter InGaAsP/InP electrically pumped microresonator laser in the form of a microcylinder resonator integrated with a transparent ERL radial output coupler is designed and fabricated. Measurement shows a low 1.5 mA lasing threshold and a relatively high output power of >0.4 mW.

An electrically-pumped heterogeneously integrated Si/AlGaInAs evanescent laser with micro-loop mirror as high reflectors at both ends is experimentally demonstrated. Single spatial mode CW lasing is achieved with a threshold current density of 2.5 kA/cm2.

Current InP photonic device monolithic integration schemes are discussed and their pros and cons are compared. A novel type of super high resolution (SHR) InP grating is introduced. The monolithic integration of the SHR grating with active devices could lead to a powerful DWDM-on-Chip technology that offers attractive solutions for avionics photonics.