Imaging apparatus and method for in vivo full-field interference imaging of a sample

An imaging apparatus for in vivo full-field interference imaging of a scattering sample, the imaging apparatus comprising:

• a full-field OCT imaging system for providing at least one interference image representative of an en-face image of the sample, the full-field OCT imaging system including:
• a primary light source, having low spatial coherence and a low temporal coherence length, configured to output a probe beam,
• a primary interferometer comprising:
• a sample arm for receiving the sample,
• a reference arm comprising a reference reflection surface,
• a primary beam splitter for separating the sample arm and the reference arm, and
• a camera configured to acquire the at least one interference image, each being representative of a primary optical interference signal resulting, when the sample is arranged in the sample arm, from interferences produced, at each point of an imaging field, between:
• a reference wave obtained by reflection of incident light waves of the probe beam on an elementary surface of the reference reflection surface conjugate to said point of the imaging field, and
• a sample wave obtained by scattering of incident light waves of the probe beam by an elementary volume of a slice of the sample at a given depth, said elementary volume being conjugate to said point of the imaging field;
• a sample beam splitter arranged in the sample arm, downstream the primary beam splitter in a direction from the primary light source to the primary beam splitter;
• and
• a sample locating system arranged outside the sample arm, the sample locating system having a respective sensing axis intersecting the sample beam splitter, the sample locating system being configured to output a location signal representative of a location of the sample along the sensing axis.