Patent ID: 8860948

Claim:
A full field optical coherence tomography (OCT) imager comprising: a low coherence light source configured to provide light for full field illumination of a target; a photosensor for imaging light; optics that directs a first portion of the light along a first optical path so that it is imaged on the photosensor and a second portion of the light along a second optical path so that it is reflected by material in the target to the photosensor where it is imaged to interfere with light from the first portion to form an interference pattern; a mask through which light from at least one of the first and second portions of light passes that generates a relative phase perturbation between portions of light that pass through it; wherein interfering light from the first portion that passes through the mask, and/or light from the second portion that is reflected from a same region of the target and passes through the mask, and is imaged to substantially a same region of the photosensor, comprises light having a phase difference generated by passing through the mask.