We evaluate the construction and performance of an ultra-low-cost full-field optical coherence tomography (FF-OCT) instrument, also known as an optical coherence microscope. Although the cost of construction of the instrument from off-the-shelf parts is at least ten times lower than those of commercial products, sub-4-micron axial and lateral resolutions are obtained, albeit at the cost of higher acquisition times. Standard test samples are imaged and the performance of the instrument is evaluated. The device is found to be useful in measuring length, dispersion and group refractive index as well. Suggestions for bettering performance are discussed.

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