All-semiconductor high-speed akinetic swept-source for OCT

Michael P. Minneman; Jason Ensher; Michael Crawford; Dennis Derickson

doi:10.1117/12.912119

29 November 2011 All-semiconductor high-speed akinetic swept-source for OCT

Michael P. Minneman, Jason Ensher, Michael Crawford, Dennis Derickson

Proceedings Volume 8311, Optical Sensors and Biophotonics III; 831116 (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.912119
Event: SPIE/OSA/IEEE Asia Communications and Photonics, 2011, Shanghai, China

Abstract

A novel swept-wavelength laser for optical coherence tomography (OCT) using a monolithic semiconductor device with no moving parts is presented. The laser is a Vernier-Tuned Distributed Bragg Reflector (VT-DBR) structure exhibiting a single longitudinal mode. All-electronic wavelength tuning is achieved at a 200 kHz sweep repetition rate, 20 mW output power, over 100 nm sweep width and coherence length longer than 40 mm. OCT point-spread functions with 45- 55 dB dynamic range are demonstrated; lasers at 1550 nm, and now 1310 nm, have been developed. Because the laser's long-term tuning stability allows for electronic sample trigger generation at equal k-space intervals (electronic k-clock), the laser does not need an external optical k-clock for measurement interferometer sampling. The non-resonant, allelectronic tuning allows for continuously adjustable sweep repetition rates from mHz to 100s of kHz. Repetition rate duty cycles are continuously adjustable from single-trigger sweeps to over 99% duty cycle. The source includes a monolithically integrated power leveling feature allowing flat or Gaussian power vs. wavelength profiles. Laser fabrication is based on reliable semiconductor wafer-scale processes, leading to low and rapidly decreasing cost of manufacture.

Citation Download Citation

Michael P. Minneman, Jason Ensher, Michael Crawford, and Dennis Derickson "All-semiconductor high-speed akinetic swept-source for OCT", Proc. SPIE 8311, Optical Sensors and Biophotonics III, 831116 (29 November 2011); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.912119

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