Quantitative comparison of wavelength dependence on penetration depth and imaging contrast for ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography using supercontinuum sources at five wavelength regions

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non invasive optical imaging technology for micron-scale cross-sectional imaging of biological tissue and materials. We have been investigating ultrahigh resolution optical coherence tomography (UHR-OCT) using fiber based supercontinuum sources. Although ultrahigh longitudinal resolution was achieved in several center wavelength regions, its low penetration depth is a serious limitation for other applications. To realize ultrahigh resolution and deep penetration depth simultaneously, it is necessary to choose the proper wavelength to maximize the light penetration and enhance the image contrast at deeper depths. Recently, we have demonstrated the wavelength dependence of penetration depth and imaging contrast for ultrahigh resolution OCT at 0.8 μm, 1.3 μm, and 1.7 μm wavelength ranges. In this paper, additionally we used SC sources at 1.06 μm and 1.55 μm, and we have investigated the wavelength dependence of UHR-OCT at five wavelength regions. The image contrast and penetration depth have been discussed in terms of the scattering coefficient and water absorption of samples. Almost the same optical characteristics in longitudinal and lateral resolution, sensitivity, and incident optical power at all wavelength regions were demonstrated. We confirmed the enhancement of image contrast and decreased ambiguity of deeper epithelioid structure at longer wavelength region.