Dependence on fiber Fabry-Pérot tunable filter characteristics in an all-fiber swept-wavelength laser for use in an optical coherence tomography system

Justin L. Stay; Dustin Carr; Steve Ferguson; Todd Haber; Robert Jenkins; Joel Mock

doi:10.1117/12.2252949

17 February 2017 Dependence on fiber Fabry-Pérot tunable filter characteristics in an all-fiber swept-wavelength laser for use in an optical coherence tomography system

Justin L. Stay, Dustin Carr, Steve Ferguson, Todd Haber, Robert Jenkins, Joel Mock

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 10053, Optical Coherence Tomography and Coherence Domain Optical Methods in Biomedicine XXI; 100532N (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2252949
Event: SPIE BiOS, 2017, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has become a useful and common diagnostic tool within the field of ophthalmology. Although presently a commercial technology, research continues in improving image quality and applying the imaging method to other tissue types. Swept-wavelength lasers based upon fiber ring cavities containing fiber Fabry-P´erot tunable filters (FFP-TF), as an intracavity element, provide swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) systems with a robust and scalable platform. The FFP-TF can be fabricated within a large range of operating wavelengths, free spectral ranges (FSR), and finesses. To date, FFP-TFs have been fabricated at operating wavelengths from 400 nm to 2.2 µm, FSRs as large as 45 THz, and finesses as high as 30 000. The results in this paper focus on presenting the capability of the FFP-TF as an intracavity element in producing swept-wavelength lasers sources and quantifying the trade off between coherence length and sweep range. We present results within a range of feasible operating conditions. Particular focus is given to the discovery of laser configurations that result in maximization of sweep range and/or power. A novel approach to the electronic drive of the PZT-based FFP-TF is also presented, which eliminates the need for the existence of a mechanical resonance of the optical device. This approach substantially increases the range of drive frequencies with which the filter can be driven and has a positive impact for both the short all-fiber laser cavity (presented in this paper) and long cavity FDML designs as well.

Citation Download Citation

Justin L. Stay, Dustin Carr, Steve Ferguson, Todd Haber, Robert Jenkins, and Joel Mock "Dependence on fiber Fabry-Pérot tunable filter characteristics in an all-fiber swept-wavelength laser for use in an optical coherence tomography system", Proc. SPIE 10053, Optical Coherence Tomography and Coherence Domain Optical Methods in Biomedicine XXI, 100532N (17 February 2017); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2252949

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