Abstract
In optical interferometric metrology, the wavelength of light serves as a reference for length. At a given optical wavelength, an interference signal varies as a sinusoidal function of distance with a period equal to the wavelength. Although this approach offers unrivaled precision, the periodic signal results in a 2π ambiguity for measurement of lengths greater than one wavelength. In optical coherence tomography (OCT), one wishes to determine light scattering distances and distribution within a sample, but without the ambiguity. To accomplish this, OCT is based on interferometry using many optical wavelengths, each serving as a “ruler” with different periodicities. OCT traditionally has used broadband light sources providing a wide range of wavelengths, all simultaneously. Alternatively, a tunable light source emitting one wavelength at a time, rapidly swept over a broad spectral range, can also be used to achieve the absolute ranging capability in OCT. In this chapter, we describe a technical overview of these new emerging sources. We begin with a discussion general specifications of these light sources, the review basic fundamentals of laser and wavelength tuning. Finally, we discuss the principles of various techniques developed to date for high-speed and wide tuning range.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
D. Derickson, Fiber Optic Test and Measurement (Prentice Hall PTR, Upper Saddle River, 1998)
T. Vo-Dinh, Biomedical Photonics Handbook (CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2003)
A. Yariv, P. Yeh, A. Yariv, Photonics: Optical Electronics in Modern Communications (Oxford University Press, New York, 2007)
B.E.A. Saleh, M.C. Teich, Fundamentals of Photonics (Wiley, New York, 1991)
A.E. Siegman, Lasers (University Science Books, Mill Valley, 1986)
E. Hecht, Optics (Addison-Wesley, Reading, 2002)
S.R. Chinn, E.A. Swanson, J.G. Fujimoto, Optical coherence tomography using a frequency-tunable optical source. Opt. Lett. 22, 340–342 (1997)
K. Liu, M.G. Littman, Novel geometry for single-mode scanning of tunable lasers. Opt. Lett. 6, 117–118 (1981)
S.H. Yun, D.J. Richardson, D.O. Culverhouse, B.Y. Kim, Wavelength-swept fiber laser with frequency shifted feedback and resonantly swept intra-cavity acoustooptic tunable filter. IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quant. Electron. 3, 1087–1096 (1997)
A. Bilenca, S.H. Yun, G.J. Tearney, B.E. Bouma, Numerical study of wavelength-swept semiconductor ring lasers: the role of refractive-index nonlinearities in semiconductor optical amplifiers and implications for biomedical imaging applications. Opt. Lett. 31, 760–762 (2006)
S.H. Yun, Mode locking of a wavelength-swept laser. Opt. Lett. 30, 2660–2662 (2005)
S.H. Yun, C. Boudoux, G.J. Tearney, B.E. Bouma, High-speed wavelength-swept semiconductor laser with a polygon-scanner-based wavelength filter. Opt. Lett. 28, 1981–1983 (2003)
R. Huber, M. Wojtkowski, J.G. Fujimoto, J.Y. Jiang, A.E. Cable, Three-dimensional and C-mode OCT imaging with a compact, frequency swept laser source at 1300 nm. Opt. Express 13, 10523–10538 (2005)
W.Y. Oh, S.H. Yun, G.J. Tearney, B.E. Bouma, 115 kHz tuning repetition rate ultrahigh-speed wavelength-swept semiconductor laser. Opt. Lett. 30, 3159–3161 (2005)
R. Huber, M. Wojtkowski, J.G. Fujimoto, Fourier domain mode locking (FDML): a new laser operating regime and applications for optical coherence tomography. Opt. Express 14, 3225–3237 (2006)
S.T. Sanders, Wavelength-agile fiber laser using group-velocity dispersion of pulsed super-continua and application to broadband absorption spectroscopy. Appl. Phys. B. Lasers Opt. 75, 799–802 (2002)
S. Moon, D.Y. Kim, Ultra-high-speed optical coherence tomography with a stretched pulse supercontinuum source. Opt. Express 14, 11575–11584 (2006)
J.W. Walewski, M.R. Borden, S.T. Sanders, Wavelength-agile laser system based on soliton self-shift and its application for broadband spectroscopy. Appl. Phys. B. Lasers Opt. 79, 937–940 (2004)
S. Yamashita, M. Asano, Wide and fast wavelength-tunable mode-locked fiber laser based on dispersion tuning. Opt. Express 14, 9299–9306 (2006)
E.C.W. Lee, J.F. de Boer, M. Mujat, H. Lim, S.H. Yun, In vivo optical frequency domain imaging of human retina and choroid. Opt. Express 14, 4403–4411 (2006)
H. Lim et al., Optical frequency domain imaging with a rapidly swept laser in the 815–870 nm range. Opt. Express 14, 5937–5944 (2006)
M.E. Klein et al., Rapidly tunable continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator pumped by a fiber laser. Opt. Lett. 28, 920–922 (2003)
M.A. Choma, K. Hsu, J.A. Izatt, Swept source optical coherence tomography using an all-fiber 1300-nm ring laser source. J. Biomed. Opt. 10, 044009 (2005)
R. Huber, M. Wojtkowski, K. Taira, J.G. Fujimoto, K. Hsu, Amplified, frequency swept lasers for frequency domain reflectometry and OCT imaging: design and scaling principles. Opt. Express 13, 3513–3528 (2005)
B. Golubovic, B.E. Bouma, G.J. Tearney, J.G. Fujimoto, Optical frequency-domain reflectometry using rapid wavelength tuning of a Cr4+: forsterite laser. Opt. Lett. 22, 1704–1706 (1997)
P.F. Wysocki, M.J.F. Digonnet, B.Y. Kim, Broad-spectrum, wavelength-swept, erbium-doped fiber laser at 1.55 μm. Opt. Lett. 15, 879–881 (1990)
J.M. Telle, C.L. Tang, New method for electrooptical tuning of tunable lasers. Appl. Phys. Lett. 24, 85–87 (1974)
J.M. Telle, C.L. Tang, Very rapid tuning of cw dye laser. Appl. Phys. Lett. 26, 572–574 (1975)
R. Huber, D.C. Adler, J.G. Fujimoto, Buffered Fourier domain mode locking: unidirectional swept laser sources for optical coherence tomography imaging at 370,000 lines/s. Opt. Lett. 31, 2975–2977 (2006)
J.W. Walewski, S.T. Sanders, High-resolution wavelength-agile laser source based on pulsed super-continua. Appl. Phys. B. Lasers Opt. 79, 415–418 (2004)
S.H. Yun et al., Comprehensive volumetric optical microscopy in vivo. Nat. Med. 12, 1429–1433 (2006)
C. Boudoux et al., Rapid wavelength-swept spectrally encoded confocal microscopy. Opt. Express 13, 8214–8221 (2005)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this entry
Cite this entry
Yun, S.H., Bouma, B.E. (2015). Wavelength Swept Lasers. In: Drexler, W., Fujimoto, J. (eds) Optical Coherence Tomography. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06419-2_21
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06419-2_21
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-06418-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-06419-2
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics