Optical coherence tomography using a continuous-wave, high-power, Raman continuum light source

Pei-Lin Hsiung,James R Taylor,Yu Chen,Sergei V Popov,Christiano J.S De Matos,Tony H Ko,James G Fujimoto,Valentin P Gapontsev

doi:10.1364/opex.12.005287

Pei-Lin Hsiung, James R Taylor + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1364/opex.12.005287

Copy DOI

Abstract

High performance, short coherence length light sources with broad bandwidths and high output powers are critical for high-speed, ultrahigh resolution OCT imaging. We demonstrate a new, high performance light source for ultrahigh resolution OCT. Bandwidths of 140 nm at 1300 nm center wavelength with high output powers of 330 mW are generated by an all-fiber Raman light source based on a continuous-wave Yb-fiber laser-pumped microstructure fiber. The light source is compact, robust, turnkey and requires no optical alignment. In vivo, ultrahigh resolution, high-speed, time domain OCT imaging with <5 microm axial resolution is demonstrated.

Highlights

IntroductionCompact and portable high performance broadband light sources with sufficient power and bandwidth are important to achieve ultrahigh resolution, high-speed Optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging outside the laboratory setting
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an emerging biomedical imaging technology that can perform high-speed, micron scale, noninvasive imaging of tissue morphology in vivo [1, 2].Since OCT is based on low-coherence interferometry, the axial image resolution, ∆z, is determined by the bandwidth ∆λ and the center wavelength λ0 of the light source: ∆z = [2ln(2)/π](λ02/∆λ)
We report a novel approach for broadband continuum generation in microstructure fibers using a high-power, continuous-wave, all-fiber pump light source

Summary

Introduction

Compact and portable high performance broadband light sources with sufficient power and bandwidth are important to achieve ultrahigh resolution, high-speed OCT imaging outside the laboratory setting. The development of broadband light sources for OCT imaging in scattering tissue has focused on this wavelength range [5, 7, 10, 12]. Recent work has investigated light source development and imaging in the 1000-1100 nm wavelength range, which provides a compromise of higher resolution for a given bandwidth at the expense of reduced image penetration [7, 13]. A portable source suitable for in vivo clinical applications has been demonstrated in this wavelength range using a femtosecond diode-pumped Nd:Glass laser with a highly nonlinear fiber [13]

Methods

Results

Conclusion