Abstract
We present a novel wavelength-swept laser source for optical coherence tomography (OCT) which is based on the conventional laser diode technology of the vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). In our self-heating sweep VCSEL (SS-VCSEL), a VCSEL device is simply driven by ramped pulses of currents in direct intensity modulation. The intrinsic property of VCSEL produces a frequency-swept output through the self-heating effect. By the injected current, the temperature of the active region is gradually increased in this effect. Consequently, it changes the wavelength of the laser output by itself. In this study, various characteristics of our SS-VCSEL were experimentally investigated for low-cost instrumentation of a swept source OCT system. A low-cost SS-VCSEL-based OCT system was demonstrated in this research that provided an axial resolution of 135 μm in air, sensitivity of -91 dB and a maximum imaging range longer than 10 cm when our source was operated at a sweep repetition rate of 5 kHz with an output power of 0.41 mW. Based on the experimental observations, we believe that our SS-VCSEL swept source can be an economic alternative in some of low-cost or long-range applications of OCT.
Highlights
Since the first practical demonstration of swept-source optical coherence tomography (SSOCT) [1,2], the performance enhancement and the expansion of the application fields have been fueled by development of various swept laser sources
We present a novel wavelength-swept laser source for optical coherence tomography (OCT) which is based on the conventional laser diode technology of the verticalcavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL)
In our self-heating sweep VCSEL (SS-VCSEL), a VCSEL device is driven by ramped pulses of currents in direct intensity modulation
Summary
Since the first practical demonstration of swept-source optical coherence tomography (SSOCT) [1,2], the performance enhancement and the expansion of the application fields have been fueled by development of various swept laser sources. As more current is injected, the internal temperature of the active region is getting higher through the self-heating effect [19,20]. This temperature change produces a shift of operation wavelength. The self-heating effect has been routinely observed in the field of VCSEL research as one of the unwanted properties that limit the maximum output power It might give a straightforward and simple way of making a swept source. Our self-heating sweep VCSEL (SS-VCSEL) is a VCSEL source driven in an optimal way of producing a wavelength-swept output in this principle of operation. According to the best of our knowledge, this gives the least expensive solution for SS-OCT instrumentation
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