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25 - 30 January 2025
San Francisco, California, US
Conference 13305 > Paper 13305-76
Paper 13305-76

Towards ultrahigh resolution MHz retinal SS-OCT: 187nm section-wise tuning of a FDML laser at 1050nm

29 January 2025 • 5:30 PM - 5:45 PM PST | Moscone South, Room 203 (Level 2)

Abstract

Fourier domain mode-locked (FDML) lasers have been the light sources of choice for ultra-high-speed optical coherence tomography (OCT), achieving scan rates well beyond one Megahertz. However, the sweep bandwidth of FDML lasers - especially in the 1050nm region - does not support an axial resolution as good as the best spectral domain OCT systems. For this reason, we developed a wider bandwidth 1050 nm FDML laser using a cavity design with two multiplexed semiconductor optical amplifier gain media. Initially, we investigated different laser cavity topologies compatible with our fastest home-built sweeping fiber Fabry Perot tunable filter (FFP-TF). These FFP-TFs are the key element to achieving multi-MHz sweep rates in FDML. In our experimental laser setup during section-wise FDML tuning, we analyze spectral ripples, losses, parasitic lasing, and negative effects caused by polarization mode dispersion. The laser cavity consists of 2 semiconductor optical amplifiers in a parallel geometry. In section-wise FDML operation, we achieve a tuning bandwidth of 187 nm with a repetition rate of 2x400 kHz, which theoretically would support an axial resolution better than 3 µm in tissue.

Presenter

Univ. zu Lübeck (Germany)
She is a PhD student from the University of Lübeck, Germany. His research focus is laser physics, to be more precise, swept lasers for optical coherence tomography.
Application tracks: Translational Research
Author
Univ. zu Lübeck (Germany)
Presenter/Author
Univ. zu Lübeck (Germany)
Author
Univ. zu Lübeck (Germany)
Author
Univ. zu Lübeck (Germany)