S+C+L broadband source based on semiconductor optical amplifiers and erbium-doped fiber for optical coherence tomography

Abstract

Broadband sources (BBSs) are commonly used in a wide range of applications in optical communication systems and biophotonics. They are particularly useful tools for Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), which is a biomedical imaging technique that uses low-coherence light sources. In order to obtain high image quality, we have developed a novel, spectrally-flat S+C+L band source with > 120 nm bandwidth and more than 4 mW output power based on two cascaded semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA) mixed with an Erbium-doped fiber (EDF) amplifier. Bandwidth and output power improvements are achieved by modifying the former configuration and mixing the EDF with the first SOA before amplification in the second SOA. This configuration results in bandwidth and output power enhancements of up to 146 nm and 8 mW, respectively. The source was then tested in an OCT system. It gives a 10 µm FWHM, low sidelobe OCT autocorrelation trace. Images and OCT autocorrelation traces were compared for the two aforementioned (which two; you mentioned one?) configurations. Images of miscellaneous samples made with the BBS show an image aspect and sharpness that is comparable with more expensive sources such as Ti:Sapphire lasers.