Three-dimensional and C-mode OCT imaging with a compact, frequency swept laser source at 1300 nm

We demonstrate high resolution, three-dimensional OCT imaging with a high speed, frequency swept 1300 nm laser source. A new external cavity semiconductor laser design, optimized for application to swept source OCT, is discussed. The design of the laser enables adjustment of an internal spectral filter to change the filter bandwidth and provides a robust bulk optics design. The laser generates similar to 30 mW instantaneous peak power at an effective 16 kHz sweep rate with a tuning range of similar to 133 nm full width. In frequency domain reflectometry and OCT applications, 109 dB sensitivity and similar to 10 mu m axial resolution in tissue can be achieved with the swept laser. The high imaging speeds enable three-dimensional OCT imaging, including zone focusing or C-mode imaging and image fusion to acquire large depth of field data sets with high resolution. In addition, three-dimensional OCT data provides coherence gated en face images similar to optical coherence microscopy (OCM) and also enables the generation of images similar to confocal microscopy by summing signals in the axial direction. High speed, three-dimensional OCT imaging can provide comprehensive data which combines the advantages of optical coherence tomography and microscopy in a single system. (c) 2005 Optical Society of America.