High-sensitive swept-source optical coherence tomography system and methods of use thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10429170-B2
Application number	US-201515531230-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2015
Priority date	Nov 26, 2014
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

An exemplary system can be provided which can include, for example, a plurality of source arrangements configured to provide a plurality of electro-magnetic radiations to at least one of at least one sample or at least one reference structure, a first arrangement configured to receive a first radiation(s) from the reference structure(s), a second arrangement configured to receive a second radiation(s) from the sample(s), where a portion(s) of the second radiation(s) can be in an invisible spectrum, a third arrangement configured to combine the first radiation(s) and the second radiation(s) into a third radiation(s), and a fourth arrangement configured to convert the third radiation(s) into a further radiation in a visible spectrum based on the at least one portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a light source configured to provide a plurality of electro-magnetic radiations to at least one of at least one sample or at least one reference structure;
a beam splitter configured to combine the at least one first radiation and the at least one second radiation, wherein at least one portion of the at least one second radiation is provided in an invisible spectrum;
at least one first non-linear optical crystal structure configured to upconvert one of the at least one first radiation or the at least one second radiation;
at one second non-linear optical crystal structure configured to upconvert another one of the at least one first radiation or the at least one second radiation; and
a detector configured to receive the unconverted at least one first and second radiations.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the light source include at least one of a swept-source or a broadband source.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one of the swept-source or the broadband source is a laser arrangement.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first non-linear optical crystal structure is configured to upconvert that at least one first radiation and the at least one second non-linear optical crystal structure is configured to =convert the at least one second radiation.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first non-linear crystal and, the at least one second non-linear crystal are a fan-out gratings configurations.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the fan-out grating configurations are periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) fan-out gratings.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the PPLN fan-out grating configurations are temperature controlled PPLNs.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a delay line configured to delay the one of the at least one first radiation or the at least one second radiation while the other one of the at least one first radiation or the at least one second radiation is being upconverted.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the detector is a linear detector.

10. A method for generating at least one image, comprising:
providing a plurality of electro-magnetic radiations from a plurality of sources to at least one of at least one sample or at least one reference structure;
receiving at least one radiation from at least one optical coherence tomography system (OCT);
converting at least one first portion of the at least one radiation provided in an invisible spectrum into at least one second portion provided in a visible spectrum;
converting at least one third portion of the at least one radiation provided in the invisible spectrum into at least one fourth portion provided in the visible spectrum, wherein the first and third portions are different from one another; and
generating an image based on the at least one second portion and the at least one fourth portion.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the sources include at least one of a swept-source or a broadband source.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one first portion is converted into the at least one second portion using a first quasi-phase-matching apparatus, and wherein the at least one third portion is converted into the at least one fourth portion using a second quasi-phase-matching apparatus.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first quasi-phase matching apparatus and the second quasi-phase matching apparatus include fan-out grating configurations.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the fan-out grating configurations are periodically poled lithium niobate fan-out gratings.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising delaying the at least one second portion while the at least one third portion is converted to the at least one fourth portion.

16. A method, comprising:
generating at least one electromagnetic radiation;
splitting the at least one electromagnetic radiation into at least one first radiation and at least one second radiation;
providing the at least one first radiation to at least one sample and the at least one second radiation to at least one reference structure;
receiving at least one third radiation from the at least one reference structure that is based on the at least one first radiation;
receiving at least one fourth radiation from the at least one sample that is based on the at least one second radiation, wherein at least one portion of the at least one fourth radiation is in an invisible spectrum;
upconverting one of the at least one third radiation or the at least one fourth radiation to a second-harmonic frequency;
frequency doubling another one of the at least one third radiation or the at least one fourth radiation;
combining the upconverted one of the at least one third radiation or the at least one fourth radiation and the frequency doubled one of the at least one third radiation or the at least one fourth radiation into at least one fifth radiation; and
generating at least one image based on the fifth radiation.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising detecting the at least one fifth radiation prior to generating the at least one image radiation.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the upconverted one of the at least one third radiation or the at least one fourth radiation and the frequency doubled one of the at least one third radiation or the at least one fourth radiation are combined using a beam splitter.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the at least one electromagnetic radiation is generated using a swept source laser.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the at least one fifth radiation is an interference between the upconverted one of the at least one third radiation or the at least one fourth radiation and the frequency doubled one of the at least one third radiation or the at least one fourth radiation.

21. The method of claim 16 , further comprising combining the at least one third radiation and the at least one fourth radiation prior to upconverting one of the at least one third radiation or the at least one fourth radiation.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the at least one third radiation or the at least one fourth radiation is upconverted using at least one fan-out grating configuration.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the fan-out grating configuration is a periodically poled lithium niobate fan-out grating.

24. The method of claim 16 , further comprising delaying the upconverted one of the at least one third radiation or the at least one fourth radiation.

25. The method of claim 16 , further comprising absorbing excess power from the fifth radiation using at least one optical stop.

26. The method of claim 16 , wherein the at least one electromagnetic radiation is generated using at least one of a swept-source or a broadband source.

Assignees

• Univ Columbia

Inventors

• Hendon Christine
• Yao Xinwen
• Ling Yuye

Classifications

• G02F1/3558

  Poled materials, e.g. with periodic poling; Fabrication of domain inverted structures, e.g. for quasi-phase-matching [QPM] · CPC title

• G02F1/3544

  Particular phase matching techniques · CPC title

• G01B9/02091

  Tomographic interferometers, e.g. based on optical coherence · CPC title

• G02F1/3775

  with a periodic structure, e.g. domain inversion, for quasi-phase-matching [QPM] (G02F1/383 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01B9/02004 Primary

  using frequency scans · CPC title