Broadband or mid-infrared fiber light sources

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016010971-A1
Application number	US-201514861755-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 22, 2015
Priority date	Nov 18, 2005
Publication date	Jan 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An optical system includes a tunable semiconductor light emitter that generates an input beam having a wavelength shorter than about 2.5 microns, an optical isolator coupled to the emitter and configured to block reflected light into the emitter, an optical amplifier receiving the input beam and outputting an intermediate beam, and optical fibers receiving the intermediate beam and forming an output beam. A subsystem includes lenses or mirrors that deliver the output beam to a sample. The subsystem may include an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) apparatus having a sample arm and a reference arm, the output beam having a temporal duration greater than approximately 30 picoseconds, a repetition rate between continuous wave and Megahertz or higher, and a time averaged intensity less than approximately 50 MW/cm 2 . The system may also include a light detection system collecting any of the output beam that reflects or transmits from the sample.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An optical system comprising:
one or more tunable semiconductor light emitters configured to generate an input beam, wherein at least a portion of the input beam comprises a wavelength shorter than about 2.5 microns; one or more optical isolators coupled to the one or more tunable semiconductor light emitters and configured to substantially prevent a reflected light into the one or more tunable semiconductor light emitters; one or more optical amplifiers configured to receive at least a part of the portion of the input beam and to output an intermediate beam from one of the one or more optical amplifiers; one or more optical fibers configured to receive at least a portion of the intermediate beam and to form an output beam with an output beam wavelength; a subsystem comprising one or more lenses or mirrors configured to receive a received portion of the output beam, the one of more lenses or mirrors configured to deliver a delivered portion of the output beam to a sample, wherein the subsystem comprises an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) apparatus comprising a sample arm and a reference arm, wherein the delivered portion of the output beam has a temporal duration greater than approximately 30 picoseconds, wherein the delivered portion of the output beam has a repetition rate between continuous wave and Megahertz or higher, and wherein a time averaged intensity of the delivered portion of the output beam is less than approximately 50 MW/cm 2 ; and a light detection system capable of collecting at least a fraction of the delivered portion of the output beam that reflects or transmits from the sample.

2 . The optical system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more tunable semiconductor light emitters is coupled to a WDM.

3 . The optical system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more tunable semiconductor light emitters is coupled to an optical tap.

4 . The optical system of claim 1 , wherein the OCT apparatus further comprises a fiber-based Michelson interferometer.

5 . The optical system of claim 1 , wherein an output power of the output beam is about 20 milliwatts or more.

6 . The optical system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the sample is selected from the group consisting of skin, biological tissue, corneal tissue, a semiconductor wafer, a semiconductor chip, and multi-layered structures.

7 . An optical system comprising:
a plurality of semiconductor light emitters, each configured to generate an optical beam; a WDM for receiving at least a portion of at least one of the optical beams from the plurality of semiconductor light emitters and for outputting an intermediate optical beam; an optical fiber or waveguide for receiving at least a portion of the intermediate optical beam and to communicate at least part of the portion of the intermediate optical beam to form an output beam having at least one wavelength based on at least part of the portion of the intermediate optical beam; a subsystem comprising one or more lenses or mirrors for receiving a received portion of the output beam, the one or more lenses or mirrors delivering a delivered portion of the output beam to a sample, wherein the subsystem comprises an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) apparatus comprising a sample arm and a reference arm, wherein the delivered portion of the output beam has a temporal duration greater than 30 picoseconds, and wherein the delivered portion of the output beam has a repetition rate between continuous wave and Megahertz or higher; and a light detection system capable of collecting at least a fraction of the delivered portion of the output beam that reflects or transmits from the sample.

8 . The optical system of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the plurality of semiconductor light emitters comprises a tunable light source capable of emitting a wavelength shorter than 2.5 microns.

9 . The optical system of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the plurality of semiconductor light emitters is coupled to an optical isolator.

10 . The optical system of claim 9 , wherein the optical isolator is coupled to one or more optical amplifiers.

11 . The optical system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more optical amplifiers is coupled to an optical tap.

12 . The optical system of claim 7 , wherein the OCT apparatus further comprises a fiber-based Michelson interferometer.

13 . The optical system of claim 7 , wherein an output power of the output beam is 20 milliwatts or more, and wherein a time averaged intensity of the delivered portion of the output beam is less than 50 MW/cm 2 .

14 . An optical system comprising:
a plurality of semiconductor light emitters, each configured to generate an optical beam, wherein at least one of the semiconductor light emitters is a tunable light source configurable to generate a wavelength shorter than 2.5 microns; a WDM configured to receive at least a portion of one or more of the optical beams from the plurality of semiconductor light emitters and for outputting an intermediate optical beam; one or more optical amplifiers configured to receive at least a part of the intermediate optical beam and to output a second optical beam; one or more optical fibers configured to receive at least a portion of the second optical beam and to form an output beam with an output beam wavelength; a subsystem comprising one or more lenses or mirrors for receiving a received portion of the output beam and the one or more lenses or mirrors delivering a delivered portion of the output beam to a sample, wherein the delivered portion of the output beam has a temporal duration greater than 30 picoseconds, and wherein the delivered portion of the output beam has a repetition rate between continuous wave and Megahertz or higher; and a light detection system capable of collecting at least a fraction of the delivered portion of the output beam that reflects or transmits from the sample.

15 . The optical system of claim 14 , wherein at least one of the plurality of semiconductor light emitters is coupled to an optical isolator.

16 . The optical system of claim 14 , wherein at least one of the one or more optical amplifiers is coupled to an optical tap.

17 . The optical system of claim 14 , wherein an output power of the output beam is 20 milliwatts or more, and wherein a time averaged intensity of the delivered portion of the output beam is less than 50 MW/cm 2 .

18 . The optical system of claim 14 , wherein the subsystem comprises an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) apparatus comprising a sample arm and a reference arm.

19 . The optical system of claim 18 , wherein the OCT apparatus further comprises a fiber-based Michelson interferometer.

20 . The optical system of claim 14 , wherein at least a portion of the sample is selected from the group consisting of skin, biological tissue, corneal tissue, a semiconductor wafer, a semiconductor chip, and multi-layered structures.

Assignees

• Omni Medsci Inc

Inventors

• Islam Mohammed N

Classifications

• H01S5/1092

  Multi-wavelength lasing · CPC title

• H01S3/1024

  for pulse generation · CPC title

• H01S3/06725

  Fibre characterized by a specific dispersion, e.g. for pulse shaping in soliton lasers or for dispersion compensating [DCF] · CPC title

• H01S2301/085

  solitons · CPC title

• G01J2003/423

  Spectral arrangements using lasers, e.g. tunable · CPC title