Compact ultrafast reflective Fabry-Perot tunable lasers for OCT imaging applications

Abstract

We demonstrate a novel reflective Fabry-Perot tunable laser (RFPTL) for high speed swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging applications. This external cavity semiconductor laser uses a silicon MEMS tunable Fabry- Perot filter in a novel reflective mode of operation. The laser is packaged in a compact 25x15 mm fiber-pigtailed butterfly package. Lasers at 1060 and 1300 nm wavelengths have been demonstrated with tuning ranges up to 140 nm, fast scan rates of 100 kHz, and coherence lengths greater than 13 mm. We also describe OCT imaging with these lasers. RFPTL lasers with 1-2 μm wavelengths and tuning ranges of 250 nm have also been demonstrated for a wide range of applications.