OCT system with bonded MEMS tunable mirror VCSEL swept source

• US 10,109,979 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2016
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Excelitas Technologies Corporation (Excelitas Technologies Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: Axsun Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Flanders, Dale C., Kuznetsov, Mark E., Atia, Walid A., Johnson, Bartley C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Carter, Michael
• Application Number:
  US15/217,124
• Publication Number:
  US 20160329682A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 9/02004 using frequency scans
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 9/02091 Tomographic interferometers, e.g. based on optical coherence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/005 Processes
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02216 Butterfly-type, i.e. with electrode pins extending horizontally from the housings
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0222 Gas-filled housings
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02224 the gas comprising oxygen, e.g. for avoiding contamination of the light emitting facets
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02235 Getter material for absorbing contamination
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02251 using optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02253 using lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02415 by using a thermo-electric cooler [TEC], e.g. Peltier element
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/041 Optical pumping
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/06 Arrangements for controlling the laser output parameters, e.g. by operating on the active medium
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/068 Stabilisation of laser output parameters H01S5/0625 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/183 having only vertical cavities, e.g. vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers [VCSEL]
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18305 with emission through the substrate, i.e. bottom emission
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18341 Intra-cavity contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18358 containing spacer layers to adjust the phase of the light wave in the cavity
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18366 Membrane DBR, i.e. a movable DBR on top of the VCSEL
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18375 based on metal reflectors

Abstract

A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-tunable vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) in which the MEMS mirror is bonded to the active region. This allows for a separate electrostatic cavity that is outside the laser'"'"'s optical resonant cavity. Moreover, the use of this cavity configuration allows the MEMS mirror to be tuned by pulling the mirror away from the active region. This reduces the risk of snap down. Moreover, since the MEMS mirror is now bonded to the active region, much wider latitude is available in the technologies that are used to fabricate the MEMS mirror. This is preferably deployed as a swept source in an optical coherence tomography (OCT) system.

Claims

1. An integrated VCSEL swept source system, comprising:

an optical bench;

a MEMS tunable VCSEL installed on the optical bench that emits a swept optical signal that propagates parallel to a top surface of the optical bench;

a semiconductor optical amplifier that amplifies the swept optical signal;

wherein the amplified swept optical signal from the semiconductor optical amplifier is returned to propagate through the MEMS tunable VCSEL.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a polarization beam splitter for directing the amplified swept optical signal from the semiconductor optical amplifier to be coupled into the MEMS tunable VCSEL.