Process and apparatus for a wavelength tuning source

• US 7,724,786 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2008
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yun, Seok-Hyun (Andy), Bouma, Brett Eugene, Tearney, Guillermo J., Oh, Wang-Yuhl (William), De Boer, Johannes F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Dung T
• Application Number:
  US11/867,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20080181263A1
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 372/20, 372/28
• US Class Current: 372/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0066 Optical coherence imaging
• 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: G01J 3/10 Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for spectrometry or colorimetry
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/12 Generating the spectrum; Monochromators
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 9/0215 by shearing interferometric methods
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/4795 spatially resolved investigating of object in scattering medium in vivo A61B
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/48 Laser speckle optics
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/08009 using a diffraction grating
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/08063 Graded reflectivity, e.g. variable reflectivity mirror
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/105 by controlling the mutual position or the reflecting properties of the reflectors of the cavity , e.g. by controlling the cavity lengthH01S3/10076, H01S3/13 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/141 using a wavelength selective device, e.g. a grating or etalon H01S5/146 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/146 using a fiber as external cavity
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4087 emitting more than one wavelength

Abstract

An apparatus and source arrangement for filtering an electromagnetic radiation can be provided which may include at least one spectral separating arrangement configured to physically separate one or more components of the electromagnetic radiation based on a frequency of the electromagnetic radiation. The apparatus and source arrangement may also have at least one continuously rotating optical arrangement which is configured to receive at least one signal that is associated with the one or more components. Further, the apparatus and source arrangement can include at least one beam selecting arrangement configured to receive the signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an arrangement configured to emit an electromagnetic radiation that has a spectrum whose mean frequency changes approximately linearly at a rate whose absolute value is greater than about 100 terahertz per millisecond.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mean frequency change of the spectrum repeats in a characteristic period that is less than about 200 microseconds.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the mean frequency changes over a range that is greater than about 10 terahertz.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the spectrum has an instantaneous line width that is smaller than about 100 gigahertz.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a laser resonating system which forms an optical circuit and which is configured to control a spatial mode of the electromagnetic radiation.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the arrangement causes the electromagnetic radiation to propagate substantially unidirectionally within at least one portion of the resonating system.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising an optical circulator which is configured to control a direction of propagation of the electromagnetic radiation within the resonating system.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising an optical filtering system configured to at least one of transmit or reflect at least one portion of the electromagnetic radiation based on a frequency of the electromagnetic radiation, and wherein the at least one portion has a full-width-at-half-maximum frequency distribution which is less than about 100 GHz.