Process and apparatus for a wavelength tuning source

• US 8,416,818 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2011
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• 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: Bouma, Brett Eugene, Yun, Seok-Hyun (Andy), Oh, Wang-Yuhl (William), De Boer, Johannes F., Tearney, Guillermo J.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUNG T
• Application Number:
  US13/160,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20120002686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 665 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:

at least one arrangement configured to emit an electromagnetic radiation which has a particular frequency that changes (i) at an absolute rate that is greater than about 100 terahertz per millisecond, and (ii) over a range that is greater than about 10 terahertz.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one arrangement includes an apparatus configured to at least one of transmit or reflect at least one portion of at least one radiation based on another frequency thereof.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the at least one portion has a full-width-at-half-maximum frequency distribution that is smaller than about 100 GHz.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the another frequency changes repeatedly at a repetition rate that is greater than 5 kilohertz.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the particular frequency changes repeatedly at a repetition rate that is greater than 5 kilohertz.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the particular frequency is of a spectrum that has a tuning range whose center is approximately centered at 1300 nm.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the particular frequency is of a spectrum that has a tuning range whose center is approximately centered at 850 nm.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the particular frequency is of a spectrum that a tuning range whose center is approximately centered at 1700 nm.

9. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the particular frequency is of a spectrum which has an instantaneous line width that is smaller than 100 gigahertz.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a polygon arrangement which is adapted to receive at least one signal that is associated with the emitted electromagnetic radiation, and at least one of reflect and deflect the at least one signal to a further location.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a laser resonating system forming an optical circuit and configured to control a spatial mode of the electromagnetic radiation.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the arrangement causes the electromagnetic radiation to propagate substantially unidirectionally within at least one portion of the resonating arrangement.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising an optical circulator which is configured to control a direction of propagation of the electromagnetic radiation within the resonating arrangement.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, 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.

15. An apparatus comprising:

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

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the frequency is part of a spectrum, and the change in the frequency repeats in a characteristic period that is less than about 200 microseconds.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the frequency changes over a range that is greater than about 10 terahertz.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the frequency is of a spectrum which has an instantaneous line width that is smaller than about 100 gigahertz.

19. The apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising a laser resonating system which forms an optical circuit and which is configured to control a spatial mode of the electromagnetic radiation.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the arrangement causes the electromagnetic radiation to propagate substantially unidirectionally within at least one portion of the resonating system.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising an optical circulator which is configured to control a direction of propagation of the electromagnetic radiation within the resonating system.

22. The apparatus according to claim 19, 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.

23. An apparatus comprising:

a first arrangement configured to emit an electromagnetic radiation that has a frequency that changes at a rate of that is greater than about 100 terahertz per millisecond, and

a second arrangement 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, wherein the at least one portion has a full-width-at-half-maximum frequency distribution that is smaller than about 100 GHz.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the second arrangement is situated on or within the first arrangement.

25. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the frequency changes repeatedly at a repetition rate that is greater than about 5 kilohertz.

26. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the frequency changes over a range that is greater than about 10 terahertz.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the frequency is of a spectrum which has an instantaneous line width that is smaller than about 100 gigahertz.

28. The apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising a laser resonating arrangement which forms an optical circuit and which is configured to control a spatial mode of the electromagnetic radiation, wherein the first arrangement causes the electromagnetic radiation to propagate substantially unidirectionally within at least a portion of the resonating arrangement.

29. An apparatus comprising:

at least one arrangement configured to emit an electromagnetic radiation that has a frequency that changes at an absolute rate that is greater than about 100 terahertz per millisecond, wherein the frequency is of a spectrum that has an instantaneous line width that is smaller than about 100 gigahertz.

30. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the spectrum has a tuning range whose center is approximately centered at 1300 nm.

31. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the spectrum has a tuning range whose center is approximately centered at 850 nm.

32. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the spectrum has a tuning range whose center is approximately centered at 1700 nm.

33. The apparatus according to claim 29, further comprising a polygon arrangement which is adapted to receive at least one signal that is associated with the emitted electromagnetic radiation, and at least one of reflect and deflect the at least one signal to a further location.

34. The apparatus according to claim 29, further comprising a laser resonating system forming an optical circuit and configured to control a spatial mode of the electromagnetic radiation.

35. The apparatus according to claim 34, wherein the arrangement causes the electromagnetic radiation to propagate substantially unidirectionally within at least one portion of the resonating arrangement.

36. The apparatus according to claim 35, further comprising an optical circulator which is configured to control a direction of the propagation of the electromagnetic radiation within the resonating arrangement.

37. The apparatus according to claim 34, 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.

38. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the configuration comprises a semiconductor arrangement.

39. The apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the semiconductor arrangement comprises a semiconductor optical amplifier.

40. The apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the semiconductor arrangement comprises a waveguide.

41. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the configuration comprises:

an optical arrangement configured to at least one of emit or amplify a particular radiation, and

a filter arrangement configured to at least one of selective transmit or selectively reflect at least one portion of the particular radiation based on at least one predetermined frequency.

42. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the configuration comprises an optical circuit arrangement which includes the optical arrangement and the filter arrangement.