Methods, arrangements and apparatus for utilizing a wavelength-swept laser using angular scanning and dispersion procedures

• US 9,176,319 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2008
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2007
• 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, Motaghiannezam, Reza, Tearney, Guillermo J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Doak, J
• Application Number:
  US12/052,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20080232410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,783 Days
• Field of Search: 356/300, 356337-343, 356450-521, 356/121, 356/122, 362/293, 359/578, 359/489.19, 359/486.02, 3591961-2263, 359/308
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2003/1286 Polychromator in general
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0208 using focussing or collimating elements, e.g. lenses or mirrors; performing aberration correction
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/021 using plane or convex mirrors, parallel phase plates, or particular reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0218 using optical fibers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/06 Scanning arrangements arrangements for order-selection
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/10 Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for spectrometry or colorimetry
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/18 using diffraction elements, e.g. grating gratings per se G02B
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/4338 Frequency modulated spectrometry
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/39 using tunable lasers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/002 the movement or the deformation controlling the frequency of light, e.g. by Doppler effect
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/12 using multifaceted mirrors
• 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 5/143 Littman-Metcalf configuration, e.g. laser - grating - mirror
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/146 using a fiber as external cavity

Abstract

Exemplary systems and methods for filtering an electromagnetic radiation can be provided. For example, at least one first arrangement can be provided which is capable of receiving at least one first electro-magnetic radiation and forwarding at least one second electro-magnetic radiation at different angles with respect to a direction of incidence of the first electro-magnetic radiation. At least one second wavelength dispersion arrangement can be provided which is configured to receive the second electro-magnetic radiation, forward at least one third electro-magnetic radiation to the first arrangement and further receive at least one fourth electro-magnetic radiation. The third electro-magnetic radiation can be based on the second electro-magnetic radiation, and the fourth electro-magnetic radiation can be based on the third electro-magnetic radiation. For example, the second arrangement can be configured to forward the second electro-magnetic radiation at different angles with respect to a direction of incidence of the at least one particular electro-magnetic radiation. Exemplary embodiments of methods can be provided to implement such exemplary techniques.

Claims

1. An apparatus for filtering an electromagnetic radiation, comprising:

at least one first arrangement configured to receive at least one first electro-magnetic radiation and forward at least one second electro-magnetic radiation at different angles with respect to a direction of incidence of the at least one first electro-magnetic radiation; and

at least one wavelength dispersion second arrangement configured to receive the at least one second electro-magnetic radiation, intentionally forward at least one third electro-magnetic radiation to the at least one first arrangement and further receive at least one fourth electro-magnetic radiation, wherein the at least one third electro-magnetic radiation is a return radiation from the at least one wavelength dispersion second arrangement based on the at least one second electro-magnetic radiation, and wherein the at least one fourth electro-magnetic radiation is a direct reflection of the at least one third electro-magnetic radiation from the at least one first arrangement.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first arrangement is a multi-faceted mirror arrangement.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the at least one first electro-magnetic radiation is intentionally caused to impact a first facet of the multi-faceted mirror arrangement, and the at least one third electro-magnetic radiation impacts a second facet of the multi-faceted mirror arrangement, the first and second facets being different from one another.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first arrangement is a polygon beam scanning arrangement.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the at least one first electro-magnetic radiation impacts a first facet of the polygon beam scanning arrangement, and the at least one third electro-magnetic radiation impacts a second facet of the polygon beam scanning arrangement, the first and second facets being different from one another.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the polygon beam scanning arrangement is capable of being continuously rotated.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one second arrangement is at least one of a prism arrangement or a grism arrangement.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second arrangements are positioned such that a further electro-magnetic radiation that is based on the first electro-magnetic radiation is received by the at least one first arrangement from the at least one second arrangement more that twice.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one wavelength dispersion third arrangement configured to physically separate one or more components of a further electro-magnetic radiation based on a frequency of the further electro-magnetic radiation, wherein the at least one first electro-magnetic radiation is based on the further electro-magnetic radiation.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

at least one fourth arrangement which is configured to receive at least some of the one or more components, and modify at least one characteristic of the received one or more components to provide the at least one first electro-magnetic radiation which is associated with one or more further components of the further electro-magnetic radiation.

11. A source arrangement for providing at least one particular electromagnetic radiation, comprising:

at least one emitter arrangement configured to provide the at least one particular electromagnetic radiation;

at least one first arrangement configured to receive the at least one particular electro-magnetic radiation and forward at least one first electro-magnetic radiation at different angles with respect to a direction of incidence of the at least one particular electro-magnetic radiation; and

at least one wavelength dispersion second arrangement configured to receive the at least one first electro-magnetic radiation, forward at least one second electro-magnetic radiation to the at least one first arrangement and further receive at least one third electro-magnetic radiation, wherein the at least one second electro-magnetic radiation is a return radiation from the at least one wavelength dispersion second arrangement based on the at least one first electro-magnetic radiation, and wherein the at least one third electro-magnetic radiation is a direct reflection of the at least one second electro-magnetic radiation from the at least one first arrangement.

12. The source arrangement according to claim 11, further comprising at least one laser cavity receiving the at least one third electromagnetic radiation.

13. The source arrangement according to claim 12, wherein the laser cavity is a ring laser cavity.

14. The source arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the at least one emitter arrangement is at least one of a semiconductor optical amplifier, a laser diode, a super-luminescent diode, a doped optical fiber, a doped laser crystal, a doped laser glass, or a laser dye.

15. The source arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the at least one particular electromagnetic radiation has a frequency that is continuously swept in a positive wavelength direction.

16. The source arrangement according to claim 11, further comprising an optical circulator.

17. The source arrangement according to claim 11, wherein wavelength ranges of the at least one particular electromagnetic radiation provided by the at least one emitter arrangement are distinct from one another.

18. The source arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the at least one first arrangement is a multi-faceted mirror arrangement.

19. The source arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the at least one particular electro-magnetic radiation impacts a first facet of the multi-faceted mirror arrangement, and the at least one second electro-magnetic radiation impacts a second facet of the multi-faceted mirror arrangement, the first and second facets being different from one another.

20. The source arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the at least one first arrangement is a polygon beam scanning arrangement.

21. The source arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the at least one particular electro-magnetic radiation impacts a first facet of the polygon beam scanning arrangement, and the at least one second electro-magnetic radiation impacts a second facet of the polygon beam scanning arrangement, the first and second facets being different from one another.

22. The source arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the polygon beam scanning arrangement is capable of being continuously rotated.

23. The source arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the at least one second arrangement is at least one of a prism arrangement or a grism arrangement.

24. The source arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the first and second arrangements are positioned such that a further electro-magnetic radiation that is based on the first electro-magnetic radiation is received by the at least one first arrangement from the at least one second arrangement more that twice.

25. The source arrangement according to claim 11, further comprising:

at least one wavelength dispersion third arrangement configured to physically separate one or more components of a further electro-magnetic radiation based on a frequency of the particular electro-magnetic radiation, wherein the at least one particular electro-magnetic radiation is based on the further electro-magnetic radiation.

26. The source arrangement according to claim 25, further comprising:

at least one fourth arrangement which is configured to receive at least some of the one or more components, and modify at least one characteristic of the received one or more components to provide at least one particular electro-magnetic radiation which is associated with one or more further components of the further electro-magnetic radiation.

27. A method for filtering an electromagnetic radiation, comprising:

receiving at least one first electro-magnetic radiation and forwarding at least one second electro-magnetic radiation at different angles with respect to a direction of incidence of the at least one first electro-magnetic radiation; and

receiving the at least one second electro-magnetic radiation, intentionally forwarding at least one third electro-magnetic radiation to the at least one first arrangement and further receiving at least one fourth electro-magnetic radiation,

wherein the at least one third electro-magnetic radiation is a return radiation from the at least one wavelength dispersion second arrangement based on the at least one second electro-magnetic radiation, and wherein the at least one fourth electro-magnetic radiation is a direct reflection of the at least one third electro-magnetic radiation from the at least one first arrangement.

28. A method for providing at least one particular electromagnetic radiation, comprising:

providing the at least one electromagnetic radiation using at least one emitter arrangement;

receiving the at least one particular electro-magnetic radiation and intentionally forwarding at least one first electro-magnetic radiation at different angles with respect to a direction of incidence of the at least one particular electro-magnetic radiation; and

receiving the at least one first electro-magnetic radiation, forwarding at least one second electro-magnetic radiation to the at least one first arrangement and further receiving at least one third electro-magnetic radiation using at least one second wavelength dispersion arrangement,

wherein the at least one second electro-magnetic radiation is a return radiation from the at least one wavelength dispersion second arrangement based on the at least one first electro-magnetic radiation, and wherein the at least one third electro-magnetic radiation is a direct reflection of the at least one second electro-magnetic radiation from the at least one first arrangement.