High-speed ultra-broad tuning MEMS-VCSELs for imaging and spectroscopy

High-speed ultra-broad tuning MEMS-VCSELs for imaging and spectroscopy

In the last 2 years, the field of micro-electro-mechanical systems tunable vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (MEMS-VCSELs) has seen dramatic improvements in laser tuning range and tuning speed, along with expansion into unexplored wavelength bands, enabling new applications. This paper describ...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jayaraman, Vijaysekhar, Potsaid, B., Jiang, J., Cole, G. D., Robertson, M. E., Burgner, C. B., John, D. D., Choi, W., Liu, J., Stein, B. A., Sanders, S. T., Cable, Alex E., Grulkowski, Ireneusz, Tsai, Tsung-Han, Fujimoto, James G.
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Format: Article
Language:en_US
Published: SPIE 2014
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/86409
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0828-4357
Description
Summary:In the last 2 years, the field of micro-electro-mechanical systems tunable vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (MEMS-VCSELs) has seen dramatic improvements in laser tuning range and tuning speed, along with expansion into unexplored wavelength bands, enabling new applications. This paper describes the design and performance of high-speed ultra-broad tuning range 1050nm and 1310nm MEMS-VCSELs for medical imaging and spectroscopy. Key results include achievement of the first MEMS-VCSELs at 1050nm and 1310nm, with 100nm tuning demonstrated at 1050nm and 150nm tuning at shown at 1310nm. The latter result represents the widest tuning range of any MEMS-VCSEL at any wavelength. Wide tuning range has been achieved in conjunction with high-speed wavelength scanning at rates beyond 1 MHz. These advances, coupled with recent demonstrations of very long MEMS-VCSEL dynamic coherence length, have enabled advancements in both swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) and gas spectroscopy. VCSEL-based SS-OCT at 1050nm has enabled human eye imaging from the anterior eye through retinal and choroid layers using a single instrument for the first time. VCSEL-based SS-OCT at 1310nm has enabled real-time 3-D SS-OCT imaging of large tissue volumes in endoscopic settings. The long coherence length of the VCSEL has also enabled, for the first time, meter-scale SS-OCT applicable to industrial metrology. With respect to gas spectroscopy, narrow dynamic line-width has allowed accurate high-speed measurement of multiple water vapor and HF absorption lines in the 1310nm wavelength range, useful in gas thermometry of dynamic combustion engines.

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