Laser swept source with controlled mode locking for OCT medical imaging
An optical coherence analysis system uses a laser swept source that is constrained to operate in a mode locked condition. This is accomplished by synchronously changing the laser cavity's gain and/or phase based on the round trip travel time of light in the cavity. Many high-speed wavelength swept laser sources emit pulses synchronized with the round trip time of the cavity as part of a nonlinear optical frequency red shifting process. Stable pulsation is associated with smooth tuning and low relative intensity noise. Addition of mode-locking methods to this class of lasers can control and stabilize these lasers ...
