Miniature 10 kHz thermo-optic delay line in silicon.
The scanning delay line is a key component of time-domain optical coherence tomography systems. It has evolved since its inception toward higher scan rates and simpler implementation. However, existing approaches still suffer from drawbacks in terms of size, cost, and complexity, and they are not suitable for implementation using integrated optics. In this Letter, we report a rapid scanning delay line based on the thermo-optic effect of silicon at λ = 1.3 μm manufactured around a generic planar lightwave circuit technology. The reported device attained line scan rates of 10 kHz and demonstrated a scan range of 0.95 mm without suffering any observable loss of resolution (15 µm FWHM) owing to depth-dependent chromatic dispersion.
Medlumics S.L., Paseo de la Florida 16 6G, 28008 Madrid, Spain. e.margallo@medlumics.com
Eduardo
E
Margallo-Balbás
Max
M
Geljon
Grégory
G
Pandraud
Patrick J
PJ
French
D000465:Algorithms; D002138:Calibration; D055620:Optical Phenomena; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*
D012825:Silicon