The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 31, 2023
Filed:
Feb. 02, 2021
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US);
Juejun Hu, Newton, MA (US);
Tian Gu, Fairfax, VA (US);
Derek Kita, Cambridge, MA (US);
Carlos Andres Rios Ocampo, Somerville, MA (US);
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US);
Abstract
An optical coherence tomography (OCT) engine includes a digital Fourier-Transform (dFT) spectrometer, a tunable delay line, and a high-speed optical phased array (OPA) scanner integrated onto a single chip. The broadband dFT spectrometer offers superior signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and fine axial resolution; the tunable delay line ensures large imaging depth by circumventing sensitivity roll-off; and the OPA can scan the beams at GHz rates without moving parts. Unlike conventional spectrometers, the dFT spectrometer employs an optical switch network to retrieve spectral information in an exponentially scaling fashion—its performance doubles with every new optical switch added to the network. Moreover, it also benefits from the Fellgett's advantage, which provide a significant SNR edge over conventional spectrometers. The tunable delay line balances the path length difference between the reference and sample arms, avoiding any need to sample high-frequency spectral fringes.