ASPECTS OF BASIC OCT ENGINE TECHNOLOGIES FOR HIGH SPEED OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY AND LIGHT SOURCE AND OTHER IMPROVEMENTS IN OCT

摘要

An optical coherence tomography (OCT) system including an interferometer (108;110;110') provides illuminating light along a first optical path (104;120;204;204') to a sample(102) and an optical delay line (D) and collects light from the sample (102) along a second optical path (106,106a; 128a, 128b,128c, 206;206') remitted at several scattering angles to a detector (P). In one embodiment, illuminating light is directed along a number of incident light paths (154a,154b,154c) through a focusing lens (158) to a sample (102). The light paths (154a,154b,154c) and focusing lens (158) are related to the sample (102) and to both the incident light source (101) and the detector (P). In another embodiment, a focusing system (252,262) directs light to a location in the sample (102). A transmission grating (256) or acousto-optic modulator (256'directs light from the sample (102) at an angle representative of the wavelengthof the incident light on the transmission grating (256) or acousto-optic modulator (256').