Shot-Noise Limited, 10 MHz Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography for Retinal Imaging

Akinetic swept-sources are essential for high-speed optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. Time-stretched supercontinuum (TSSC) lasers have proven to be efficient for multi-MHz swept-sources. However, lack of low-noise broadband lasers and of large dispersion devices in the water low-absorption band at 1060 nm have limited the biomedical applications of TSSC lasers. In this letter, an approach to tune the wavelength around 1050 nm over 90 nm with low-noise at 10 MHz is presented. This is based on all-normal dispersion (ANDi) supercontinuum dynamics, and employs a long chirped fiber Bragg grating (CFBG) to time-stretch a broadband pulse with a duty cycle of 93%. Retinal images are demonstrated, with a sensitivity of 84 dB - approaching the shot noise limit. We believe this high-speed low-noise swept-source will greatly promote the development of OCT techniques for biomedical applications.