20-mW 70-nm bandwidth ASE fibre optic source at 1060-nm wavelength region for optical coherence tomography

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging at 1060 nm region proved to be a successful alternative in ophthalmology not only for resolving intraretinal layers, but also for enabling sufficient penetration to monitor the sub-retinal vasculature in the choroids when compared to most commonly used OCT imaging systems at 800 nm region. To encourage further clinical research at this particular wavelength, we have developed a compact fiber optic source based on amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) centered at ~1060 nm with ~70 nm spectral bandwidth at full-width half maximum (FWHM) and output power >20 mW. Our approach is based on a combination of slightly shifted ASE emission spectra from a combination of two rare-earth doped fibers (Ytterbium and Neodymium). Spectral shaping and power optimization have been achieved using in-fiber filtering solutions. We have tested the performances of the source in an OCT system optimized for this wavelength. © 2010 Copyright SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering.