Sampled Grating Distributed Bragg Reflector (SGDBR) monolithic tunable lasers are now entering the production phase in telecommunications applications. These tunable lasers are unique in that they offer wide wavelength tuning (1525 to 1565 nm), fast wavelength tuning (5 ns) and high speed amplitude modulation all on the same monolithic chip 1,2,3,4 . This work studies the applicability of SGDBR monolithic tunable laser diodes for biomedical imaging using swept-wavelength or Fourier domain optical coherence tomography. This paper will present our work involved with utilizing the strengths (table 1) of this SGDBR laser class and mitigating the weaknesses (table 2) of this device for swept-wavelength imaging applications. The strengths of the laser are its small size (portable solutions), wide wavelength range (good distance resolution), fast switching speeds (improved update rates), wide choice of center wavelengths, and lower power consumption. The weaknesses being addressed are the complicated wavelength tuning mechanism (3 wavelength control currents), wider laser linewidth (10s of MHz), moderate output power (10mW ), and the need for improved laser packaging. This paper will highlight the source characterization results and discuss an initial measurement architecture utilizing the SGDBR measurement engine.

Fast wavelength tunable sampled grating distributed Bragg reflector (SG-DBR) lasers are used to generate fast, linear, continuous wavelength sweeps. High resolution wavelength sweeps in excess of 45 nm are demonstrated at a 100 kHz repetition rate. The front mirror, back mirror and phase segment tuning segments can be modulated at very fast rates, which allows for very fast wavelength ramp rates. This sweep is generated through three time synchronized current versus time waveforms applied to the back mirror, front mirror and phase sections of the laser. The sweep consists of fifty separate mode-hop-free tuning segments which are stitched together to form a near continuous wavelength ramp. The stitching points require a maximum of 60 ns for amplitude, wavelength, and thermal settling time to allow the laser to equilibrate. Wavelength tuning non-linearities, output power wavelength dependency, and wavelength discontinuities are defects in the wavelength sweep that result from properties of the wavelength tuning mechanism as well as limitations of the signal generators that produce the time varying bias currents. A Michelson Interferometer is used to examine the effects of these defects for optical coherence tomography (OCT). The OCT measurements demonstrate spectral broadening of the source and interference signal reduction as the penetration depth increases. However, these effects are not very severe for delay differences less than 2 mm even without correction for sweep nonlinearities.

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Millimeter wave difference frequencies are easily available from the SG-DBR.Temperature robustness of SG-DBR self-heterodyne signals was also investigated. While each laser wavelength by itself changes by 0.12 nm/C (21 GHz/C), the difference frequency temperature coefficient is well less than 30MHz/C typically.

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