The conventional spectral domain (SD) and Fourier domain (FD) OCT method deliver a 1D reflectivity profile in the sample investigated by applying a Fourier transform (FT) to the channeled spectrum, CS, at the interferometer output. We discuss here the advantages of a novel OCT technology, Master Slave (MS). The MS method radically changes the main building blocks of a SD (FD)-OCT set-up. The serially provided electrical signal in conventional technology is replaced by multiple signals, a signal for each OPD point along an electrical output for each depth in the object investigated. In this way, it is possible to: (1) direct access to information from selected depths; (ii) eliminate the process of resampling, required by the FT based conventional technology, with immediate consequences in improving the decay of sensitivity with depth, achieving the expected axial resolution limit, reduction in the time to display an image and lower cost OCT assembly; (iii) OCT interferometer tolerant to dispersion left unbalanced.
INTRODUCTIONBoth implementations of the Fourier domain optical coherence tomography, spectrometer based (Sp)-OCT and swept source (SS)-OCT, can be used to produce both cross-sectional (B-scan) and en-face (C-scan) images with high resolution and high sensitivity.Traditionally, in order to produce a volumetric image, in both implementations, each channeled spectrum acquired while scanning the probing beam over the sample is subject to a fast Fourier transform (FFT). However, before the FFT, several preparatory signal processing steps such as zero padding, spectral shaping, apodization, dispersion compensation or data resampling are required to produce high axial resolution and sensitivity images. As all these steps are sequentially executed and require time, therefore, the need to perform them impact production of the images in real-time.So far, several techniques involving both hardware and/or software solutions have been demonstrated to successfully eliminate or diminish the execution time of the preparatory steps. Correct resampling and compensation for dispersion mismatch are extremely important as an incorrect k-mapping or dispersion left unbalanced in the system generates a broadening of the coherence peak. To eliminate the resampling step, in Sp-OCT a solution using a prism after the diffraction grating was proposed. However, this complicates the optics hardware, requires careful hardware adjustment of several components, introduces losses and the resampling is prone to errors. In SS-OCT, the swept sources are often equipped with a supplementary clock signal (k-clock) that adds not only to the cost of the source, but requires a specialized, more sophisticated digitizer that in the end does not warranty a perfect resampling and also limits the axial range of the image. Other techniques such as using an additional light source, parametric iteration methods, phase linearization techniques, and automatic calibrations have been also proposed.All these methods are normally computationally expens...