Noise characterization of supercontinuum sources for low-coherence interferometry applications

Area of Science:

• Optical Engineering
• Biomedical Optics
• Photonics

Background:

• Supercontinuum light sources are crucial for advanced optical imaging techniques like low-coherence interferometry (LCI).
• Understanding their noise properties is essential for optimizing performance in demanding applications such as deep tissue imaging and high-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate and compare the noise characteristics of different supercontinuum light sources in two distinct low-coherence interferometry applications.
• To assess the suitability of these sources for multiple-scattering LCI (ms2/LCI) and high-resolution OCT systems.

Main Methods:

• Noise performance of two supercontinuum sources (NKT SuperK and Fianium SC-450-4) was compared in an ms2/LCI system requiring high power and long acquisition times.
• Noise performance was also evaluated in a high-resolution OCT system, comparing the supercontinuum sources against a superluminescent diode (SLD)-based source using imaging contrast as a metric.

Main Results:

• Both supercontinuum sources exhibit long-term drift, limiting the effectiveness of signal averaging for noise reduction in ms2/LCI.
• The NKT SuperK demonstrated superior noise performance over the Fianium SC-450-4 in OCT applications.
• Neither supercontinuum source achieved the noise performance levels of the SLD-based light source.

Conclusions:

• Supercontinuum light sources have limitations due to noise and drift for sensitive LCI applications.
• For high-resolution OCT, SLD-based sources currently offer better noise performance than the evaluated supercontinuum sources.
• Further improvements in supercontinuum source stability are needed for optimal performance in demanding biomedical imaging.