Abstract

In this paper, we present a wavefront division (WD) Fourier domain swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) configuration. The presented WD-SS-OCT configuration has two key features that are discussed in this contribution. First, there is the possibility of variable splitting and flexible adjustment of the splitting ratio between the sample and the reference. This enables an adaptation to differing reflective and scattering features of various samples. The second feature is related to the increased throughput of the interferometer design. The use of polarization optics makes it possible to almost eliminate back-reflection losses completely to the source (up to 50% of the intensity in standard amplitude division-based OCT). WD-OCT configuration has its challenges compared to conventional OCT systems based on amplitude splitting. Nevertheless, the proposed design has also specific options and flexibilities that are worth to be shared with the OCT community.

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