Broadband Fourier-Domain Mode-Locked Lasers

Broadband, high-speed wavelength-swept lasers can substantially enhance applications in optical coherence tomography, chemical spectroscopy, and fiber-optic sensing. We report the demonstration of Fourier-domain mode-lock lasers operating at about 90kHz effective sweep rate over a 158nm sweep range using a single-band design and over a 284nm sweep range across the 1.3 μm to 1.5μm wavelength spectrum using a unique broadband design. A novel dual-detection full-range Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography system is developed which provides 7 I-tm axial resolution （in air）at about 90 kHz axial scan rate for mirror-image resolved Doppler imaging in a human finger and an African frog tadpole.