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Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive optical technique for high-resolution cross-sectional imaging of specimens, with many applications in clinical medicine and industry (e.g. materials testing, quality assurance, and process control). Current state-of-the-art OCT systems operate in the frequency domain, using either a broadband light source and a spectrometer, known as “spectral-domain OCT” (SD-OCT), or a rapidly tunable laser, known as “swept-source OCT” (SS-OCT). Both systems contain a multitude of fiber and free-space optical components, which make these instruments costly and bulky. The size and cost of an OCT system can be decreased significantly by the use of integrated optics. A suitable fabrication technology and an optimum design may allow one to fabricate very compact, low-cost, and rugged OCT systems. In this talk, I will first introduce the theory of OCT by focusing on SD-OCT systems. System specifications related to design parameters such as axial resolution, imaging depth range, and sensitivity roll-off will be presented. The miniaturization of OCT systems and the pertaining integrated optics components will be discussed, which includes performance-enhanced novel AWG designs as well as ultra-broadband 3dB splitters. Finally, in vivo images taken by the partially-integrated SD-OCT system will be demonstrated.
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