Patent ID: 9366885
Filing Date: 2016-06-14
CPC Classification: A61B,G01B,G02B,G02F

Claim Text:
1. A system for introducing a variable group delay to a beam of radiation while compensating for the effects of birefringence on the beam of radiation, comprising: a first waveguide and a second waveguide, wherein a first portion of a beam of radiation propagates through the first waveguide and a second portion of the beam of radiation propagates through the second waveguide, and wherein the first portion of the beam of radiation in the first waveguide is ultimately directed towards a sample; a variable delay unit coupled to the first waveguide and configured to modulate a refractive index in a region, wherein the first waveguide makes a plurality of passes through the region; and a polarization-dependent modulating unit coupled to the second waveguide and configured to compensate for birefringence associated with the first portion of the beam of radiation in the first waveguide, comprising: an optical element configured to combine the first polarized beam of radiation with a beam of radiation returning from the sample and to combine the second polarized beam of radiation with the beam of radiation returning from the sample, wherein the combination of the first polarized beam of radiation with the beam of radiation returning from the sample generates a first interference pattern and the combination of the second polarized beam of radiation with the beam of radiation returning from the sample generates a second interference pattern, and wherein the first and second modulation applied by the plurality of modulating elements allow for multiplexing between the first interference pattern and the second interference pattern with substantially no cross-talk between the first interference pattern and the second interference pattern.