Abstract:
An apparatus and source arrangement for filtering an electromagnetic radiation can be provided which may include at least one spectral separating arrangement configured to physically separate one or more components of the electromagnetic radiation based on a frequency of the electromagnetic radiation. The apparatus and source arrangement may also have at least one continuously rotating optical arrangement, e.g., polygonal scanning mirror and spinning reflector disk scanner, which is configured to receive at least one signal that is associated with the one or more components. Further, the apparatus and source arrangement can include at least one beam selecting arrangement configured to receive the signal.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/885,660, filed Jan. 19, 2007, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to optical systems, and more particularly to an optical wavelength filter system for wavelength tuning and a wavelength-swept laser using the optical wavelength filter system. 
     BACKGROUND INFORMATION 
     Considerable effort has been devoted for developing rapidly and widely tunable wavelength laser sources for optical reflectometry, biomedical imaging, sensor interrogation, and tests and measurements. A narrow line width, wide-range and rapid tuning have been obtained by the use of an intra-cavity narrow band wavelength scanning filter. Mode-hopping-free, single-frequency operation has been demonstrated in an extended-cavity semiconductor laser by using a diffraction grating filter design. Obtaining single-frequency laser operation and ensuring mode-hop-free tuning, however, may use a complicated mechanical apparatus and can limit the maximum tuning speed. One of the fastest tuning speeds demonstrated so far has been limited less than 100 nm/s. In certain exemplary applications such as biomedical imaging, multiple-longitudinal mode operation, corresponding to an instantaneous line width as large or great than 10 GHz, may be sufficient. Such width may provide a ranging depth of a few millimeters in tissues in optical coherence tomography and a micrometer-level transverse resolution in spectrally-encoded confocal microscopy. 
     A line width on the order of 10 GHz can be achieved with the use of an intra-cavity tuning element (such as an acousto-optic filter, Fabry-Perot filter, and galvanometer-driven diffraction grating filter). However, the sweep frequency previously demonstrated has been less than 1 kHz limited by finite tuning speeds of the filters. Higher-speed tuning with a repetition rate greater than 15 kHz may be needed for video-rate (&gt;30 frames/s), high-resolution optical imaging in biomedical applications. 
     Recent implementation of a wavelength-swept laser using polygon scanning filter has provided high-speed wavelength tuning up to 10,000 nm/ms. While the high-speed polygon based wavelength-swept light source enabled high-speed imaging as fast as 200 frames/s, wavelength tuning rate as fast as 10,000 nm/ms keeping an instantaneous linewidth narrower than 0.15 nm has already reached to the limit of the polygon based wavelength-swept laser. 
     Accordingly, there may be a need for new wavelength scanning filter and laser scheme for faster tuning and especially for wide wavelength tuning range and narrow instantaneous linewidth at fast tuning rate. 
     One of the objects of the present invention is to overcome the above-described deficiencies. 
     SUMMARY OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF PRESENT INVENTION 
     An exemplary embodiment of the present invention can be provided which may include apparatus and source arrangement for lightwave filtering that provides high-speed wavelength-swept light with broad spectral tuning range and narrow instantaneous linewidth. In exemplary variant of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the optical filter can include a diffraction grating, a focusing lens and a spinning disk. The spinning disk can have reflector patterns and/or transmission window patterns. Certain optical components and arrangement and a proper design of the disk enables high-speed wavelength sweeping over a broad tuning range with narrow instantaneous linewidth. 
     In another exemplary embodiment of present invention, the wavelength-swept filter is combined with a proper gain medium implementing a wavelength tunable light source. The filter and gain medium may further be incorporated into a laser cavity. For example, a laser can emit a narrow band spectrum with its center wavelength being rapidly swept over a broad wavelength range. The exemplary laser resonator may include a unidirectional fiber-optic ring and/or a full free space linear cavity with a specially designed semiconductor optical gain medium to minimize the cavity length of the laser. 
     According to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus can be provided which may include an arrangement that has at least one section thereon which is configured to receive a first electromagnetic radiation. The section may be configured to transmit and/or reflect a second electromagnetic radiation associated with the first electro-magnetic radiation. The section can be configured to modify the second electromagnetic radiation to have (i) a particular wave number which varies linearly in time, and (ii) a mean frequency which changes over time at a rate that is greater than 100 terahertz per millisecond. The mean frequency may change repeatedly at a repetition rate that is greater than 5 kilohertz. The spectrum can have an instantaneous line width that is smaller than 100 gigahertz. 
     According to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the arrangement can include a continuously rotating disk which reflects and/or transmits through the section the second electromagnetic radiation to a particular location. The rotating disk can include at least one portion which reflects and/or transmits the second electromagnetic radiation and which has a curved shape. The arrangement may be provided in a laser cavity. A control arrangement can also be provided which may allow a processing arrangement and/or a user to control the mean frequency. 
     According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus can provide an electromagnetic radiation, and may include a first continuously-rotating arrangement that has at least one section thereon which is configured to receive a first electromagnetic radiation. The section may be configured to transmit and/or reflect a second electromagnetic radiation associated with the first electromagnetic radiation. A wavelength of the second electromagnetic radiation may be scanned in a characteristic repetition time. A second arrangement can be provided which may include at least one laser cavity which may be configured to receive the second electromagnetic radiation. A roundtrip travel time of the second electromagnetic radiation in the laser cavity can be substantially equal to an integer multiple of the characteristic repetition time. 
     According a still further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a third arrangement can be provided which is configured to control the roundtrip travel time and/or the characteristic repetition time. A fourth arrangement may be provided which is configured to determine a relationship between the roundtrip travel time and the characteristic repetition time, and control the third arrangement based on the relationship. In addition, a further arrangement may be provided which is configured to control the roundtrip travel time and/or the characteristic repetition time and determine a relationship between the roundtrip travel time and the characteristic repetition time. The further arrangement may be controlled based on the relationship. In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, yet another arrangement can be provided internally or externally with respect to the second arrangement, and configured to amplify at least one of the first electromagnetic radiation or the second electro-magnetic radiation based on at least one Raman amplification characteristic. 
     These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description of embodiments of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures showing illustrative embodiments of the invention, in which: 
         FIG. 1A  is a first exemplary embodiment of a spinning disk-based wavelength tuning filter according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 1B  is a second exemplary embodiment of the spinning disk-based wavelength tuning filter according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a third exemplary embodiment of a short linear cavity laser using a disk reflector-based wavelength tuning filter according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is an exemplary embodiment of a fiber ring laser using the disk reflector-based wavelength tuning filter according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is an exemplary embodiment of a resonant cavity fiber ring laser using the disk reflector-based wavelength tuning filter according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is an exemplary embodiment of a resonant cavity fiber Raman ring laser using the disk reflector-based wavelength tuning filter according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 6A  is a first exemplary embodiment of a disk reflector according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 6B  is a second exemplary embodiment of the disk reflector according to the present invention; and 
         FIG. 6C  is a third exemplary embodiment of the disk reflector according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     Throughout the figures, the same reference numerals and characters, unless otherwise stated, are used to denote like features, elements, components or portions of the illustrated embodiments. Moreover, while the subject invention will now be described in detail with reference to the figures, it is done so in connection with the illustrative embodiments. It is intended that changes and modifications can be made to the described embodiments without departing from the true scope and spirit of the subject invention. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1A  shows a schematic of a first exemplary embodiment of the disk reflector-based wavelength tuning filter in accordance with the present invention. For example, the optical wavelength filter can comprises of a collimated input/output beam  100 , a diffraction grating  200 , a focusing lens  400 , and a spinning reflection disk  500 . Light input to the optical wavelength filter is provided as a collimated input beam  100 . Wavelength filtered output is retro-reflected as a collimated light output  100 . The diffraction grating  200  is used as a wavelength dispersing element, which may include but is not limited to, a reflection grating, a transmission grating, a prism, a diffraction grating, an acousto-optic diffraction cell or combinations of one or more of these elements. 
     The diffraction grating  200  can have a concave curvature that has a focal length and thereby eliminates the need for the focusing lens  400 . The focusing lens  400  is located approximately at the distance of its focal length F 1  from the diffraction grating. The focusing lens  400  receives collimated wavelength components diffracted from the grating  200  and focuses them onto an image plane IP. At the image plane IP, a disk  500  with reflection patterns  520  is placed. As the reflection disk  500  spins  560  around its center  540 , each wavelength component is selectively reflected from one of the reflector patterns  520  one by one providing a continuous wavelength sweep over time. After one reflector strip passes through the desired spectrum of wavelengths  340 - 320 , the next reflector repeats the scan. Different types of materials can be used to make the disk  500 , including light weight metals, a light weight plastic, and a substrate of different materials like glass substrate or silicon substrate. The focusing lens  400  can be also composed of different materials depending on applications, for example, a plastic molded aspheric lens can be used for low cost application. 
     The exemplary orientation of the incident beam  100  with respect to the optic axis  210  and a rotation direction  560  of the disk reflector  500  can be used to determine the direction of wavelength tuning, e.g., a wavelength up (positive) scan or a wavelength down (negative) scan. The spinning speed of the disk  500  may be monitored and controlled by using a feedback loop circuit. A monitoring beam  110  can be used to provide a feedback. The exemplary arrangement shown in  FIG. 1A  can generate a positive wavelength sweep. It should be understood that although the disk reflector arrangement  500  is shown in  FIG. 1A  as having, e.g., twenty reflector patterns  520 , reflector pattern arrangements  520  which may have fewer than twenty reflector strips or greater than twenty reflector strips can also be used. While generally not considering practical mechanical limits, based upon conventional manufacturing techniques, a particular number of reflector strips  520  of the disk reflector arrangement  500  to use in any application may depend on a desired scanning rate and scanning range for a particular application. 
     Furthermore, the size of the disk  500  may be selected based on preferences of a particular application, and preferably taking into account certain factors including, but not limited to, manufacturability and weight of the disk  500 . 
     In one exemplary embodiment according to the present invention, a Gaussian beam  100  can be utilized with a broad optical spectrum incident to the grating. A conventional grating equation can be expressed as λ=p·(sin α+sin β) where λ is the optical wavelength, p is the grating pitch, and α and β are the incident and diffracted angles of the beam with respect to the normal axis of the grating, respectively. The center wavelength of tuning range of the filter may be defined by λ 0 =p·(sin α+sin β 0 ) where β 0  is the angle between the optic axis  210  and the grating normal axis. FWHM bandwidth of the spectral resolution of the diffraction grating arrangement is defined by (δλ) FWHM /λ 0 =A·(p/m)cos α/W, where A=√{square root over (4 ln 2)}/π for double pass, m is the diffraction order, and W is 1/e 2 -width of the Gaussian beam at the fiber collimator. 
     The tuning range of the filter may be given by Δλ=p cos β 0 (L/F 1 ), where L=2 F 1  tan(Δβ/2) denotes the distance between the stripes. Since the beam spot size (measured at the 1/e 2  intensity points) at the image plane can be given by w s =4λF 1 /πW′, where W′=W(cos β/cos α) is 1/e 2 -width of the collimated beam of each wavelength components at the focusing lens  400 , the effective finesse of the filter, which can be defined as (Tuning range)/(Linewidth) of the filter, can be determined as 
     
       
         
           
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     As can be determined from this relation, large groove density of the grating and large beam incident angle are required for high finesse of the filter, assuming that the spectral resolution of the grating is sufficiently high. For example, with W=0.5 mm, λ=1.3 μm, Δλ=120 nm, and p= 1/1200 mm, incident angle α should be 86.9° (W=0.5 mm and (δλ) FWHM =0.062 nm) to achieve a finesse of 800 (Δλ=120 nm and (δλ) filter =0.15 nm). Since shorter focal length (higher NA) provides smaller spacing between reflector strips (and smaller spot size), using short focal length lens  400  is better for having larger number of reflector strips, on the same size disk, therefore possibly higher wavelength sweep repetition rate, as long as the clear aperture of the lens  400  is large enough to prevent beam clipping. For example, with F 1 =10 mm and D=10 mm (NA˜0.5), where D is the clear aperture of the lens  400 , L=1.74 mm and w s =2.16 μm. 
     The width of the strip, w, can preferably be substantially equal to the beam spot size, w s , at the surface of the disk. For w&gt;w s , the filter bandwidth may become greater, and for w&lt;w s , the filter bandwidth may become narrower but the efficiency (reflectivity) of the filter can be decreased by beam clipping. 
     A second exemplary embodiment of the optical wavelength filter is shown in  FIG. 1B . In this exemplary filter arrangement, strips of transmission windows may be placed on the spinning disk. Only wavelength components that pass through the transmission window are relayed to the reflection mirror  600  via a telescope arrangement  420  and  440  and then retro-reflected to the input port  100 . 
       FIG. 2  shows an exemplary embodiment of the wavelength-swept laser using a spinning reflector disk. Collimated light output  100  from a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)  700  is directly coupled into the spinning disk wavelength filter. A small portion of the light from the reflection facet side of the SOA  710  can be coupled into the single mode fiber  720  providing output of the laser  740 . 
     A frequency downshift in the optical spectrum of the intra-cavity laser light may arise as the light passes through the SOA gain medium, as a result of an intraband four-wave mixing phenomenon. In the presence of the frequency downshift, greater output power can be generated by operating the wavelength scanning filter in the positive wavelength sweep direction. Since the combined action of self-frequency shift and positive tuning allows higher output to be obtained and enables the laser to be operated at higher tuning speed, the positive wavelength scan may be the preferable operation. The output power can be decreased and the instantaneous linewidth can be broadened with an increasing tuning speed. A short cavity length may be desired to reduce the sensitivity of the output power and instantaneous linewidth to the tuning speed. 
     With a short length wavelength scanning filter based on the disk reflector and direct free-space coupling between the gain medium and the optical wavelength filter, the total cavity round trip length can be shorter than 20 cm, which is advantageous for reducing the sensitivity of the output power and instantaneous linewidth to the tuning speed. Transmission type spinning disk filter can also be used, but reflection type may be preferred due to the shorter cavity length. 
       FIG. 3  shows another exemplary embodiment of the wavelength-swept laser using spinning reflector disk. A fiber ring cavity  702  can be coupled to the disk scanning filter via collimating lens  750 . For the applications where the high speed tuning is not essential so that the relatively long cavity length can be allowed, fiber ring cavity with a conventional dual port SOA  712  can be an optional exemplary configuration. 
       FIG. 4  shows an exemplary embodiment of the disk-based fiber ring wavelength swept-laser with long cavity length. Increasing the cavity length so that the laser light becomes resonant after a round trip of the cavity is another way to reduce the sensitivity of the output power and instantaneous linewidth to the tuning speed. Additional length of fiber  760 , whose length depends on the tuning repetition rate, in the ring cavity  702  enables resonant tuning. Cavity length variation of the laser cavity with disk scanner may be smaller than that of the polygon scanner based laser, therefore better resonant may be obtainable. A further preferable cavity resonant may be obtained by using transmission type disk scanning filter, because the cavity mirror position is fixed and the cavity length for each wavelength is not changing as the disk spins. The spinning speed of the disk  500  can be maintained constant by using a feedback loop maybe with a monitoring beam  110  for measuring the rotational speed. Active phase tuning with an electro-optic phase modulator or a piezo modulator can be also utilized to remove the phase variation due to non-uniformities in disk thickness and flatness. The monitoring beam  110  can also be used to provide a cavity length change feedback to the phase modulator. 
       FIG. 5  shows an exemplary embodiment of the resonant cavity fiber Raman ring laser using the disk scanning filter. Since long length of optical fiber  760  is used for resonant wavelength tuning, Raman gain can be induced in the long length of fiber  760  with proper pump light  770  supplied through a WDM coupler  780 . Special type of fiber can be used as a long length fiber  760  in the cavity to enhance the Raman gain efficiency. Since the Raman gain wavelength band is determined by the wavelength band of the pump light, wavelength swept-laser with arbitrary wavelength tuning band may be obtained as far as the pump light with proper wavelength band is available. Also, depending on the pump light power and the Raman gain efficiency in the fiber, high power wavelength-swept laser may be implemented. Pump light for the Raman gain can be also provided in backward direction to the laser light and both forward and backward pumps can be used simultaneously to obtain higher gain. The pump light is not limited to the light with a single wavelength component. To obtain a broad bandwidth Raman gain, a multiple wavelength pump light can be preferably utilized. This exemplary configuration can be further expanded to achieve a laser tuning range beyond the filter free spectral range by using multiple Raman pump light staggered in wavelength, whose gain bandwidth is broader than the free spectral range of the filter, that are progressively cycled on and off. 
       FIG. 6A  shows an exemplary embodiment of the scanning disk reflector (or transmission window) pattern  520  configuration. For example, more than a hundred reflector strips  520  can be written on the spinning disk  500 . Spatially dispersed line of wavelength components  580  is incident on the disk preferably with 90 degree orientation to the reflector strip. The thickness and the spacing between the reflector strips can be determined based on the consideration explained above. The region where there is no reflector (or transmission window) may be anti-reflection coated. The bigger (larger diameter) disk may be preferred as far as it&#39;s spinning speed is not significantly slower than that of the smaller disk, because larger number of reflector strip elements can be written on the disk providing faster tuning repetition rate with the same spinning speed. If the disk is spun  560  at 1000 rotations/s, with more than a hundred reflector strips, faster than 100 kHz tuning repetition rate can be obtained. 
       FIG. 6B  shows another exemplary embodiment of the scanning disk reflector (or transmission window) pattern  520  configuration. In this exemplary embodiment the reflector strip is not a straight line but a curved line. The curvature of the reflector strip is carefully designed so that any arbitrary desired wavelength tuning slope can be obtained with the disk scanner spinning at constant speed. The angle f between the reflector strip element and the line of wavelength components  580  should be accurately aligned to the pre-designed value to have desired wavelength tuning slope. One exemplary tuning slope may be desired for OFDI (optical frequency domain imaging) is that the wavenumber of the filtered light is linearly swept over time as the disk spins at constant speed. 
       FIG. 6C  shows another exemplary embodiment of the scanning disk reflector (or transmission window) pattern  520  configuration. In this exemplary configuration, multiple rings of the reflector strips  522  may be written on the disk. Each reflector strip ring corresponds to specific wavelength filtering condition (e.g., tuning range, linewidth), and multiple rings can provide various options for different wavelength sweep requirements. 
     The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the invention. Various modifications and alterations to the described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings herein. Indeed, the arrangements, systems and methods according to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be used with any OCT system, OFDI system, spectral domain OCT (SD-OCT) system or other imaging systems, and for example with those described in International Patent Application PCT/US2004/029148, filed Sep. 8, 2004, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/266,779, filed Nov. 2, 2005, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/501,276, filed Jul. 9, 2004, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise numerous systems, arrangements and methods which, although not explicitly shown or described herein, embody the principles of the invention and are thus within the spirit and scope of the present invention. In addition, to the extent that the prior art knowledge has not been explicitly incorporated by reference herein above, it is explicitly being incorporated herein in its entirety. All publications referenced herein above are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.