Patent ID: 7130054

Claim:
An interferometer comprising: a low coherence light source; a first optical fiber coupling the light source to the first beam splitter, wherein the first beam splitter splits light received from the light source into a sample beam and a reference beam; an optical circulator having a first port, a second port, and a third port, wherein light input to the first port exits the optical circulator from the second port and light entering the second port exits the optical circulator from the third port; a second optical fiber optically coupling the first beam splitter to the first port of the optical circulator; a third optical fiber to convey the sample light beam to a sample and to convey a second sample light beam received from the sample to the first beam splitter; a second beam splitter; a fourth optical fiber optically coupling the third port of the optical connector to the second beam splitter, wherein the third optical fiber conveys the second sample light beam, at least in part, from the third port to the second beam splitter; a diffraction grating; a fifth optical fiber optically coupling the first beam splitter to the diffraction grating to convey the reference light beam, at least in part, to the diffraction grating; the second beam splitter being positioned to receive the diffracted reference light beam from the diffraction grating, wherein the reference light beam and the second sample light beam combine in the beam splitter to form first and second combined light beams; and first and second detectors positioned to receive the first and second combined light beams, wherein each detector has an output.