CMOS optoelectronic spectrometer based on photonic integrated circuit for in vivo 3D optical coherence tomography

1.
Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20/4 L, Vienna, 1090, Austria
2.
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Gieffinggasse 4, Vienna, 1210, Austria
3.
Research Centre for Microtechnology, Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences, Hochschulstrasse 1, Dornbirn, 6850, Vorarlberg, Austria
4.
ams OSRAM, Tobelbader Strasse 30, Premstaetten, 8141, Styria, Austria
5.
Institute of Molecular Biology/CMBI, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstrasse 25, Innsbruck, 6020, Tyrol, Austria
6.
Institute of Electrodynamics, Microwave and Circuit Engineering, TU Wien, Gußhausstraße 25/354, Vienna, 1040, Vienna, Austria

Funds: We thank Martin Distel (Children’s Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria) for providing zebrafish larvae and his support and advice in handling them. We thank Marco Andreana for his support in the sample preparation of the zebrafish larvae. We also thank Laurin Ginner and Andreas Lange for advice and assistance with the frame grabber.

摘要

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Abstract: Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) represent a promising technology for the much-needed medical devices of today. Their primary advantage lies in their ability to integrate multiple functions onto a single chip, thereby reducing the complexity, size, maintenance requirements, and costs. When applied to optical coherence tomography (OCT), the leading tool for state-of-the-art ophthalmic diagnosis, PICs have the potential to increase accessibility, especially in scenarios, where size, weight, or costs are limiting factors. In this paper, we present a PIC-based CMOS-compatible spectrometer for spectral domain OCT with an unprecedented level of integration. To achieve this, we co-integrated a 512-channel arrayed waveguide grating with electronics. We successfully addressed the challenge of establishing a connection from the optical waveguides to the photodiodes monolithically co-integrated on the chip with minimal losses achieving a coupling efficiency of 70%. With this fully integrated PIC-based spectrometer interfaced to a spectral domain OCT system, we reached a sensitivity of 92dB at an imaging speed of 55kHz, with a 6dB signal roll-off occurring at 2mm. We successfully applied this innovative technology to obtain 3D in vivo tomograms of zebrafish larvae and human skin. This ground-breaking fully integrated spectrometer represents a significant step towards a miniaturised, cost-effective, and maintenance-free OCT system.

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