SuperLight Photonics, renowned for groundbreaking advancements in wideband laser technology, reveals a breakthrough in wide-spectrum/low-noise OCT solutions for industrial quality inspection.
OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) is a non-invasive, non-destructive method for sub-surface analysis.
In the medical field, it is used to examine eyes, skin, and arteries. Increasingly, OCT is also gaining traction in the industrial sector for in-line and at-line inspection of multi-layered materials such as composites, polymers, ceramics, and opto-semiconductors.
A significant number of OCT systems rely on ASE (Amplified Spontaneous Emission) light sources, such as SLED, which offers great efficiencies coupling into fiber compared to halogen or LED, but also present notable challenges. ASE light sources have limited spectral range, which negatively impacts the axial resolution of OCT systems. To overcome this limitation, multiple ASEs are combined in a single package, however, this increases cost and complexity.
Traditional wideband or supercontinuum lasers offer a wider spectrum, resulting in a high axial resolution in the OCT system, but typically come in a large form factor and require Class IV laser safety precautions which are not practical outside a lab and in a manufacturing environment. Both ASE and traditional supercontinuum lasers suffer from spectral noise which results in low contrast OCT scans.
The SLP-1050 delivers an exceptional 3 orders of magnitude lower noise versus other high-end supercontinuum sources. It is classified as a Class IIIb laser, significantly reducing the need for extensive laser safety precautions. Its compact form factor makes it highly versatile for deployment across a wide range of industries and applications, including quality inspection of ceramics, layered composites, polymers, biological tissues, and even artwork restoration and forensics.
"Our patented PAD – Patterned Alternating Dispersion TM technology was developed to overcome the limitations of traditional supercontinuum lasers. OCT imaging requires low-noise light sources, and the SLP-1050 delivers exceptional performance with noise levels three orders of magnitude lower,” said Haider Zia, CTO of SuperLight Photonics. “With an impressive axial resolution of 2.75 µm and a broad spectral range in the Extended SWIR (wavelength range from 1700–2500 nm), we offer unmatched performance with minimal power consumption. Our customers are particularly drawn to the SLP-1050 as a replacement for both SLED and traditional supercontinuum light sources in OCT systems.”
To demonstrate the meaning of wide-band and low-noise performance, we benchmarked the SLP-1050 against an ASE light source by conducting an A-scan of a roll of tape. The results show a significant improvement in resolution and contrast, revealing additional layers and facilitating data processing.
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