Coherent fiber optical microscopy

Background Information: Fiber-based optical systems offer substantial advantages over free-space counterparts for certain applications. For example, they are compact, do not require alignment, avoid expensive optics and optomechanical mounts, can traverse unusual geometries, and have a protected beam path unless intentionally exposed for sensing purposes. However, a distinct disadvantage is encountered for coherent applications - random phase drift. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) have developed a method to lock and/or (strongly) modulate the phase of light in a fiber using a single, inexpensive yet high-performance component. The system, applicable to any coherent fiber machination, has recently been employed for amplitude, phase, polarization, and time sensitive optical field determination in 3D with nanoscale resolution. The technology is described further in the following proceeding: "Phase-locked fiber interferometer with high frequency, low voltage fiber-stretcher and application to optical field reconstruction," Proc. SPIE 11276, Optical Components and Materials XVII, 1127609 (3 March 2020); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2543789 Technology Highlights: Rapid phase modulation and locking with a single component, compatible with scanned and stepped variable techniques Low voltage, low power VCO design eliminates need for high voltage acousto-optic devices or translation stages Low insertion loss, all fiberoptic system Potential Applications: Optical coherence tomography Coherent scanning near-field optical microscopy Fiberoptic sensing Interferometry Opportunity Description: SNL is seeking partners to further develop and commercialize coherent fiber optical system. Licensing (with the possibility of deferred fees) and technical support (paid by Licensee) are available. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc. for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525. Keywords: Optical coherence tomography, coherent scanning microscope, fiber optics, interferometry