Common path optical coherence tomography with electronic feedback for improved sensitivity

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging has become a useful tool in medical diagnosis over the past 25 years, because of its ability to visualize intracellular structures at high resolution. The main objective of this work is to add electronic feedback to the optical coherence tomography setup to increase its sensitivity. Noise added to the measured interferogram obscures some details of examined tissue layered structure. Adjusting signal power level in such a way to improve signal-to-noise ratio can help to enhance image quality. Electronic feedback is added to enhance system sensitivity. A logarithmic amplifier is included in the OCT setup to automatically adapt signal level. Moreover, the resolution of the optical spectrum analyzer is controlled according to the farthest layer detected in the A-scan. These techniques are tested showing an improvement in obtained image of a human nail.