High-Coherence Wavelength Swept Light Source

[Summary] Optical technologies that have so far been restricted to the field of optical communications are now starting to be applied in new fields, especially medicine. Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry (OFDR) offering fast and accurate target position measurements is one focus of attention. The Wavelength Swept Light Source (WSLS) is said to be one of the key devices of OFDR, whose sweep speed is being increased to support more accurate position tracking of dynamic targets. However, there have been little improvements in coherence length, which has a large impact on OFDR measurement distance and accuracy. Consequently, Anritsu has released high coherence (long coherence length) WSLS. This article evaluates measurable distance ranges used by OFDR with a focus on the coherence length of Anritsu WSLS. We examined the impact of wavelength sweep speed on coherence length. The results show this light source is suitable for OFDR measurements of distances on the order of 10 m to 100 m, demonstrating both high speed and high accuracy measurements over short to long distances. Additionally, since coherence length and wavelength sweep speed change in inverse proportion to each other, it is necessary to select wavelength sweep speed that is optimal for the measurement target.