Design and characterization of SiON integrated optics components for optical coherence tomography

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a technique for high resolution imaging of biological tissues with a depth range of a few millimeters. OCT is based on interferometry to enable depth ranging. Currently, optical components for OCT are rather bulky and expensive; the use of integrated optical circuits presents a great opportunity to reduce costs and enhance system functionality and performance. We present the design and characterization of SiON-based integrated optics waveguides, splitters, couplers and interferometers for OCT operating at a wavelength of 1.3 mum.