Noise analysis for interference waveform in swept source optical coherence tomography

This paper describes a noise analysis of interference waveforms in swept source optical coherence tomography using a KTa
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deflector. Noise reduction based on such analysis is needed for obtaining high-resolution images. The quality of the tomographic images depends on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the point spread functions (PSFs). The relationship between the noise of the interference waveform and the PSFs' SNR was investigated using a simulation. Two kinds of noise were revealed: voltage noise and jitter. We found that the PSFs' SNR deterioration caused by jitter was greater than that caused by voltage noise. We found that the PSFs' SNR is substantially limited by the typical jitter of 0.5 ns.