Real-time and high-performance calibration method for high-speed swept-source optical coherence tomography.

For high-speed swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT), the real-time calibration process to convert the OCT signal to wave number space is highly essential. A novel calibration process/algorithm using a genetic algorithm and precise interpolation is developed. This algorithm is embedded and validated in a SS-OCT system with 16-kHz A-scan rate. The performance of the new algorithm is evaluated by measuring point spread functions at two distinct locations in the entire imaging range. The data is compared to the same system but embedded with a regular calibration algorithm, which demonstrates about 20% improvement in the axial resolution. The steady improvement at different locations of the range suggests the strong robustness of the algorithm, which will ultimately optimize the operation performance of this SS-OCT system in terms of resolution and dynamic range and improves details in biological tissues.