Past studies of the effects of bit depth on OCT magnitude data concluded that 8 bits of digitizer resolution provided nearly the same image quality as a 14-bit digitizer. However, such studies did not assess the effects of bit depth on the accuracy of phase data. In this work, we show that the effects of bit depth on phase data and magnitude data can differ significantly. This finding has an important impact on the design of phase-resolved OCT systems, such as those measuring motion and the birefringence of samples, particularly as one begins to consider the tradeoff between bit depth and digitizer speed.

© 2012 OSA

1. V. J. Srinivasan, D. C. Adler, Y. L. Chen, I. Gorczynska, R. Huber, J. S. Duker, J. S. Schuman, and J. G. Fujimoto, “Ultrahigh-speed optical coherence tomography for three-dimensional and en face imaging of the retina and optic nerve head,” Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci.49(11), 5103–5110 (2008). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
2. W. Wieser, B. Biedermann, T. Klein, C. Eigenwillig, and R. Huber, “Multi-megahertz OCT: high quality 3D imaging at 20 million A-scans and 4.5 GVoxels per second,” Opt. Express18(14), 14685–14704 (2010). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
3. D. C. Adler, R. Huber, and J. G. Fujimoto, “Phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography at up to 370,000 lines per second using buffered Fourier domain mode-locked lasers,” Opt. Lett.32(6), 626–628 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
4. C. Joo, T. Akkin, B. Cense, B. H. Park, and J. F. de Boer, “Spectral-domain optical coherence phase microscopy for quantitative phase-contrast imaging,” Opt. Lett.30(16), 2131–2133 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
5. G. Liu, M. Rubinstein, A. Saidi, W. Qi, A. Foulad, B. Wong, and Z. Chen, “Imaging vibrating vocal folds with a high speed 1050 nm swept source OCT and ODT,” Opt. Express19(12), 11880–11889 (2011). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
6. J. Zhang, W. Jung, J. S. Nelson, and Z. Chen, “Full range polarization-sensitive Fourier domain optical coherence tomography,” Opt. Express12(24), 6033–6039 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
7. E. Gotzinger, M. Pircher, and C. K. Hitzenberger, “High speed spectral domain polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography of the human retina,” Opt. Express13(25), 10217–10229 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
8. B. D. Goldberg, B. J. Vakoc, W-Y Oh, M. J. Suter, S. Waxman, M. I. Freilich, B. E. Bouma, and G. J. Tearney, “Performance of reduced bit-depth acquisition for optical frequency domain imaging,” Opt. Express17(19), 16957–16968 (2009). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
9. Z. Lu, D. K. Kasaragod, and S. J. Matcher, “Performance comparison between 8- and 14-bit- depth imaging in polarization-sensitive swept-source optical coherence tomography,” Biomed. Opt. Express4(2), 794–804 (2011). [CrossRef]
10. R. Huber, D. C. Adler, and J. G. Fujimoto, “Buffered Fourier domain mode locking: unidirectional swept laser sources for optical coherence tomography imaging at 370,000 lines/s,” Opt. Lett.31(20), 2975–2977 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
11. A. B. Vakhtin, D. J. Kane, W. R. Wood, and K. A. Peterson, “Common-path interferometer for frequency-domain optical coherence tomography,” App. Opt.42(34), 6953–6958 (2003). [CrossRef]
12. M. A. Choma, A. K. Ellerbee, C. Yang, T. Creazzo, and J. A. Izatt, “Spectral-domain phase microscopy,” Opt. Lett.30(10), 1162–1164 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
13. M. V. Sarunic, S. Weinberg, and J. A. Izatt, “Full-field swept-source phase microscopy,” Opt. Lett.31(10), 1462–1464 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
14. A. K. Ellerbee, T. L. Creazzo, and J. A. Izatt, “Investigating nanoscale cellular dynamics with cross-sectional spectral domain phase microscopy,” Opt. Express15(13), 8115–8124 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
15. A. K. Ellerbee and J. A. Izatt, “Phase retrieval in low-coherence interferometric microscopy,” Opt. Lett.32(4), 388–390 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
16. S. H. Yun, G. J. Tearney, J. F. de Boer, N. Iftimia, and B. E. Bouma, “High-speed optical frequency-domain imaging,” Opt. Express11(22), 2953–2963 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
17. R. Leitgeb, C. K. Hitzenberger, and A. F. Fercher, “Performance of fourier domain vs. time domain optical coherence tomography,” Opt. Express11(8), 889–894 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
18. A. Oppenheim and R. Schafer, Discrete-time Signal Processing, 3rd ed. (Prentice Hall, 2009).
19. W. Kester, The Data Conversion Handbook (Elsevier, 2005).
20. D. Hillmann, G. Huttmann, and P. Koch, “Using nonequispaced fast Fourier transformation to process optical coherence tomography signals,” Proc. SPIE7372. 73720R (2009). [CrossRef]
21. S. Vergnole, D. Lvesque, and G. Lamouche, “Experimental validation of an optimized signal processing method to handle non-linearity in swept-source optical coherence tomography,” Opt. Express18(10), 10446–10461 (2010). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
22. C. Copeland and A. K. Ellerbee, “The effects of different gold standards on the assessment of the accuracy of different resampling techniques for optical coherence tomography,” Proc. SPIE. 8225–8237 (2012).
23. D. Huang, E. A. Swanson, C. P. Lin, J. S. Schuman, W. G. Stinson, W. Chang, M. R. Hee, T. Flotte, K. Gregory, C. A. Puliafito, and J. G. Fujimoto, “Optical Coherence Tomography,” Science254(5035), 1178–1181 (1991). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

App. Opt.

• A. B. Vakhtin, D. J. Kane, W. R. Wood, and K. A. Peterson, “Common-path interferometer for frequency-domain optical coherence tomography,” App. Opt.42(34), 6953–6958 (2003). [CrossRef]

Biomed. Opt. Express

• Z. Lu, D. K. Kasaragod, and S. J. Matcher, “Performance comparison between 8- and 14-bit- depth imaging in polarization-sensitive swept-source optical coherence tomography,” Biomed. Opt. Express4(2), 794–804 (2011). [CrossRef]

Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci.

• V. J. Srinivasan, D. C. Adler, Y. L. Chen, I. Gorczynska, R. Huber, J. S. Duker, J. S. Schuman, and J. G. Fujimoto, “Ultrahigh-speed optical coherence tomography for three-dimensional and en face imaging of the retina and optic nerve head,” Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci.49(11), 5103–5110 (2008). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Opt. Express

• W. Wieser, B. Biedermann, T. Klein, C. Eigenwillig, and R. Huber, “Multi-megahertz OCT: high quality 3D imaging at 20 million A-scans and 4.5 GVoxels per second,” Opt. Express18(14), 14685–14704 (2010). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• G. Liu, M. Rubinstein, A. Saidi, W. Qi, A. Foulad, B. Wong, and Z. Chen, “Imaging vibrating vocal folds with a high speed 1050 nm swept source OCT and ODT,” Opt. Express19(12), 11880–11889 (2011). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• J. Zhang, W. Jung, J. S. Nelson, and Z. Chen, “Full range polarization-sensitive Fourier domain optical coherence tomography,” Opt. Express12(24), 6033–6039 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• E. Gotzinger, M. Pircher, and C. K. Hitzenberger, “High speed spectral domain polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography of the human retina,” Opt. Express13(25), 10217–10229 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• B. D. Goldberg, B. J. Vakoc, W-Y Oh, M. J. Suter, S. Waxman, M. I. Freilich, B. E. Bouma, and G. J. Tearney, “Performance of reduced bit-depth acquisition for optical frequency domain imaging,” Opt. Express17(19), 16957–16968 (2009). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• S. H. Yun, G. J. Tearney, J. F. de Boer, N. Iftimia, and B. E. Bouma, “High-speed optical frequency-domain imaging,” Opt. Express11(22), 2953–2963 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• R. Leitgeb, C. K. Hitzenberger, and A. F. Fercher, “Performance of fourier domain vs. time domain optical coherence tomography,” Opt. Express11(8), 889–894 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• A. K. Ellerbee, T. L. Creazzo, and J. A. Izatt, “Investigating nanoscale cellular dynamics with cross-sectional spectral domain phase microscopy,” Opt. Express15(13), 8115–8124 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• S. Vergnole, D. Lvesque, and G. Lamouche, “Experimental validation of an optimized signal processing method to handle non-linearity in swept-source optical coherence tomography,” Opt. Express18(10), 10446–10461 (2010). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Opt. Lett.

• A. K. Ellerbee and J. A. Izatt, “Phase retrieval in low-coherence interferometric microscopy,” Opt. Lett.32(4), 388–390 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• R. Huber, D. C. Adler, and J. G. Fujimoto, “Buffered Fourier domain mode locking: unidirectional swept laser sources for optical coherence tomography imaging at 370,000 lines/s,” Opt. Lett.31(20), 2975–2977 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• M. A. Choma, A. K. Ellerbee, C. Yang, T. Creazzo, and J. A. Izatt, “Spectral-domain phase microscopy,” Opt. Lett.30(10), 1162–1164 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• M. V. Sarunic, S. Weinberg, and J. A. Izatt, “Full-field swept-source phase microscopy,” Opt. Lett.31(10), 1462–1464 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• D. C. Adler, R. Huber, and J. G. Fujimoto, “Phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography at up to 370,000 lines per second using buffered Fourier domain mode-locked lasers,” Opt. Lett.32(6), 626–628 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• C. Joo, T. Akkin, B. Cense, B. H. Park, and J. F. de Boer, “Spectral-domain optical coherence phase microscopy for quantitative phase-contrast imaging,” Opt. Lett.30(16), 2131–2133 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Proc. SPIE

• C. Copeland and A. K. Ellerbee, “The effects of different gold standards on the assessment of the accuracy of different resampling techniques for optical coherence tomography,” Proc. SPIE. 8225–8237 (2012).
• D. Hillmann, G. Huttmann, and P. Koch, “Using nonequispaced fast Fourier transformation to process optical coherence tomography signals,” Proc. SPIE7372. 73720R (2009). [CrossRef]

Science

• D. Huang, E. A. Swanson, C. P. Lin, J. S. Schuman, W. G. Stinson, W. Chang, M. R. Hee, T. Flotte, K. Gregory, C. A. Puliafito, and J. G. Fujimoto, “Optical Coherence Tomography,” Science254(5035), 1178–1181 (1991). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Other

• A. Oppenheim and R. Schafer, Discrete-time Signal Processing, 3rd ed. (Prentice Hall, 2009).
• W. Kester, The Data Conversion Handbook (Elsevier, 2005).

Click here to see a list of articles that cite this paper

Related Journal Articles

• Interferometric data analysis based on Markov nonlinear filtering methodology (JOSAA)
• Improved signal-to-noise ratio in spectral-domain compared with time-domain optical coherence tomography (OL)
• In vivo human retinal imaging by ultrahigh-speed spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OL)
• Signal-to-noise ratio study of full-field Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (AO)
• Signal-to-noise ratio analysis of all-fiber common-path optical coherence tomography (AO)

Related Conference Papers

• Fizeau Optical Coherence Tomography: Sensitivity Optimization and System Analysis
• Optical coherence tomography based on an all-fiber autocorrelator using probe-end reflection as reference
• Optical low-coherence tomography using an injection-seeded optical amplifier and a high-speed A-scan rotating plate technique
• Optical elastography for determining strain in coronary vessels
• Effects of Reduced Bit-Depth on Phase Data in Common-Path Optical Coherence Tomography