학술논문

A Compact Two-Wavelength Time-Domain NIRS System Based on SiPM and Pulsed Diode Lasers
Document Type
Periodical
Source
IEEE Photonics Journal IEEE Photonics J. Photonics Journal, IEEE. 9(1):1-14 Feb, 2017
Subject
Engineered Materials, Dielectrics and Plasmas
Photonics and Electrooptics
Diode lasers
Instruments
Semiconductor lasers
Time-domain analysis
Measurement by laser beam
Optics
Photonics
Time-domain
diffuse optics
near-infrared spectroscopy
single-photon
silicon photomultiplier
pulsed diode laser
time-to-digital converter
Language
ISSN
1943-0655
1943-0647
Abstract
This paper presents a complete, compact, and low power consumption instrument designed for time-domain near-infrared spectroscopy. It employs two custom-designed pulsed diode lasers (operating at 830 and 670 nm, with average optical power higher than 2 mW at 40 MHz repetition frequency), a single-photon detection module (based on a 1 mm 2 active area silicon photomultiplier), and a custom time-to-digital converter with 10 ps time resolution. The system experimental characterization shows an instrument response function narrower than 300 ps (full-width at half maximum), with measurement stability better than ±1% over several hours of operation. The instrument, which is housed into a compact aluminum case (size 200 × 160 × 50 mm 3 ), is specifically tailored for portability and ease of operation, hence fostering the diffusion of time-domain diffuse optics techniques. Thanks to a total power consumption lower than 10 W, this system is suitable for battery operation, thus enabling on-field measurements.