Multi-window approach enables two-fold improvement in OCT axial resolution with strong side-lobe suppression and improved phase sensitivity

Clayton B Walker; Anna Wisniowiecki; Jack C Tang; Patricia M Quiñones; Wihan Kim; John S Oghalai; Brian E Applegate

doi:10.1364/BOE.501649

Multi-window approach enables two-fold improvement in OCT axial resolution with strong side-lobe suppression and improved phase sensitivity

Biomed Opt Express. 2023 Nov 17;14(12):6301-6316. doi: 10.1364/BOE.501649. eCollection 2023 Dec 1.

Authors

Clayton B Walker^{1

2}, Anna Wisniowiecki^{1

2}, Jack C Tang¹, Patricia M Quiñones¹, Wihan Kim¹, John S Oghalai¹, Brian E Applegate^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Caruso Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
² Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
³ Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.

Abstract

A common processing approach for optical coherence tomography (OCT) uses a window function (e.g., Hann or rectangular window) for spectral shaping prior to calculating the Fourier transform. Here we build on a multi-window approach [Opt. Express8, 5267 (2017)10.1364/BOE.8.005267] that enables improved resolution while still suppressing side-lobe intensity. The shape of the window function defines the trade-off between main-lobe width (resolution) and side-lobe intensity. We have extended the approach to include the interferometric phase for phase-sensitive applications like vibrometry and Doppler OCT. Using the Hann window as a reference, we show that 11 Taylor windows are sufficient to achieve 50% improvement in axial resolution, -31 dB side-lobe intensity, and 20% improvement in phase sensitivity with low computational cost.