FPGA Based Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD OCT) System: Design and Implementation

Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) is an optical imaging technique used in the biomedical field to detect ophthalmic pathology. However, current SD-OCT systems are often expensive and bulky due to the integration of complex electronics in the instruments. To address this limitation, researchers are now focusing on designing portable and convenient SD-OCT systems. The aim of this study is to develop a portable SD-OCT system that utilizes an FPGA-based image processing algorithm to synthesize accurate OCT images. To achieve high portability and accessibility, a self-made FPGA acquisition module is used, and the image sensor’s 2048-pixel line scan rate achieves optimal signal-to-noise ratio at 40K lines per second. The study demonstrates the feasibility of constructing a single B-mode OCT image with over 1000 A-scans by accessing raw data through a pattern generator.