# Lithium Niobate on Insolator (LNOI) Photonic Circuit Lasers for High-Speed, Wide-field OCT

> **NIH NIH R21** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2020 · $265,290

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Despite advances in OCT technology over the past two decades, retinal OCT systems are still limited by their
speed. This has many consequences on how OCT is used. Perhaps most significantly, current speeds restrict
the imaged field to a fraction of the total retinal area. This prevents diseases of the peripheral retina from being
imaged in routine OCT scans. Two recent technologies in the field of OCT and photonics may offer a
technological path toward much higher-speed retinal OCT. The first is a circular-ranging OCT method that
employs optical-domain compression to avoid acquisition barriers to high-speed imaging. The second in Lithium-
Niobate-on-insulator (LNOI) photonic integrated filters, which can be leveraged to create high-performance and
low-cost CR-OCT laser sources. In this work, we propose studies to evaluate the feasibility of a CR-OCT/LNOI
platform that is 100-fold faster than commercially available retinal OCT systems. In Aim 1, we will fabricate a
wavelength-stepped optical filter based on LNOI circuits. In Aim 2, we will use this filter to build a high-
performance mode-locked CR-OCT laser source. If successful, this work will define a technical strategy toward
comprehensive retinal imaging by OCT.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10048393
- **Project number:** 1R21EY031895-01
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Marko Loncar
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $265,290
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10048393

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10048393, Lithium Niobate on Insolator (LNOI) Photonic Circuit Lasers for High-Speed, Wide-field OCT (1R21EY031895-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10048393. Licensed CC0.

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