MODE-LOCKED LASER LIGHT SOURCE DEVICE AND OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY APPARATUS USING SAME

摘要

Provided is a mode-locked laser light source device capable of implementing laser light with a narrow oscillation spectral distribution. This mode-locked laser light source device comprises: a semiconductor optical amplifier (1) wherein carriers are generated by the injection of an injection current (I) thereinto, a pulse of laser light (P) is amplified by the consumption of the carriers, and phase modulation equivalent to self-phase modulation depending on the pulse intensity of the laser light (P) occurs due to a change in the density of carriers; a sweep modulation unit (3) which makes the oscillation wavelength of the pulse of the laser light (P) emitted from the semiconductor optical amplifier (1) variable; a ring resonator (6) which returns the pulse of the laser light (P) modulated by the sweep modulation unit (3) to the semiconductor optical amplifier (1) to cause a laser oscillation phenomenon; and a dispersion compensator (5) which is used in an abnormal dispersion region and changes the return time of the pulse of the laser light (P) depending on the wavelength of the pulse of the laser light (P) that is being guided in the ring resonator (6).