Control circuit for Optical Coherence Tomography machine

The Biomedical Optics Research Laboratory of the EPFL develops an Optical Coherence Tomography device for medical applications. With this technique, analyses can be made through the skin (e.g. blood flow measurement).

The device uses a laser beam that sweeps the surface to be analysed. The bi-directional movement of the beam is achieved by the rotation of the two mirrors on which it is reflected.

The EPFL commissioned the ISI to develop the control electronics of these two mirrors. It uses a card developed by the Institute for FPGA prototyping. The system is powered and controlled through a USB connection and generates the analog command to control the mirrors. The Institute has developed an extension card with two D/A-converters. Different movements of the beam can be programmed (horizontal, vertical, spiral, etc.). The electronics also provide the sync signals for image capturing.