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More Lasers for Medical
Diode lasers and diode-pumped solid-state lasers have proven to be invaluable in moving the medical and healthcare market forward, offering low cost sources, low cost of operation, compact sizes/ portability and a wide range of output powers. New applications requiring specific wavelengths are being discovered as the spectrum of available wavelengths continues to grow.
Low power diode lasers and DPSS lasers can be used in particle sizing, molecular sizing, retinal scanning, confocal microscopy, phototherapy, molecular spectroscopy (such as Raman spectroscopy), DNA sequencing, and medical diagnostics.
High power diode packages (single emitters with powers up to 20 W; diode bars with powers upto 150 W; diode stacks with powers up to kWatts) could be used to pump other types of solid-state laser (fibre lasers and DPSS lasers) for the biomedical market (flow cytometry, confocal microscopy and DNA sequencing). High power diodes also have direct applications in phototherapy, deep muscle therapy, dermatology procedures and hair removal.
Pacer offers a range of diode lasers and DPSS lasers, from Alfalight, B&Wtek, Monocrom, Perkin Elmer and Vertilas, with a range of parameters to choose from to suit the application, such as: continuous wave or pulsed operation; different types of packing from very small TO style diode cans to modules with drive electronics; fibre coupled; temperature, power and wavelength stabilised; and in some cases, waterproof packaging.
Some gas laser technology is still holding a strong position in the medical market, Pacer supplies a range of carbon dioxide lasers in the low power region, 400 mW to 20W. These types of laser have been used for laser surgery for many years. The laser beam can be used as thermal scalpel for free-hand surgical procedures, especially useful for key-hole surgery. It has also been employed in plastic surgery for dermabrasion and, more recently, the Fraxel™ procedure where the laser drills microscopic holes through the epidermis into the dermis.
Areas of future interest lie in fibre laser technology. The application of erbium doped fibre lasers has been successful in tattoo removal, hair removal and vein removal. Fibre lasers are solid-state devices, with low operating costs, long lifetimes and are very robust. With some of the components tested to stringent standards, the long operational lifetime of the fibre laser is a very attractive proposition to many manufacturers of medical systems. Pulse shaping and controllability means the delivered photon energy can be optimised to do a specific job and minimise the amount of damage to the surrounding area. |
