Title :
High-power continuous-wave 3- and 2-μm cascade Ho3+:ZBLAN fiber laser and its medical applications
Author :
Sumiyoshi, Tetsumi ; Sekita, Hitoshi ; Arai, Tsunenori ; Sato, Shunichi ; Ishihara, Miya ; Kikuchi, Makoto
Author_Institution :
Opto-Electron. & High Frequency Device Res. Labs., NEC Corp., Kawasaki, Japan
Abstract :
A new medical fiber laser oscillating at two useful wavelengths (3 and 2 μm) is reported. We have demonstrated highly efficient and high-power continuous-wave cascade oscillation at room temperature with a holmium ion-doped fluoride glass fiber laser pumped with a 1.15-μm fiber Raman laser. The simultaneous oscillation wavelengths were 3 and 2 μm, and their combined output power was 3.0 W with a slope efficiency of 65%. To our best knowledge, this is the first achievement of watt-level-output power in the mid-infrared region with ZrF4-BaF2-LaF3-AlF3-NaF (ZBLAN) glass fiber. In experiments to evaluate potential for medical applications, we tested the two wavelength beam as a laser surgical knife on soft rabbit tissues and demonstrated that it had strong cutting capability, and that the coagulation layer thickness could be controlled by varying the power ratio of the two-wavelength laser
Keywords :
aluminium compounds; barium compounds; fibre lasers; fluoride glasses; holmium; lanthanum compounds; laser applications in medicine; laser transitions; sodium compounds; surgery; zirconium compounds; 1.15 mum; 2 mum; 3 mum; 3.0 W; 65 percent; Ho ion-doped fluoride glass fiber laser; ZBLAN:Ho; ZrF4-BaF2-LaF3-AlF3-NaF:Ho; ZrF4-BaF2-LaF3-AlF3 -NaF glass fiber; coagulation layer thickness; combined output power; fiber Raman laser; high-power continuous-wave cascade Ho3+:ZBLAN fiber laser; highly efficient high-power continuous-wave cascade oscillation; laser surgical knife; medical applications; medical fiber laser; mid-infrared region; power ratio; simultaneous oscillation wavelengths; slope efficiency; soft rabbit tissues; strong cutting capability; two-wavelength laser; useful wavelengths; watt-level-output power; Fiber lasers; Glass; Laser beam cutting; Laser excitation; Power generation; Power lasers; Pump lasers; Quantum cascade lasers; Stimulated emission; Temperature;
Journal_Title :
Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
DOI :
10.1109/2944.796314
