Measurements of coupling efficiency of high power Er:YAG laser in different types of optical fibers

Lina Marcela Beltrán Bernal; Ferda Canbaz; Niklaus F. Friederich; Philippe C. Cattin; Azhar Zam

doi:10.1117/12.2546048

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20 February 2020 Measurements of coupling efficiency of high power Er:YAG laser in different types of optical fibers

Lina Marcela Beltrán Bernal, Ferda Canbaz, Niklaus F. Friederich, Philippe C. Cattin, Azhar Zam

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Proceedings Volume 11233, Optical Fibers and Sensors for Medical Diagnostics and Treatment Applications XX; 112331H (2020) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2546048
Event: SPIE BiOS, 2020, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of different optical fibers after coupling an Er:YAG laser through them. This allows us to evaluate the feasibility of using them in future for minimally invasive ablation of bone, where a fiber has to be guided inside an endoscopic device. We coupled a high-power Er:YAG laser (λ = 2.94 μm) in different fibers separately. We analyzed the features and benefits of each fiber during the coupling process. The laser was operated at repetition rates of 1, 5, and 10 Hz in the energy range of 10-830 mJ. We used hollow-core, fluoride, sapphire and germanium oxide fibers with core sizes of 500, 450, 425 and 450 μm, respectively. The coupling efficiencies were determined by comparing the measured input and output energies for all the fibers. The resistance of each fiber to the input energy was evaluated by monitoring the stability of the measured output energy over time. From our observations, the coupling efficiencies for all the fibers were in the range 70 to 81 %. Due to the high coupling efficiency, all fibers have the potential to be used in endoscopic applications. However, their use will mostly depend on the individual need of a specific application.

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Lina Marcela Beltrán Bernal, Ferda Canbaz, Niklaus F. Friederich, Philippe C. Cattin, and Azhar Zam "Measurements of coupling efficiency of high power Er:YAG laser in different types of optical fibers", Proc. SPIE 11233, Optical Fibers and Sensors for Medical Diagnostics and Treatment Applications XX, 112331H (20 February 2020); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2546048

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