PHOTONIC CRYSTAL FIBERS AND MEDICAL SYSTEMS INCLUDING PHOTONIC CRYSTAL FIBERS

• US 20090034927A1
• Filed: 10/02/2008
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omniguide Incoporated (OmniGuide Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Omniguide Incoporated (OmniGuide Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Weisberg, Ori, Fink, Yoel, Shurgalin, Max, Kolodny, Uri, Payne, Robert, Anastassiou, Charalambos, Jacobs, Steven A., Temelkuran, Burak, Wang, Tairan, Rusk, Jesse, Shapira, Gil, Dellemann, Gregor, Torres, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,991,258 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/125
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/201 with beam delivery through a hollow tube, e.g. forming an articulated arm through a flexible conduit A61B18/22; Hand-pieces therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/22 the beam being directed along or through a flexible conduit, e.g. an optical fibre; Couplings or hand-pieces therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/24 with a catheter A61B18/26, A61B18/28 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00017 with gas
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2288 the optical fibre cable having a curved distal end
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02304 Core having lower refractive index than cladding, e.g. air filled, hollow core
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02385 Comprising liquid, e.g. fluid filled holes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/032 with non solid core or cladding G02B6/02295 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/42 Coupling light guides with opto-electronic elements

Abstract

In general, in one aspect, the disclosure features a system that includes a flexible waveguide having a hollow core extending along a waveguide axis and a region surrounding the core, the region being configured to, guide radiation from the CO₂ laser along the waveguide axis from an input end to an output end of the waveguide. The system also includes a handpiece attached to the waveguide, wherein the handpiece allows an operator to control the orientation of the output end to direct the radiation to a target location of a patient and the handpiece includes a tip extending past the output end that provides a minimum standoff distance between the output end and the target location.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a flexible waveguide comprising a hollow core;

extending along a waveguide axis and a region surrounding the core, the region being configured to guide radiation from a CO₂ laser along the waveguide axis from an input end to an output end of the waveguide; and

a handpiece attached to the waveguide,

wherein the handpiece allows an operator to control the orientation of the output end to direct the radiation to a target location of a patient and the handpiece comprises a tip extending past the output end that provides a minimum standoff distance between the output end and the target location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the region is a dielectric confinement region.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the waveguide is a photonic crystal fiber.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the handpiece comprises a conduit and a portion of the waveguide is threaded through the conduit.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the conduit comprises a bent portion.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the conduit is formed from a deformable material.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the tip extending past the output end provides a minimum standoff distance of about 1 mm or more between the output end and the target location.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the waveguide is sufficiently flexible to guide the radiation to the target location while a portion of the photonic crystal fiber is bent through an angle of about 90 degrees or more and the portion has a radius of curvature of about 12 centimeters or less.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the radiation has an average power at the output end of about 1 Watt or more while the portion of the waveguide is bent through an angle of about 90 degrees or more and the portion has a radius of curvature of about 12 centimeters or less.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the radiation has an average power at the output end of about 5 Watts or more while the portion of the waveguide is bent through an angle of about 90 degrees or more and the portion has a radius of curvature of about 12 centimeters or less.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the waveguide is sufficiently flexible to guide the radiation to the target location while the portion of the waveguide is bent through an angle of about 90 degrees or more and the portion has a radius of curvature of about 10 centimeters or less.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the waveguide is sufficiently flexible to guide the radiation to the target location while the portion of the waveguide is bent through an angle of about 90 degrees or more and the portion has a radius of curvature of about 5 centimeters or less.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the region comprises a layer of a first dielectric material arranged in a spiral around the waveguide axis.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the region further comprises a layer of a second dielectric material arranged in a spiral around the waveguide axis, the second dielectric material having a different refractive index from the first dielectric material.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first dielectric material is a glass.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the glass is a chalcogenide glass.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the second dielectric material is a polymer.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the region comprises at least one layer of a chalcogenide glass.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the region comprises at least one layer of a polymeric material.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the region comprises at least one layer of a first dielectric material extending along the waveguide axis and at least one layer of a second dielectric material extending along the waveguide axis, wherein the first and second dielectric materials can be co-drawn with the first dielectric material.

21. The system of claim 1, further comprising a fluid source coupled to the input end or output end, wherein during operation the fluid source supplies a fluid through the hollow core.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the fluid is a gas.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the hollow core has a diameter of about 1,000 microns or less.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the radiation from the CO₂ laser has a wavelength of about 10.6 microns.

25. A method, comprising:

directing radiation from a CO₂ laser into an input end of a waveguide; and

using a handpiece attached to the waveguide to control the orientation of an output end of the waveguide and direct radiation emitted from the output end towards a target location of a patient,

wherein the waveguide is a flexible waveguide comprising a hollow core and the handpiece comprises a tip extending past the output end that provides a minimum standoff distance between the output end and the target location.