| 摘要 |
A solid state laser source for surgical applications which produces short-pulse, mid-infrared radiation. Specifically, the laser preferably emits radiation near the absorption peak of water, with energy levels up to 20 mJ, pulse durations shorter than 50 ns and preferably shorter than 30 ns, with beam quality of less than 8 times the diffraction limit. The short pulses reduce unwanted thermal effects and changes in adjacent tissue to potentially sub-micron levels. The laser source produces pulse repetition rates in excess of 10 Hz when pumped by a flashlamp, but in a diode pumped embodiment, the repetition rate may exceed 30 Hz. Of particular interest is an erbium-doped YAG laser which is especially well suited to the needs of mid-infrared corneal ablation procedures for correcting refractive errors, when constructed according to principles disclosed by the invention. |
