Fiber laser-microscope system for femtosecond photodisruption of biological samples
Date
2012-02-22Source Title
Biomedical Optics Express
Electronic ISSN
2156-7085
Publisher
Optical Society of America
Volume
3
Issue
3
Pages
605 - 611
Language
English
Type
ArticleItem Usage Stats
166
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Abstract
We report on the development of a ultrafast fiber lasermicroscope system for femtosecond photodisruption of biological targets. A mode-locked Yb-fiber laser oscillator generates few-nJ pulses at 32.7 MHz repetition rate, amplified up to ~125 nJ at 1030 nm. Following dechirping in a grating compressor, ~240 fs-long pulses are delivered to the sample through a diffraction-limited microscope, which allows real-time imaging and control. The laser can generate arbitrary pulse patterns, formed by two acousto-optic modulators (AOM) controlled by a custom-developed fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA) controller. This capability opens the route to fine optimization of the ablation processes and management of thermal effects. Sample position, exposure time and imaging are all computerized. The capability of the system to perform femtosecond photodisruption is demonstrated through experiments on tissue and individual cells.
Keywords
Fiber lasersField programmable gate arrays (FPGA)
Mode-locked fiber lasers
Tissue
Ytterbium
Ablation process
Acousto-optic modulator
Arbitrary pulse
Biological samples
Biological targets
Dechirping
Diffraction limited
Exposure-time
Femtoseconds
Grating compressors
Individual cells
Mode-locked
Photodisruption
Realtime imaging
Repetition rate
Sample position
Ultra-fast
Yb fiber lasers
Pulse generators