Chapter 3
Optical Fibers for Biophotonics
Applications
Abstract Major challenges in biophotonics applications to the life sciences include
how to collect emitted low-power light (down to the nW range) from a tissue
specimen and transmit it to a photon detector, how to deliver a wide range of optical
power levels to a tissue area or section during different categories of therapeutic
healthcare sessions, and how to access a diagnostic or treatment area within a living
being with an optical detection probe or a radiant energy source in the least invasive
manner. The unique physical and light-transmission properties of opticalfibers
enable them to help resolve such implementation issues. This chapter provides the
background that is necessary to understand how opticalfibers function and describes
various categories offibers that are commercially available for use in biophotonics.
The optical power levels that have to be detected or transmitted in a biophotonics
process can vary by ten orders of magnitude depending on the particular applica-
tion. The detected light levels of interest can be in the nanowatt range for spec-
troscopic applications, whereas optical power being delivered to a biological
specimen can be as high as several watts during light therapy sessions or during
laser surgery.
Major challenges in biophotonics applications to the life sciences include how to
collect emitted low-power light (down to the nW range) from a tissue specimen and
transmit it to a photon detector, how to deliver a wide range of optical power levels
to a tissue area or section during different categories of therapeutic healthcare
sessions, and how to access a diagnostic or treatment area within a living being with
an optical detection probe or a radiant energy source in the least invasive manner.
Depending on the application, all three of these factors may need to be addressed at
the same time.
The unique physical and light-transmission properties of opticalfibers enable
them to help resolve such implementation issues [ 1 - 6 ]. Consequently, various types
of opticalfibers arefinding widespread use in biophotonics instrumentation for life
sciences related clinical and research applications. Each opticalfiber structure has
certain advantages and limitations for specific uses in different spectral bands that
©Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016
G. Keiser,Biophotonics, Graduate Texts in Physics,
DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-0945-7_3
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