Engineering of Ti:Sapphire Lasers for Dermatology and Aesthetic Medicine

Abstract

This review describes new engineering solutions for Ti:Sapphire lasers obtained at Laseroptek during the development of laser devices for dermatology and aesthetic medicine. The first device, PALLAS, produces 311 nm radiation by the third harmonic generation of a Ti:Sapphire laser, which possesses similar characteristics to excimer laser-based medical devices for skin treatments. In comparison to excimer lasers, Ti:Sapphire laser services are less expensive, which can save ~10% per year for customers compared to initial excimer laser costs. Here, the required characteristics were obtained due to the application of a new type of diffraction grating for spectral selection. The second device, HELIOS-4, based on the Ti:Sapphire laser, produces 300 mJ, 0.5 ns pulses at 785 nm for tattoo removal. The characteristics of HELIOS-4 exceed those of other tattoo removal laser devices represented in the medical market, despite a simple and inexpensive technical solution. The development of the last laser required the detailed study of a generation process and the investigation of the factors responsible for the synchronization of the generation in Ti:Sapphire lasers with short (several millimeters) cavities. The mechanism that can explain the synchronization in such lasers is suggested. Experiments for the confirmation of this concept are conducted and analyzed.

Keywords

• solid-state lasers
• Ti:Sapphire lasers
• tunable lasers
• subnanosecond lasers
• induced scattering in crystals