Observation of IPL spectra using detector system incorporating broadband optical filters

摘要

Systems using intense pulsed light are being increasingly used in therapy applications where issues related to safety of devices and also of performance are becoming more urgent to address. Mechanisms to address this include a suitable standards framework and also the development and application of appropriate measurement techniques. An approach of using conventional bandpass optical filters and silicon photodetectors has been implemented using an analogue USB data capture interfaces linked to a laptop PC. An initial system with 8 concurrent channels has been upgraded to a separate system sampling up to 16 analogue channels. Sampling takes place at the maximum hardware conversion rate of the USB device. Observations have been made of a range of intense pulsed light systems, including a Lumenis One unit with a range of discrete filters. The system has been of value in determining the basic parameters of output pulse profile and spectral composition. This has in turn been related to aspects of standards development for both device manufacture and allocation of appropriate safety eyewear. Initial assessments of a subset of intense pulsed light systems indicate significant complexities in terms, for example, of variation in spectral content as a function of device output setting.