Non-invasive in-situ detection of malignant skin tissue and other bnormalities using portable LIBS system with fiber spectrometer and eye-safe erbium glass laser

摘要

Portable LIBS, (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) systems are capable of real-time material analysis without sample preparation. LIBS systems focus a high peak power laser pulse onto a targeted material to produce a laser spark or plasma. Elemental line spectra is created, collected and analyzed by a fiber spectrophotometer. The line spectra emission data is quickly displayed on a laptop computer display. "Eye-safe" Class I lasers provide for practical in-situ LIBS applications such as detection of malignant skin tissues without the need for eye-protection goggles. This is due to the fact that Megawatt peak power Q-switched lasers operating at 1.54um in the narrow spectral window between 1.5um and 1.6um are approximately 8000 times more "eye-safe" than other laser devices operating in the visible and near infrared.