Developing a compact multiple laser diode combiner with a single fiber stub output for handheld IoT devices

摘要

Many biomedical applications require an efficient combination and localization of multiple discrete light sources (e.g., fluorescence and absorbance imaging). We present a compact 6 channel combiner that couples the output of independent solid-state light sources into a single 400-mu m-diameter fiber stub for handheld Internet of Things (IoT) devices. We demonstrate average coupling efficiencies 80% for each of the 6 laser diodes installed into the prototype. The design supports the use of continuous wave and intensity-modulated laser diodes. This fiber-stub-type beam combiner could be used to construct custom multi-wavelength sources for tissue oximeters, microscopes and molecular imaging technologies. In order to validate its suitability, we applied the developed fiber-stub-type beam combiner to a multi-wavelength light source for a handheld IoT device and demonstrated its feasibility for smart healthcare through a tumor-mimicking silicon phantom.