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.