Abstract

Laser sources producing output in the yellow spectral region are of interest for a variety of display, remote-sensing and medical applications, including the removal of vascular lesions, for which the main requirement for the laser is strong absorption by haemoglobin, with minimal absorption by the melanin pigment in tissue. Average powers of about 0.5 to 1W are required at 580nm+/-5nm, and a high repetition-rate source is beneficial in reducing thermal damage to the surrounding tissue. A solid-state laser source would offer an attractive alternative to the laser sources currently used for these procedures, which include pulsed dye, krypton ion and copper vapour lasers.

© 1998 IEEE