The Phase I research effort will identify candidate glass compositions suitable for drawing usable fibers for delivery of 3 micron laser radiation for medical procedures. The goal of a biocompatible, low loss, high laser damage threshold, sterilizable, flexible, thermally stable fiber, with good visible transmission for the aim beam seems most realizable in non-traditional oxide glasses. The aim is to develop the technical base necessary for Phase 11 production of prototype fibers in sufficient quantities to allow evaluation in the field. A further aim is to provide fibers at a cost of $10-20/m; thus, the system is allowing disposable delivery systems to be used. Specifically the Phase I research effort will focus on finding the region of glass formation in a selection of aluminate, titanate and tantalate systems. Thermal, mechanical, chemical and optical properties will be measured and some compositions selected on this basis for large size melt production for bulk and fiber damage and attenuation measurements.Awardee's statement of the potential commercial applications of the research: There are hundreds of thousands of surgical procedures which would benefit from a biologically compatible fiber optic capable of delivering high power 3 micron radiation. It has been estimated that the OEM market for such a fiber optic would be in the neighborhood of 20 to 30 million dollars per year.National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
