Illumination system having light guides with diffuser elements that emit radially

A method for producing a diffuser main body, comprising:

• providing a glass melt made of glass selected from a group consisting of silicate glass, Na—Al—K silicate glass, Na—Al—K-Ca—Zn silicate glass, and Na—Al—K—As—Pb silicate glass;
• providing scattering centers with a diameter of 10 nm to 2000 nm to the glass melt, wherein the step of providing scattering centers comprises adding scattering particles, producing chemical scattering centers, and producing thermal scattering centers;
• homogenizing the glass melt until a concentration of the scattering centers is between 10 ppm in 1000 ppm;
• drawing the glass melt into a glass rod with a diameter ranging from 0.1 mm to 5 mm;
• cutting the glass rod into sections;
• and
• forming the sections by a subsequent thermal process.

A method for producing a diffuser main body, comprising:

• providing a glass melt made of glass of borosilicate glass or alkali borosilicate glass;
• producing scattering centers in the glass melt;
• forming the diffuser main body from the glass melt having the scattering centers;
• and
• coating a connecting zone of the diffuser main body with a jacket, wherein the step of producing the scattering centers comprises:
• thermally treating the glass melt with a temperature/time profile for phase separation in a temperature range of 500-800° C. for a time period of 1 to 150 hours sufficient to separate the glass melt into a silicate-rich phase and a boron-rich phase, and
• acid leaching and/or caustic leaching the glass melt to produce an open porosity within the glass melt with dispersive phase particles or pores of the order of 200 to 700 nm and a number density of 108 to 1012 mm−3.

An illumination system, comprising:

• a laser light source;
• a light guide having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end is connectable and/or assignable to the laser light source;
• and
• a diffuser element at the distal end of the light guide, the diffuser element has a radial, spherical emission characteristic, the diffuser element comprises a diffuser main body and a scattering element, the diffuser main body consists of a glass, a glass ceramic, or a glass-like substance, wherein the diffuser main body has a surface with a fire-polished surface quality.

An illumination system, comprising:

• a laser light source;
• a light guide having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end is connectable and/or assignable to the laser light source, wherein the light guide comprises a core surrounded by a cladding;
• a diffuser element at the distal end of the light guide, the diffuser element has a radial, spherical emission characteristic, the diffuser element comprises a diffuser main body and a scattering element,
• wherein the diffuser main body comprises a borosilicate glass having a composition (in % by weight):
• B2O3 15.00-40.00,
• SiO2 45.00-80.00,
• R2O 0.0-20.0,
• R′O 0.0-20.00,
• R″O2 0.0-10.00, and
• Al2O3 0.0-10.00,
• wherein the diffuser main body has a surface with a fire-polished surface quality;
• and
• a jacket that surrounds the diffuser element, the distal end of the light guide, and an outer portion of the cladding,
• wherein the jacket comprises a layer that is transparent or translucent to light emitted laterally from the diffuser element and has at least one feature selected from the group consisting of:
• liquid silicone, thermoplastic polymer, hot melt adhesive, 2-component adhesive, sol-gel glass, and a shrink tubing,
• wherein the diffuser main body connected to the light guide only at an input coupling face of the light guide, and
• wherein the diffuser main body has a shape selected from a group consisting of spherical, elliptical, and drop-shape.