Broadband or mid-infrared fiber light sources

An optical system for use in an imaging procedure, the system comprising:

• a plurality of semiconductor diodes, each of the diodes configured to generate an optical beam;
• a beam combiner configured to receive at least a portion of the optical beams from the plurality of semiconductor diodes and to generate a multiplexed optical beam;
• and
• an optical fiber configured to receive at least a portion of the multiplexed optical beam and to communicate the at least a portion of the multiplexed optical beam to form an intermediate beam having at least one wavelength;
• a light guide configured to receive at least a portion of the intermediate beam and to propagate the at least a portion of the intermediate beam to form an output beam;
• and
• a subsystem comprising one or more lenses or mirrors configured to receive a received portion of the output beam and to deliver a delivered portion of the output beam to a sample to perform imaging for characterizing the sample, wherein the subsystem comprises an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) apparatus comprising a sample arm and a reference arm, wherein the delivered portion of the output beam has a temporal duration greater than approximately 30 picoseconds, wherein the delivered portion of the output beam has a repetition rate from continuous wave to Megahertz or higher, wherein a time averaged output power of the output beam is about 20 mW or more, and wherein a time averaged intensity of the delivered portion of the output beam is less than approximately 50 MW/cm2.

An optical system for use in a spectroscopy procedure, the system comprising:

• one or more semiconductor diodes configured to generate an input beam, wherein at least a portion of the input beam comprises a wavelength shorter than about 2.5 microns;
• one or more optical amplifiers configured to receive at least the portion of the input beam and to communicate an intermediate beam to an output end of the one or more optical amplifiers;
• and
• one or more optical fibers configured to receive at least a portion of the intermediate beam and to communicate at least the portion of the intermediate beam to a distal end of the one or more optical fibers to form a first optical beam;
• a nonlinear element configured to receive at least a portion of the first optical beam and to broaden a spectrum associated with the at least a portion of the first optical beam to at least about 50 nm through a nonlinear effect in the nonlinear element to form an output beam with an output beam broadened spectrum;
• and
• a subsystem comprising one or more lenses or mirrors configured to receive a received portion of the output beam and to deliver a delivered portion of the output beam to a sample to perform spectroscopy for characterizing the sample based on chemical composition, wherein at least a part of the sample comprises skin or tissue, wherein the delivered portion of the output beam has a temporal duration greater than approximately 30 picoseconds, wherein the delivered portion of the output beam has a repetition rate between continuous wave and Megahertz or higher, wherein a time averaged output power of the output beam is about 20 mW or more, and wherein a time averaged intensity of the delivered portion of the output beam is less than approximately 50 MW/cm2.

An optical system for use in a spectroscopy procedure, the system comprising:

• a plurality of semiconductor diodes, each of the diodes configured to generate an optical beam;
• a beam combiner configured to receive at least a portion of the optical beams from the plurality of semiconductor diodes and to generate a multiplexed optical beam;
• and
• an optical fiber configured to receive at least a portion of the multiplexed optical beam and to communicate the at least a portion of the multiplexed optical beam to form an intermediate beam having at least one wavelength;
• a light guide configured to receive at least a portion of the intermediate beam and to propagate the at least a portion of the intermediate beam to form an output beam;
• and
• a subsystem comprising one or more lenses or mirrors configured to receive a received portion of the output beam and to deliver a delivered portion of the output beam to a sample to perform spectroscopy for characterizing the sample based on chemical composition, wherein at least a part of the sample comprises skin or tissue, wherein the delivered portion of the output beam has a temporal duration greater than approximately 30 picoseconds, wherein the delivered portion of the output beam has a repetition rate from continuous wave to Megahertz or higher, wherein a time averaged output power of the output beam is about 20 mW or more, and wherein a time averaged intensity of the delivered portion of the output beam is less than approximately 50 MW/cm2.