US 7,008,414 B2Granted

Laser treatment apparatus

AssigneeNikon Corporation

InventorsSoichi Owa, Tomoko Ohthuki

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A laser treatment apparatus is constructed from a [a] laser apparatus 10 equipped with a laser light generating device 11 which has a solid-state laser 12 that generates a specified laser light, a fiber light amplifier 20 that amplifies the laser light generated by this laser light generating device, and a wavelength converter 40 that converts the amplified laser light into treatment laser light with a wavelength of approximately 193 nm using a nonlinear optical crystal, and [b] an irradiation optical device 60 which conducts the treatment laser light generated by this laser apparatus to the surface of the cornea and irradiates the surface of the cornea. As a result, a laser treatment apparatus can be obtained which is especially suitable for treatment of the cornea, and which uses a solid-state laser apparatus that is easy to maintain and that has a compact and light-weight construction.

Claims1

Dependent claims

A laser treatment apparatus comprising:

a laser apparatus, including:
a laser light generating device having a solid-state laser that generates laser light of a specified wavelength,
a light amplifier that amplifies the laser light generated by the laser light generating device,
a wavelength converter which uses a nonlinear optical crystal to convert the laser light amplified by the light amplifier into treatment laser light with a wavelength of approximately 193 nm, and
an irradiation optical device which delivers the treatment laser light generated by the laser apparatus to a treatment site, and irradiates the treatment site with the treatment laser light,
wherein the solid-state laser comprises a DFB semiconductor laser or fiber laser that has an oscillation wavelength in the range of 1.51 μm to 1.59 μm, and the wavelength converter converts the laser light from the solid-state laser into an octuple harmonic that is in the range of 189 nm to 199 nm.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/260,287Filed 1 Oct 2002 · continuation
Priority: JP 2000-11224813 Apr 2000
Published: US 2003/0065312 A13 Apr 2003
Granted: 7 Mar 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G02F 1/353
Non-linear optics: frequency conversion, i.e. wherein a light beam is generated with frequency components different from those of the incident…
A61F 9/00804
For photoablation: refractive treatments
A61F 2009/00872
Adapted for treatment at a particular location: cornea
G02F 1/3534
Frequency conversion, i.e. wherein a light beam is generated with frequency components different from those of the incident light beams:…

Family

PCT/JP98/05367Parent of this continuation · filed 30 Nov 1998
Application09/538,233Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 30 Mar 2000
PCT/JP01/03037Parent of this continuation · filed 9 Apr 2001
US 2003/0065312 A1Pre-grant publication · published 3 Apr 2003
US 6,590,698 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part
PCT/JP01/03037Parent of this continuation-in-part
Application09/538,233Parent of this continuation
US 7,008,414 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.