Development of a Yellow Laser Source at 577 nm for Ophthalmology Applications

Compact diode-pumped solid-state lasers (DPSSLs) have become ubiquitous due to their vast scientific and technological applications. Especially in medicine, one can see the use of DPSSLs in the field of dermatology, dentistry, general surgery, urology etc. This is mainly due to the replacement of pump source from flash lamp to more efficient and cost-effective laser-diodes, as well as the availability of crystalline/ceramic solid-state laser gain materials for a specific wavelength region [1] . Concerning the application in ophthalmology, a light source in the yellow region (577 nm) is of great interest especially for retinal photocoagulation treatment [2] . The peak absorption of oxyhemoglobin and negligible macular xanthophyll absorption at 577 nm wavelength enable the ophthalmologist to perform retinal photocoagulation treatment with minimum risk and with lower laser energy compared to green or other wavelengths. However, achieving 577 nm wavelength is not an easy task because of non-availability of proper gain media that emit at this particular wavelength. Bearing the above-mentioned facts, here in this work, we achieved 577 nm wavelength by constructing a laser setup with proper combination of gain, Raman and frequency doubling media.