WO2016048023A1

WO2016048023A1 - Optical fiber tip capable of radial firing, method for manufacturing same, and medical optical fiber device comprising same

Info

Publication number: WO2016048023A1
Application number: PCT/KR2015/009993
Authority: WO
Inventors: 한원택; 이승호
Original assignee: 광주과학기술원
Priority date: 2014-09-24
Filing date: 2015-09-23
Publication date: 2016-03-31
Also published as: KR101630316B1; KR20160035895A

Abstract

Provided are an optical fiber tip capable of radial firing, a method for manufacturing the same, and a medical optical fiber device comprising the same. Particularly, the method comprises the steps of: preparing a hollow optical fiber, which is to be processed into an optical fiber tip; uniting a cladding layer on one end of the hollow optical fiber through primary heat treatment of the hollow optical fiber; and uniting the cladding layer on the other end of the hollow optical fiber through secondary heat treatment of the hollow optical fiber, thereby forming an air pocket inside the optical fiber tip, wherein the cladding layer of the hollow optical fiber may be arranged in such a shape as to enclose the air pocket through the primary heat treatment and the secondary heat treatment. Accordingly, the medical optical fiber device according to the present invention can emit lasers radially by means of the optical fiber tip, which has an air pocket arranged therein, such that the same can be widely used to cure or remove lesions that propagate radially in various shapes inside body tissues. In addition, a post-treatment process and a package process can be simplified, and the optical fiber tip can be made small such that the same can be actively used to cure micro-unit tissues. Furthermore, the radial-firing optical fiber tip according to the present invention is formed by processing the optical fiber itself, and is solely made of silica glass, which is a stable substance of the optical fiber itself; therefore, the same may be harmless to human bodies.

Description

Optical fiber tip that can be irradiated, manufacturing method thereof, and medical optical fiber device comprising the same

The present invention relates to an optical fiber tip, and more particularly, to an optical fiber tip capable of radial irradiation, a method of manufacturing the same, and a medical optical fiber device comprising the optical fiber tip.

Clinical surgical treatment using a laser has been widely used because it is difficult to secure a field of vision caused by bleeding inside the body during general surgery. In recent years, the development of an optical fiber-based endoscopic surgery system capable of removing tumors or harmful tissues by delivering a laser beam to internal tissues or organs using optical fibers has been in the spotlight.

Conventional medical optical fiber devices are designed so that the laser transmitted through the optical fiber can be forward-fired in the tip region of its distal end, but tubular tissue such as varicose vein or prostatic hyperplasia Since it is difficult to remove or treat radially growing lesions on the outer wall of the intestine, there is a need for developing a fiber tip that can be applied to various tissue types.

In the related art, as shown in Figs. 1A to 1B, a conventional side-firing optical fiber device is perpendicular to the end cross section of the optical fiber through the transmission optical fiber. To form a total internal refraction of the irradiated laser to the side of the optical fiber, at the time of forming the optical fiber tip, the end surface of the optical fiber is obliquely cut through the processing process (see FIG. 1 (a)) or 30 ° to 45 ° After slanting at an angle, the metal coating is applied to the entire surface of the optical fiber tip in the post-treatment process (see FIG. 1B), or a metal reflector or a transparent cover is bonded. However, the side irradiation optical fiber has a disadvantage in that the manufacturing process is complicated due to the processing process and the post-treatment process, and the overall volume of the optical fiber device may be large. In addition, since the laser is irradiated only in one direction of the side of the optical fiber tip, in order to treat the outer wall of the capillary or tubular tissue, a precision device for finely rotating the optical fiber tip is additionally required to irradiate the radiation uniformly. .

Accordingly, in order to solve the problem of the side irradiation optical fiber, a radial-firing optical fiber device manufactured through a manufacturing process as shown in FIG. 2A has recently been provided. In detail, the radially irradiated optical fiber processes the end face of the optical fiber step by step through a laser technology, so that the center portion of the optical fiber has a deep negative conical tip as shown in the image shown in FIG. Can be irradiated radially. When this is polished by using an arc discharge, a cross section of an optical fiber terminal having a shape as shown in FIG. 2C can be formed. However, the radially irradiated optical fiber device has an interface with an incomplete cross section at the end of the optical fiber, and thus requires a post-treatment process requiring coating with a metal or bonding a transparent cover as shown in FIG. 2D. In addition, the processing process for etching the end surface of the optical fiber terminal using the laser technology, because processing the quartz glass as the main material of the optical fiber takes a lot of processing time, and precisely control the optical fiber to perform micro etching In order to require the ultra-precision stage, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost is increased and the manufacturing process is not efficient.

Disclosure of Invention Problems to be solved by the present invention are to provide an optical fiber tip capable of irradiating radially, and a method of manufacturing the same, and a medical optical fiber device including the same without requiring a post-treatment step.

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention comprises the steps of preparing a hollow fiber to be processed into an optical fiber tip, the first heat treatment of the hollow fiber to seal the cladding layer of one end of the hollow fiber And sealing the cladding layer at the other end of the hollow optical fiber by secondary heat treatment of the hollow optical fiber to form an air-pocket inside the optical fiber tip. By the secondary heat treatment, the cladding layer of the hollow optical fiber may be provided in the form of a wrap around the air bag to provide a method for manufacturing a radially irradiable optical fiber tip.

The hollow fiber may be one selected from a hollow optical fiber (HOF), a hollow core fiber (HCF), and a photonics crystal fiber (PCF).

The heat treatment may be to use arc discharge or laser heating.

The shape of the optical fiber tip may be controlled by adjusting a position at which the first heat treatment and the second heat treatment are performed on the hollow optical fiber.

In order to achieve the above object, another aspect of the present invention is an optical fiber tip formed by processing a hollow optical fiber including a cladding layer, an air pocket disposed inside the optical fiber tip, and the air. It is possible to provide a radially irradiable optical fiber tip comprising a cladding layer of the hollow optical fiber disposed in the form of surrounding the bag.

The air bag may be blocked from the outside by the cladding layer of the hollow optical fiber.

Another aspect of the present invention to achieve the above object, including the optical fiber tip and the transmission optical fiber fused with the optical fiber tip, characterized in that the laser is transmitted to the optical fiber tip through the transmission optical fiber A medical optical fiber device can be provided.

The laser may be totally reflected in the radial direction by the air bag disposed inside the optical fiber tip and transmitted to the outside.

In the medical optical fiber device, the irradiation direction and irradiation pattern of the laser may be changed by the shape and inclination of the air bag provided in the optical fiber tip.

In the medical optical fiber device including the optical fiber tip of the present invention, a laser beam may be irradiated radially by an optical fiber tip having an air pocket disposed therein, thereby treating or removing various types of radially progressing lesions in body tissues. It can be used widely.

In addition, the manufacturing method of the optical fiber tip of the present invention can simplify the post-treatment process and the packaging process, and can be used to treat micro-structured tissues by miniaturizing the optical fiber tip.

In addition, the radially irradiated optical fiber tip of the present invention is formed by processing the optical fiber itself, it may be harmless to the human body because it is composed only of silica glass (silica glass) which is a stable material of the optical fiber itself.

However, the effects of the invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a processing step and a post-treatment step of a conventional side irradiation optical fiber.

2A to 2D are schematic diagrams showing a processing step and a post-treatment step of a conventional radial irradiation optical fiber.

3A to 3D are schematic views showing a method of manufacturing an optical fiber tip by processing a hollow optical fiber according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a schematic diagram showing a hollow optical fiber used in an embodiment of the present invention.

5A to 5B are schematic views of different shapes of optical fiber tips formed by changing heat treatment positions according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is an image showing the laser irradiation direction of each of the medical optical fiber device not fused to the optical fiber tip and the medical optical fiber device fused to the optical fiber tip of the present invention.

7A to 7B are diagrams each showing a schematic diagram of a method of measuring a transmission distribution for each angle of a laser transmitted by a general transmission optical fiber, a transmission optical fiber fused to an optical fiber tip of the present invention, and a measurement result.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a medical optical fiber device in which an optical fiber tip manufactured by varying the shape and inclination of an air bag according to an embodiment of the present invention is fused.

9 is a schematic view showing a method of manufacturing a medical optical fiber device is fused optical fiber tip according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

While the invention allows for various modifications and variations, specific embodiments thereof are illustrated by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. However, it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, but rather the invention includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives consistent with the spirit of the invention as defined by the claims.

In the drawings, the thicknesses of layers and regions may be exaggerated or reduced for clarity. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

1. Manufacturing method of optical fiber tip capable of radial irradiation

One aspect of the present invention may provide a method for manufacturing an optical fiber tip capable of radial irradiation. Specifically, 1) preparing a hollow fiber to be processed into an optical fiber tip, 2) sealing the cladding layer of one end of the hollow fiber by primary heat treatment of the hollow fiber, and 3) Secondary heat treatment of the hollow optical fiber to seal the cladding layer at the other end of the hollow optical fiber, thereby forming an air pocket inside the optical fiber tip, wherein the primary heat treatment and the second The cladding layer of the hollow optical fiber may be disposed in a form surrounding the air bag by the differential heat treatment.

Specifically, this may be described with reference to FIG. 3, but is not limited thereto.

In the manufacturing method of the optical fiber tip of the present invention, step 1) is a step of preparing a hollow fiber to be processed into an optical fiber tip. As shown in FIG. 3A, the hollow optical fiber 100 further includes a core layer in addition to a cladding layer or an optical fiber including a cladding layer, and has a hollow structure or a structure having a through hole therein. General term for the optical fiber having a, and various hollow fiber can be used. For example, the hollow optical fiber 100 is any one selected from a hollow optical fiber (HOF), a hollow core fiber (HCF), and a photonics crystal fiber (PCF). It may be to use.

4 is a schematic diagram showing a hollow optical fiber used in an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, the hollow optical fiber (HOF) is a tube-shaped optical fiber, and a through hole is disposed therein, and only the cladding layer surrounds the through hole without a core layer. The Middle East core optical fiber (HCF) is a tube-shaped optical fiber, a through hole is formed therein, it may be composed of a core layer surrounding the through hole, and a cladding layer surrounding the core layer. The photonic crystal optical fiber (PCF) is a tube-shaped optical fiber, and a plurality of through holes having a small diameter are disposed therein, and may have a structure in which a cladding layer surrounds the through holes.

In the manufacturing method of the optical fiber tip of the present invention, step 2) is a step of sealing the cladding layer of one end of the hollow optical fiber by primary heat treatment of the hollow optical fiber.

That is, as shown in Figure 3b, the end of one end of the cladding layer of the hollow optical fiber 100 by heat-treating the cladding layer of one end of the hollow optical fiber 100 to be processed into the optical fiber tip of the step 1) 111 and 112 can be joined and sealed. That is, in the region in which the cladding layer of one end of the hollow optical fiber is sealed, the hollow of the hollow optical fiber may be blocked.

The heat treatment may be to use arc discharge or laser heating. Arc discharge is generally a state where gas discharge reaches its peak when an electric current flows between electrodes, and a part of the electrode material is evaporated and becomes a gas as the electrode is heated. The electrical conduction phenomenon may occur in the gas. At this time, a large current may flow between the cathode and the anode placed in the gas by a high temperature plasma. Accordingly, arc discharge is useful for fusion or bonding of materials through high temperature heat treatment because the voltage drop is relatively small and the current density is large. For example, this may be to use a heat treatment apparatus using a general arc discharge. In addition, laser heating uses a general laser welding apparatus, and heat treatment of the region using a laser capable of generating high temperature heat.

The heat treatment using the arc discharge or laser heating may be performed for a proper time in an appropriate temperature range to seal the cladding layers at one end and the other end of the hollow optical fiber. This may vary depending on the type and size of the optical fiber to be used, and is not particularly limited.

In the manufacturing method of the optical fiber tip of the present invention, step 3) seals the cladding layer at the other end of the hollow optical fiber by secondary heat treatment of the hollow optical fiber, and an air-pocket inside the optical fiber tip. Forming a step.

Specifically, as shown in Figure 3c, in the step 2) the

end portion

121, 122 of the other end of the hollow optical fiber in which the

end portion

111, 112 of one end of the hollow optical fiber is performed; 2), the heat treatment may be to seal the cladding layer of the other end of the hollow optical fiber. That is, the other end of the hollow optical fiber may also have a structure in which the hollow of the hollow optical fiber is blocked in a region where the cladding layer is sealed.

As such, as each end of the cladding layer at one end and the other end of the hollow optical fiber is sealed through the steps 2) and 3), the air layer formed in the hollow region is sealed in the hollow optical fiber. As shown in FIG. 3D, an air-pocket 130 may be formed. The air bag 130, the present invention is formed by processing the hollow optical fiber, may be disposed in the interior 210 of the optical fiber tip 200.

In addition, the cladding layer of the hollow optical fiber by the first heat treatment and the second heat treatment may be arranged to surround the air bag. As one end and the other end of the cladding layer of the hollow optical fiber are sealed by the first heat treatment and the second heat treatment, the sealed structure is disposed in the outer region of the air bag disposed inside the optical fiber tip, and thus the air bag It may be arranged to surround the.

Through the manufacturing method of the optical fiber tip of the present invention, it is possible to control the shape of the optical fiber tip by adjusting the position of performing the first heat treatment and the second heat treatment to the hollow optical fiber.

First, referring to FIG. 5A, when heat treatment is performed on a hollow fiber, when the heat treatment is started from one end and a central region of the hollow fiber to seal the cladding layers at one end and the other end, an optical fiber tip having the shape shown in FIG. Can be formed.

Figure 5b is a schematic diagram of the optical fiber tip having a structure in which the cladding layer of one end and the other end of the hollow optical fiber is sealed in various forms by adjusting the position to perform the heat treatment to the hollow optical fiber and fused to the optical fiber for transmission. It can be seen that the distal end of the optical fiber tip can be formed in various shapes (rectangular, circular, oblique, etc.). As described above, the present invention can easily control the shape of the optical fiber tip by adjusting the heat treatment performed position, it is possible to form various types of optical fiber tips through a simple manufacturing process.

2. Fiber Optic Tip with Radial Irradiation

Another aspect of the invention may provide an optical fiber tip capable of radial irradiation. The optical fiber tip may be manufactured by the "1. Method for manufacturing an optical fiber tip capable of radial irradiation". Specifically, the optical fiber tip is an optical fiber tip formed by processing a hollow optical fiber including a cladding layer, an air pocket disposed in the optical fiber tip, and a shape surrounding the air bag. It may be to include a cladding layer of the hollow optical fiber disposed.

Since the optical fiber tip is manufactured by the manufacturing method described in the section "1. Method for manufacturing a radially irradiated optical fiber tip", the optical fiber tip is described in "1. Method for manufacturing a radially irradiated optical fiber tip" item. It may be the same as described above. Thus, the optical fiber tip of the present invention, by using the description of the "1. Method of manufacturing the optical fiber tip that can be radially radiated" to omit the detailed description, and will be described below for the specific configuration of the optical fiber tip. .

The air bag disposed inside the optical fiber tip may be blocked from the outside by the cladding layer of the hollow optical fiber. That is, the air bag disposed on the optical fiber tip is blocked from the outside by the structural features of the cladding layer of the hollow optical fiber arranged in such a manner as to surround the air bag, thereby maintaining the total reflection condition and easily irradiating the laser radially. You can. This is an improvement in that the prior art required a post-treatment process for metal coating the optical fiber terminal interface, bonding the reflector, or glass tube to protect the total reflection condition, and also occurred in the polishing process of the optical fiber terminal. Incomplete bending is not formed, which can have the effect of simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing the manufacturing cost. In addition, due to the simplification of the post-treatment process and the packaging process, the miniaturization of the optical fiber tip is possible, and thus it can be actively used to treat micro-structured tissue. In addition, the radially irradiated optical fiber tip of the present invention is formed by processing the optical fiber itself, it may be harmless to the human body is composed of silica glass (silica glass) which is a stable material of the optical fiber itself.

3. A medical optical fiber device comprising a fiber tip capable of radial irradiation.

Another aspect of the present invention may provide a medical optical fiber device including an optical fiber tip capable of radial irradiation. The medical optical fiber device may be manufactured including the "2. optical fiber tip capable of radial irradiation". Specifically, the medical optical fiber device may include the optical fiber tip capable of radiating the radiation, and a transmission optical fiber fused with the optical fiber tip, the laser may be delivered to the optical fiber tip through the transmission optical fiber. .

The optical fiber for transmission may be an optical fiber including a cladding layer or an optical fiber including a core layer and a cladding layer. The optical fiber for transmission can use all the optical fiber which can carry out general laser transmission, and it does not specifically limit. For example, the transmission optical fiber may be a single mode optical fiber (SMF), a multimode optical fiber (MMF), an optical amplified fiber (EDF), anhydrous optical fiber (LWPF), or a distributed transition optical fiber (DSF).

Fusion of the optical fiber tip and the transmission optical fiber may be performed through a known optical fiber fusion splicer. For example, the optical fiber fusion splicer may be using arc discharge, but is not limited thereto.

As the transmission optical fiber and the optical fiber tip are fused, a laser beam transmitted through the core layer or the air layer of the transmission optical fiber may be delivered to the optical fiber tip of the medical optical fiber device. Specifically, the laser beam transmitted through the transmission optical fiber is almost straight in the structure in which the cladding layer constituting the optical fiber tip is sealed, and may come into contact with an interface with an air bag disposed inside the optical fiber tip.

Accordingly, the laser beam delivered to the optical fiber tip may be totally reflected in a radial direction by an air bag disposed inside the optical fiber tip and transmitted to the outside. Specifically, the laser beam transmitted through the optical fiber for transmission in the medical optical fiber device due to the air layer of the air bag inside the optical fiber tip is refracted radially at the interface with the air layer constituting the air bag disposed inside the optical fiber tip. While the laser may be totally reflected in the radial direction, in this form the medical optical fiber device may be to transmit the laser to the outside.

Referring to FIG. 6 (a), the conventional medical optical fiber device which does not fuse the optical fiber tip is irradiated by directing the laser toward the forward as the laser irradiation direction is transmitted through the optical fiber for transmission, and transmitting it to the outside. You can see that. On the contrary, referring to FIG. 6 (b), the medical optical fiber device in which the optical fiber tip and the optical fiber for fusion are fused is disposed in an air pocket in which the laser irradiation direction transmitted through the optical fiber for transmission is disposed inside the optical fiber tip. It can be confirmed that the laser is transmitted to the outside while spreading radially.

7A to 7B are schematic diagrams of measurement methods for measuring transmission distributions for each angle of a laser transmitted by a general medical optical fiber device, in which a fiber tip is not fused, and a medical fiber device in which the optical fiber tip is fused, respectively, and measurement results. The diagram shown.

As shown in FIG. 7A, a He-Ne laser beam is irradiated to a general medical optical fiber device and a medical optical fiber device in which an optical fiber tip of the present invention is fused, and irradiated at a fiber distal end or an optical fiber tip of each optical fiber device. The transmission distribution for each angle of the laser was measured in such a way that the laser was calculated through the lens and the transmission laser.

Referring to FIG. 7B showing the result, in the case of a general medical optical fiber device in which the optical fiber tip of the present invention is not fused, it can be seen that the laser irradiation amount is concentrated only at a specific angle in front. On the contrary, it can be seen that the medical optical fiber device fused with the optical fiber tip of the present invention irradiates a laser at an angle of -87 ° to 87 ° from the axial direction of the optical fiber.

As described above, the medical optical fiber device in which the optical fiber tip of the present invention is fused can be irradiated with a laser beam by an air bag disposed inside the optical fiber tip, so that the medical optical fiber device can radially travel in various forms in body tissues. It can be widely used to treat or remove lesions.

In addition, the medical optical fiber device in which the radially irradiated optical fiber tip of the present invention is fused, the irradiation direction and irradiation pattern of the laser may be changed through the shape and inclination of the air bag disposed inside the optical fiber tip.

8 (a) to 8 (c), the shape of the air bag disposed inside the optical fiber tip of the medical optical fiber device and the slope in which the air bag is disposed may be formed in various structures or shapes. Thus, the laser transmitted to the optical fiber tip of the medical optical fiber device, while total reflection at the interface of the air bag arranged in various shapes and inclination, the direction in which the laser irradiation is concentrated depending on the shape of the air bag In general, the laser is totally radially reflected and can be transmitted externally.

According to an embodiment, the medical optical fiber device of the present invention may form an optical fiber tip which may be laterally irradiated by fusion with the axis of the optical fiber for transmission, when the optical fiber tip and the optical fiber for transmission are fused. 9 is a schematic view showing a method of manufacturing a medical optical fiber device is fused optical fiber tip according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to (a) of FIG. 9, after the fusion of the shafts of the hollow optical fiber to be processed into the optical fiber tip and the transmission optical fiber are alternately fused, the hollow optical fiber is heat-treated according to the optical fiber tip manufacturing method of the present invention. It can be processed with an optical fiber tip with an air pocket inside. Accordingly, as the optical fiber tip is fused in the form as shown in FIG. 9 (b), a medical optical fiber device capable of totally reflecting the laser beam transmitted through the transmission optical fiber to the side by the air bag of the optical fiber tip may be provided. . As such, the medical optical fiber device of the present invention may be capable of side irradiation depending on the type of fusion between the optical fiber tip to be fused and the optical fiber for transmission.

On the other hand, the embodiments of the present invention disclosed in the specification and drawings are merely presented specific examples to aid understanding, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It is apparent to those skilled in the art that other modifications based on the technical idea of the present invention can be carried out in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

(Explanation of the sign)

100: hollow fiber

111,112: end of hollow fiber

112,122: end of hollow fiber optic end

130: pouch

200: fiber optic tip

210: inside

220: distal end

Claims

An optical fiber tip formed by processing a hollow optical fiber including a cladding layer,

An air pocket disposed inside the optical fiber tip; And

And a cladding layer of the hollow optical fiber disposed in a form surrounding the air bag.
The method of claim 1,

The air bag,

A radially irradiated optical fiber tip, characterized in that blocked by the cladding layer of the hollow optical fiber from the outside.
The optical fiber tip of any one of claims 1 to 2; And

To include a transmission optical fiber fused with the optical fiber tip,

A medical optical fiber device, characterized in that the laser is transmitted to the optical fiber tip through the transmission optical fiber.
The method of claim 3,

The laser,

Medical optical fiber device characterized in that the total reflection in the radial direction by the air bag disposed inside the optical fiber tip and is transmitted to the outside.
The method of claim 3,

The medical optical fiber device,

The medical optical fiber device, characterized in that the irradiation direction and irradiation pattern of the laser is changed by the shape and the inclination of the air bag disposed inside the optical fiber tip.
Preparing a hollow optical fiber to be processed into an optical fiber tip;

Sealing the one end cladding layer of the hollow optical fiber by primary heat treatment of the hollow optical fiber; And

And heat-treating the hollow optical fiber to seal the cladding layer at the other end of the hollow optical fiber, thereby forming an air pocket inside the optical fiber tip.

And the cladding layer of the hollow optical fiber is wrapped around the air bag by the first heat treatment and the second heat treatment.
The method of claim 6

The hollow fiber is a radial optical fiber using any one selected from hollow optical fiber (HOF), hollow core fiber (HCF), and photonics crystal fiber (PCF) Method for manufacturing optical fiber tips that can be irradiated.
The method of claim 6

The heat treatment is a method of producing a radial irradiation enabled optical fiber tip, characterized in that using arc discharge or laser heating.
The method of claim 6

The method of manufacturing a fiber-optic tip capable of radial irradiation, characterized in that for controlling the shape of the optical fiber tip by adjusting the position of performing the first heat treatment and the second heat treatment to the hollow optical fiber.