A new sealed RF-excited CO2 laser for hard tissue ablation operating at 9.4-µm with pulse duration of 26 µs

Kenneth H. Chan; Jamison M. Jew; Daniel Fried

doi:10.1117/12.2218651

29 February 2016 A new sealed RF-excited CO₂ laser for enamel ablation operating at 9.4μm with pulse duration of 26 μs

Kenneth H. Chan, Jamison M. Jew, Daniel Fried

Proceedings Volume 9692, Lasers in Dentistry XXII; 969206 (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2218651
Event: SPIE BiOS, 2016, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Several studies over the past 20 years have identified that carbon dioxide lasers operating at wavelengths between 9.3 and 9.6-μm with pulse durations near 20-µs are ideal for hard tissue ablation. Those wavelengths are coincident with the peak absorption of the mineral phase and the pulse duration is close to the thermal relaxation time of the deposited energy of a few microseconds to minimize peripheral thermal damage and long enough to minimize plasma shielding effects to allow efficient ablation at practical rates. The desired pulse duration near 20-μs has been difficult to achieve since it is too long for TEA lasers and too short for RF-excited lasers for efficient operation. Recently, Coherent Inc. (Santa Clara, CA) developed the J5-V laser for microvia drilling which can produce laser pulses greater than 100 mJ in energy at 9.4-μm with a pulse duration of 26-µs and it can achieve pulse repetition rates of 3 KHz. We report the first results using this laser to ablate enamel and dentin. The onset of plasma shielding does not occur until the fluence exceeds 100 J/cm² allowing efficient ablation at rates exceeding 50-μm per pulse. This laser is ideally suited for the selective ablation of carious lesions.

Citation Download Citation

Kenneth H. Chan, Jamison M. Jew, and Daniel Fried "A new sealed RF-excited CO₂ laser for enamel ablation operating at 9.4μm with pulse duration of 26 μs", Proc. SPIE 9692, Lasers in Dentistry XXII, 969206 (29 February 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2218651

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