Near Infrared Detector for Advanced Ophthalmology

描述（由申请人提供）：一些用于诊断和理解致盲性视网膜疾病的最有用的工具依赖于光谱反射率的使用。这些工具的改进，特别是在过去的十年里，极大地提高了我们获得人类视网膜极高分辨率图像的能力。特别是，扫描激光眼科检查已被证明是一项重要的技术，显微视野，心理物理学和视觉神经科学的研究，通过成像锥体马赛克，同时向单个锥体传递刺激。由于在视网膜成像过程中实现了前所未有的分辨率，因此越来越需要使用波长更长的光，这些光可以穿透更深的组织，并且对人眼来说是不可见或难以察觉的。考虑到人眼的反应和增加的光吸收，使用900到1100nm之间的波长是最合适的解决方案。不幸的是，虽然有几家供应商在这个波长范围内提供了不错的光源，但没有合适的光电探测器。因此，本研究的目标是开发一种雪崩光电二极管（APD）模块，该模块在可见光至1050 nm范围内具有出色的响应，可与现有的扫描激光检眼镜兼容。我们提出的解决方案利用我们的APD对近红外辐射的高响应性来开发一个用于眼科检查和其他健康科学的接收器模块。在第一阶段，我们通过组装一个定制的近红外增强型接收机APD模块成功地证明了该方法的可行性，该模块包括宽放大电子器件，提供> 40 Mhz的高增益带宽。该接收器随后用于阿拉巴马大学伯明翰分校的自适应光学SLO （AOSLO）。通过它的使用，用600到1070纳米的可调谐激光源记录活体视网膜的图像。这是第一次用信号接收器实现这样的图像。在第二阶段，我们将解决接收器模块的可靠性、制造、包装和商业问题。此外，我们的研究合作者将继续使用接收器，因为它的发展，使一系列重要的临床研究，对活人视网膜。这些研究将包括重要的三维成像的感光细胞，多通道采样，并获得视网膜图像的照明波长比目前应用的更长。这些信息将用于他们的研究，以更好地了解病理性近视的发病机制。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Some of the most useful tools for diagnosis and understanding of blinding retinal diseases rely on the use of spectral reflectance. Improvements to these tools, especially over the past decade, have greatly advanced our ability to achieve extremely high-resolution images of the human retina. In particular, scanning laser ophthalmoscopy has proven to be an important technique for studies of microperimetry, psychophysics and visual neuroscience by imaging the cone mosaic while simultaneously delivering stimuli to single cones. Due to the unprecedented resolution now achieved during retinal imaging, there is an increasing need for using longer wavelength light that can penetrate deeper into tissue and is invisible or imperceptible to the human eyes. Bounded by human eye response and increased optical absorption, the use of wavelengths between 900 and 1100 nm is the most suitable solution. Unfortunately, while there are several vendors providing decent light sources across this wavelength range there are no suitable photodetectors. Therefore, the goal of this proposed research effort is to develop an avalanche photodiode (APD) module with exceptional response from the visible to 1050 nm that will be compatible with established scanning laser ophthalmoscopes. Our proposed solution uses our APD's high responsivity to near-infrared radiation to develop a receiver module useful for ophthalmoscopy and other health sciences. In Phase I, we successfully demonstrated the feasibility of the approach by assembling a custom near-infrared enhanced receiver APD module including wide amplification electronics providing a high gain bandwidth of > 40 Mhz. This receiver was then used in an adaptive optics SLO (AOSLO) at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. Through its use, images of a living retina were recorded with a tunable laser source from 600 to 1070 nm. This was the first time such images were realized with a signal receiver. During Phase II, we will address the reliability, manufacturing, packaging and commercial concerns of the receiver module. In addition, our research collaborators will continue to use the receiver as it evolves to enable a range of important clinical studies on the living human retina. These studies will include important 3D imaging on of photoreceptor cells, multi-channel sampling, and the acquisition of retinal images with illumination wavelengths longer than presently applied. This information will be used in their studies to better understand the pathogenesis of Pathological Myopia.