Development of a pseudo-incoherent homogeneous light source using a laser-coupled multimode fiber optic for biomedical applications

流式细胞术是一项关键技术，在生物工程、基础研究和大多数领域有着广泛的应用。 值得注意的是，在临床护理中，对包括一些癌症在内的几种疾病的快速和准确诊断。一个 传统的细胞仪是一种笨重、昂贵、高度专业化的科学设备。近期 光子学方面的技术进步为细胞仪的民主化铺平了道路，方法是 一种紧凑、便携、坚固、易于使用且经济实惠的光纤流式细胞仪。一个根本性的挑战 这限制了当前基于光纤的细胞仪的准确性，这与照明源的质量有关 是审讯区的必需品。本项目的目标是开发一种多模光纤(MMF)。 专门设计用于与激光二极管耦合，以使光纤输出照明光束作为 尽可能地同质化。为了实现这一目标，从两个方面解决了这个问题：(1)设计、制造 和MMF本身的表征，以及(2)半导体激光光源参数的优化。它是 预计该项目将有助于促进光纤照明方案的创新，并推动 前景看好的技术平台(即光纤流式细胞仪)，有利于加拿大人的健康和 总部位于加拿大的生物医药行业。

Flow cytometry is a critical technology with a host of applications in bioengineering, basic research, and most notably, in clinical care for the rapid and accurate diagnosis of several illnesses including some cancers. A conventional cytometer is a bulky, expensive and highly-specialized piece of scientific equipment. Recent technological advances in photonics have paved the way for the democratization of the cytometer by means of a compact, portable, robust, easy-to-use and cost-effective fiber-optic flow cytometer. A fundamental challenge that limits the accuracy of current fiber-optic based cytometers pertains to the quality of the illumination source required for the interrogation zone. The goal of this project is to develop a multimode optical fiber (MMF) specially designed for coupling with a laser diode in such a way that the fiber output illumination beam is as homogeneous as possible. To attain this goal, the problem is tackled on two fronts: (1) the design, fabrication and characterization of the MMF itself, and (2) the optimization of the diode laser source parameters. It is expected that this project will help foster innovation in fiber-optic illumination schemes and spur advances in a promising technological platform (i.e. the fiber-optic flow cytometer) that benefits the health of Canadians and the Canadian based biomedical industry.