Optical Fibers for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

This chapter describes the various types of optical fibers that are used for precise delivery of light to specific biological tissue areas and for collection of reflected, scattered, or fluorescing light resulting from the light-tissue interaction. First, the Introduction gives some background information on biophotonics as it applies to the human body. Next, section “Basic Concepts of Optical Fibers” discusses the fundamental principles of how conventional fibers guide light along the fiber. Here the term “conventional” refers to the structure of optical fibers that are used widely in telecom networks. This discussion will be the basis for describing how light propagates in other optical fiber structures. In addition, section “Basic Concepts of Optical Fibers” describes the necessary performance characteristics of optical fibers for applications in specific spectral bands. Based on this background information, section “Optical Fibers Used in Biophotonics” then describes categories of optical fiber structures that are appropriate for use in different biophotonic applications.