Single Implantable Fiber Device for 2D Dynamic and Reconfigurable Light Emission and Collection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025028106-A1
Application number	US-202418780463-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 22, 2024
Priority date	Jul 21, 2023
Publication date	Jan 23, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

Among the various aspects of the present disclosure is the provision of systems and methods for light-based procedures that include a fiber-optic bi-directional interface device that includes a multi-core optical fiber comprising a plurality of light-guiding cores in which a first portion of the plurality of light-guiding cores each comprise a light emission modification configured to direct light propagating along the light-guiding core in a laterally outward or sideways direction relative to the propagation axis of the light-guiding core; and a second portion of the plurality of light-guiding cores each further comprises a light collection modification configured to receive light produced by a source positioned laterally outwards or sideways relative to the propagation axis of the light-guiding core.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A fiber-optic bi-directional interface device, comprising a multi-core optical fiber comprising a plurality of light-guiding cores, each light-guiding core comprising opposed proximal and distal ends, the proximal end configured to receive light from a light source, wherein:
a. a first portion of the plurality of light-guiding cores further comprises light emission modifications configured to direct light propagating distally along the light-guiding cores in a laterally outward or sideways direction relative to the propagation axis of the light-guiding core; and b. a second portion of the plurality of light-guiding cores further comprises light collection modifications configured to receive light produced by a source positioned laterally outwards or sideways relative to the propagation axis of the light-guiding core and direct the received light proximally.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the light emission modifications and the light collection modifications are distributed along an emission/collection span extending a predetermined proximal-distal distance along the light-guiding cores.

3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the light emission modifications are selected from the group consisting of photonic crystals, fiber Bragg gratings (FNGs), and any combination thereof.

4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the light collection modifications are selected from the group consisting of total internal reflection (TIR) mirrors, multi-layer gradient filters, and any combination thereof.

5 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising a light trap positioned at the distal ends of the plurality of light-guiding cores.

6 . A system to conduct a light-based procedure, the system comprising a fiber-optic bi-directional interface device optically coupled to an interrogation assembly, wherein:
a. the fiber-optic bi-directional interface device comprises a multi-core optical fiber comprising a plurality of light-guiding cores, each light-guiding core comprising opposed proximal and distal ends, the proximal end configured to receive light from a light source, wherein:
i. a first portion of the plurality of light-guiding cores further comprises light emission modifications configured to direct light propagating distally along the light-guiding cores in a laterally outward or sideways direction relative to the propagation axis of the light-guiding core; and
ii. a second portion of the plurality of light-guiding cores further comprises light collection modifications configured to receive light produced by a source positioned laterally outwards or sideways relative to the propagation axis of the light-guiding core and direct the received light proximally; and
b. the interrogation assembly comprises:
i. the light source optically coupled to the proximal ends of the plurality of light-guiding cores, wherein the light source is configured to produce and direct light selectively into the proximal end of one or more light-guiding cores from the first plurality in a pre-determined pattern;
ii. a light detector optically coupled to the proximal ends of the plurality of light-guiding cores, wherein the light detector is configured to receive and detect light propagating from the proximal end of one or more light-guiding cores from the second plurality.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the light emission modifications and the light collection modifications are distributed along an emission/collection span extending a predetermined proximal-distal distance along the light-guiding cores.

8 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the light emission modifications are selected from the group consisting of photonic crystals, fiber Bragg gratings (FNGs), and any combination thereof.

9 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the light collection modifications are selected from the group consisting of total internal reflection (TIR) mirrors, multi-layer gradient filters, and any combination thereof.

10 . The system of claim 6 , further comprising a light trap positioned at the distal ends of the plurality of light-guiding cores.

11 . The system of claim 6 , further comprising a launching element configured to selectively transmit a portion of light produced by the light source into the proximal ends of one or more light-guiding cores in the predetermined pattern, wherein the launching element comprises one of:
a. a spatial light modulator optically coupled between the light source and the proximal ends of the plurality of light-guiding cores; b. a digital mirror device (DMD) optically coupled between the light source and the proximal ends of the plurality of light-guiding cores; c. a galvo scanner operatively coupled to the light source to scan the light source point by point to the one or more light-guiding core; or d. a MEMs mirror optically coupled between the light source and the proximal ends of the plurality of light-guiding cores.

12 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the pre-determined pattern is selected from a depth-selective light pattern, a spatially patterned light pattern, a large-volume illumination light pattern, and any combination thereof.

13 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the light-based procedure selected from the optogenetic stimulation, photometry, microscopic imaging, tomographic imaging, and any combination thereof.

14 . A method of producing a fiber-optic bi-directional interface device configured to transmit and receive light oriented perpendicular to a device light propagation axis, the method comprising:
a. providing a multi-core optical fiber comprising a plurality of light-guiding cores, each light-guiding core comprising opposed proximal and distal ends; b. for a first portion of the light-guiding cores, delivering a series of slit-shaped laser pulses from a femto laser to a selected interior region of the light-guiding core to produce a series of cavities within a proximal-distal section of the light-guiding core to form a fiber grating within the fiber, wherein the fiber grating is configured to direct light propagating distally along the light-guiding cores in a laterally outward or sideways direction relative to the propagation axis of the light-guiding core; and c. for a second portion of the plurality of light-guiding cores, delivering a series of laser pulses from a femto laser to a selected interior region of the light-guiding core to produce a rectangular-shaped cavity within a proximal-distal section of the light-guiding core to form a total internal reflection (TIR) mirror configured to receive light produced by a source positioned laterally outwards or sideways relative to the propagation axis of the light-guiding core and direct the received light proximally along the light-guiding core.

Assignees

• Washington University St Louis

Inventors

• Hu Song
• Yang Shuo

Classifications

• G01N2201/0826

  Fibre array at source, distributing · CPC title

• G01N2021/6484

  Optical fibres · CPC title

• G02B6/02

  Optical fibres with cladding {with or without a coating} · CPC title

• G02B6/02147

  Point by point fabrication, i.e. grating elements induced one step at a time along the fibre, e.g. by scanning a laser beam, arc discharge scanning (G02B6/02133 and G02B6/02142 take precedence) · CPC title

• A61B2018/2205

  Characteristics of fibres · CPC title