Biomedical applications of mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers - a review

Mid-infrared spectroscopy has been applied to research in biology and medicine for more than 20 years and conceivable applications have been identified. More recently, these applications have been shown to benefit from the use of quantum cascade lasers due to their specific properties, namely high s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Analyst (London) 2018-12, Vol.143 (24), p.5888-5911
Main Authors: Isensee, Katharina, Kröger-Lui, Niels, Petrich, Wolfgang
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biomedical materials
Humans
Infrared analysis
Infrared lasers
Infrared Rays
Infrared spectra
Infrared spectroscopy
Laser applications
Lasers, Semiconductor
Optical Imaging - instrumentation
Optical Imaging - methods
Power spectral density
Quantum cascade lasers
Spectrophotometry, Infrared - instrumentation
Spectrophotometry, Infrared - methods
Spectrum analysis
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Summary:Mid-infrared spectroscopy has been applied to research in biology and medicine for more than 20 years and conceivable applications have been identified. More recently, these applications have been shown to benefit from the use of quantum cascade lasers due to their specific properties, namely high spectral power density, small beam parameter product, narrow emission spectrum and, if needed, tuning capabilities. This review provides an overview of the achievements and illustrates some applications which benefit from the key characteristics of quantum cascade laser-based mid-infrared spectroscopy using examples such as breath analysis, the investigation of serum, non-invasive glucose monitoring in bulk tissue and the combination of spectroscopy and microscopy of tissue thin sections for rapid histopathology. Quantum cascade lasers with high spectral power density and narrow band emission profiles provide novel access to biomedical applications.
ISSN:0003-2654
1364-5528
DOI:10.1039/c8an01306c