Cu Boulder Researchers Advance Miniature Laser Technology For Biomedical Imaging

Darwin Quiroz is exploring caller frontiers successful miniature lasers pinch awesome biomedical applications.

When Quiroz first started moving pinch optics arsenic an undergraduate, he was processing atomic magnetometers. That acquisition sparked a increasing curiosity astir really ray interacts pinch matter, an liking that has now led him to a caller method successful optical imaging.

Quiroz, a PhD student in nan Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering astatine nan University of Colorado Boulder, is co-first writer of a caller study that demonstrates really a fluid-based optical instrumentality known arsenic an electrowetting prism tin beryllium utilized to steer lasers astatine precocious speeds for precocious imaging applications. 

The activity published successful Optics Express, conducted on pinch mechanical engineering PhD postgraduate Eduardo Miscles and Mo Zohrabi, elder investigation associate, opens nan doorway to caller technologies successful microscopy, LiDAR, optical communications and moreover encephalon imaging.

Most laser scanners coming usage mechanical mirrors to steer beams of light. Our attack replaces that pinch a transmissive, non-mechanical instrumentality that's smaller, lower-power and perchance easier to standard down into miniature imaging systems."

Darwin Quiroz, a PhD student in nan Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering astatine nan University of Colorado Boulder

Traditional laser scanning microscopy useful by directing a focused beam of ray crossed a sample for illustration a grid 1 statement astatine a time. This method provides powerful, high-resolution images of cells and neurons, but it requires fast, precise steering of nan laser beam.

That's wherever nan electrowetting prism comes in. Unlike coagulated mirrors, nan prism uses a bladed furniture of fluid whose aboveground tin beryllium precisely controlled pinch voltage. By altering nan liquid's shape, researchers tin crook and steer ray beams without moving mechanical parts.

Previous activity pinch electrowetting prisms was constricted to slow scanning speeds aliases one-dimensional beam steering. 

Quiroz and Miscles pushed nan exertion further, demonstrating two-dimensional scanning astatine speeds from 25-75 hz, a milestone toward making nan devices applicable for real-world imaging.

"A large situation was learning really to thrust nan instrumentality successful a measurement that produces linear, predictable scanning without distortion," Quiroz said. "We discovered that nan prism has resonant modes for illustration opinionated waves that we could really leverage for scanning astatine higher speeds."

The committedness of this exertion extends acold beyond nan lab. Since electrowetting prisms are compact and power efficient, they could beryllium integrated into miniature microscopes mini capable to beryllium connected apical of a mouse's head.

"Imagine being capable to watch encephalon activity successful real-time while an animal runs done a maze," said Quiroz. "That's nan benignant of in-vivo imaging this exertion could alteration and it could toggle shape really we study neurological conditions for illustration PTSD aliases Alzheimer's disease."

The task builds connected earlier activity successful nan Gopinath and Bright labs, wherever erstwhile PhD student Omkar Supekar first integrated an electrowetting prism into a microscope strategy for one-dimensional scanning. 

By extending nan method into 2 dimensions and higher speeds, Quiroz and Miscles established a model for calibrating and characterizing electrowetting scanners for a wide scope of applications.

Looking ahead, Quiroz hopes this investigation not only improves imaging systems but besides inspires early collaborations crossed fields.

"This activity shows what's imaginable erstwhile you harvester physics and engineering approaches," Quiroz said. "The eventual extremity is to build devices that thief america spot and understand nan encephalon successful ways we couldn't before."