FUNDAMENTAL INVESTIGATION FOR DEVELOPMENT OF CO LASER SURGICAL SCALPEL (III) CO LASER POWER DELIVERY BY As//2S//3 IR GLASS FIBER.

High-intensity delivery of CO laser power by a As//2S//3 chalcogenide glass optical fiber was successfully achieved. A continuous transmission power of 4W was achieved with a 200 mu m diameter unclad fiber without any degradation on the fiber. A light intensity at the fiber output of 12. 8kW/cm**2 was attained. The combination of the chalcogenide glass fiber and the room-temperature CO laser was revealed to be one of the best choices for the flexible delivery of laser power. This combination is suitable for medical applications. In future designs, a laser medical instrument with a flexible light delivery line with performance control of cutting capacity and coagulating capacity (by the power ratio control of a CO laser for cutting and a Nd-YAG laser for coagulation) can be attained.