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Superlum aims to develop the next generation of SLDs

CAPPA recently initiated a research partnership with Superlum, a leading global manufacturer of superluminiscent diodes and modules. Superlum's international headquarters are located in Carrigtohill, on the outskirts of Cork city. CAPPA, along with collaborators in the Tyndall National Institute, will work closely with Superlum to develop the next generation of superluminescent diodes or SLDs.

The unique property of SLDs is the combination of laser-diode-like output power and brightness with broad LED-like optical spectrum. These properties mean that SLDs are deployed in a wide range of applications from gyroscopes to telecommunications networks. One of the strongest markets is medical imaging where SLDs are used as the light source for Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) systems. OCT is enabling a number of new medical imaging techniques for ocular and cardiovascular health.

The most common application of SLDs in OCT is for retinal imaging systems. The axial resolution of OCT in retinal tissue is about 1-15 µm, which is 10 to 100 times better than ultrasound or MRI. Although relatively new to ophthalmology, commercial OCT systems have already revolutionized the field, rapidly becoming an essential tool in the diagnosis and monitoring of human retinal disease.

CAPPA, Tyndall and Superlum are exploring new approaches to improving SLD performance so that it can further increase the axial resolution of OCT systems. The research, funded jointly by Superlum and Enterprise Ireland under the Innovation Partnership programme, is already underway and expects to complete in late 2012.

More information on the above topics can be found here:
Evening Echo Article on Superlum Collaboration
Superlum Website
Superlum White Paper on SLDs
OCT news online
Eye on OCT from Carl Zeiss
Enterprise Ireland's Innovation Partnership Programme