A device for applying radiation to a target is provided. The device includes a radiation emitter to emit electromagnetic radiation having a peak emission wavelength in the range from 10 nm-1 mm, and a first reflector that extends in a length direction with a concave cross section. The first reflector defines a cavity area having a perimeter, and includes an inward facing reflective border for at least 50% of the perimeter of the cavity area. Radiation is provided to the cavity area with an intensity distribution I and a maximum intensity I.sub.max. The cavity area includes a focal area defined by all points at which a normalized intensity I/I.sub.max is greater than 0.2. A width of the focal area is 0.0001-0.5 times a width of the cavity area.

A polymer optical fibre (POF) (30) for transmitting light of wavelength, ?i, between two separate elements of an active implantable medical device (AIMD), includes a core (31) which is cylindrical and made of a cyclic olefin polymer (COP) or copolymer (COC), having a core refractive index at the wavelength, ?i, n_core, A cladding (32) which has a cladding refractive index at the wavelength, ?i, n_clad<n_core, and which is made of a cladding copolymer including monomers of tetrafluoroethylene, hexafluoropropylene and vinylidene fluoride. The cladding being itself enclosed in a coating (33) which is made of a coating polymer formed of one of the monomers of the cladding copolymer. The POF has a numerical aperture, NA, at the wavelength, ?i, of at least 0.5.

A polymer optical fibre (POF) (30) for transmitting light of wavelength, ?i, between two separate elements of an active implantable medical device (AIMD), includes a core (31) which is cylindrical and made of a cyclic olefin polymer (COP) or copolymer (COC), having a core refractive index at the wavelength, ?i, n_core, A cladding (32) which has a cladding refractive index at the wavelength, ?i, n_clad<n_core, and which is made of a cladding copolymer including monomers of tetrafluoroethylene, hexafluoropropylene and vinylidene fluoride. The cladding being itself enclosed in a coating (33) which is made of a coating polymer formed of one of the monomers of the cladding copolymer. The POF has a numerical aperture, NA, at the wavelength, ?i, of at least 0.5.

Optical fibers containing wet-spun multi-layer hydrogel cladding with ionic-crosslinked polysaccharides are provided. Optical fibers can be formed with step- or gradient-index architectures, fusion splicing, and facile rare-earth ion doping. Plasmonic nanoparticles, functionalized light-sensitive quantum dots, or particles can be incorporated into the fiber core to generate a resonance light shift upon the presence and binding of molecular biotargets for biosensor applications. The integration of plasmonic hydrogel fibers with medical swabs provides for rapid detection of pathogens such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2). The inclusion of living cells allows for the non-invasive digitalization and quantification of complex biological responses such as cancer proliferative invasion and discovery of anti-cancer drug susceptibility thresholds.

Optical fibers containing wet-spun multi-layer hydrogel cladding with ionic-crosslinked polysaccharides are provided. Optical fibers can be formed with step- or gradient-index architectures, fusion splicing, and facile rare-earth ion doping. Plasmonic nanoparticles, functionalized light-sensitive quantum dots, or particles can be incorporated into the fiber core to generate a resonance light shift upon the presence and binding of molecular biotargets for biosensor applications. The integration of plasmonic hydrogel fibers with medical swabs provides for rapid detection of pathogens such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2). The inclusion of living cells allows for the non-invasive digitalization and quantification of complex biological responses such as cancer proliferative invasion and discovery of anti-cancer drug susceptibility thresholds.

The present invention relates to the field of single-mode optical fibers and discloses a bending-insensitive, radiation-resistant single-mode optical fiber, sequentially including from inside to outside: a core, inner claddings, and an outer cladding, all made from a quartz material. The inner claddings comprise, from inside to outside, a first fluorine-doped inner cladding and a second fluorine-doped inner cladding. The core and the first fluorine-doped inner cladding are not doped with germanium. The respective concentrations of other metal impurities and phosphorus are less than 0.1 ppm. By mass percent, the core has a fluorine dopant content of 0-0.45% and a chlorine content of 0.01-0.10%; the first fluorine-doped inner cladding has a fluorine concentration of 1.00-1.55%; and the second fluorine-doped inner cladding has a fluorine concentration of 3.03-5.00%.

An optically transmissive light directing sheeting and daylight control structures employing the same. The light directing sheeting includes a core light redirecting layer employing TIR surfaces embedded into the sheeting and may further include one or more outer layers having light diffusing surface microstructures. The TIR surfaces intercept and reflect a portion of sunlight propagating through the core layer such that the light directing sheeting partially transmits and partially redirects the sunlight towards a plurality of divergent directions, forming relatively high bend angles.

An optical waveguide-forming composition: 100 parts by mass of a reactive silicone compound (a) composed of a polycondensate of a diarylsilicic acid compound A of Formula [1] ##STR00001##
Ar.sup.1 and Ar.sup.2 are a phenyl, naphthyl or a biphenyl group optionally substituted, and an alkoxy silicon compound B of Formula [2]
Ar.sup.3Si(OR.sup.1).sub.aR.sup.2.sub.3-a[2].
Ar.sup.3 is a phenyl, naphthyl or biphenyl group having at least one group having a polymerizable double bond, R.sup.1 is methyl or ethyl group, R.sup.2 is methyl, ethyl, or vinylphenyl group, and a is 2 or 3, and 1 part by mass to 200 parts by mass of a di(meth)acrylate compound (b) of Formula [3]. ##STR00002##
R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 are a hydrogen atom or methyl group, R.sup.5 is a hydrogen atom, methyl group, or ethyl group, L.sup.1 and L.sup.2 are an alkylene group, and m and n are 0 or a positive integer, wherein m+n is 0 to 20.

An optically transmissive light directing sheeting and a method of making the same are disclosed. The light directing sheeting includes a core sheet of an elastic material that can be laminated onto other surfaces or sandwiched between sheets of various rigid materials. The core sheet includes a plurality of deep and narrow parallel channels configured to direct light by means of a total internal reflection. The method includes a step of slitting of a soft, optically transmissive plastic sheet with a blade and forming at least one array of substantially parallel linear slits in a surface of the sheet, a step of stretching the sheet in a direction perpendicular to the linear slits, and a step of bonding the sheet to a different sheet of an optically transmissive, rigid material. Various light directing devices employing the light directing sheeting are also disclosed.

Various surgical devices having integrated means of illuminating a surgical field are provided. Retractors, cannulas, suction devices and the like are disclosed having integrated optical waveguides coupleable to external lighting sources. The waveguides feature cladding layers configured to enhance transmission efficiency.