A time resolved intense pulsed light spectral analysis system

Intense pulsed light systems are currently in widespread use in clinical applications. Verification of spectral content and associated pulse waveforms is, however, not featured in product support and calibration. A measurement system was developed to determine the spectral output of such sources within a series of discrete wavelength intervals. Such a system utilised a series of 11 broadband optical filters with centre wavelengths within the range 450–950 nm in circuit with silicon photodiodes as optical detectors. Signals were captured using a low cost 8-channel 16-bit universal serial bus data capture module interfaced to a laptop computer. This allowed the pulse profile of selected filter components to be separately captured and analysed. Calibration of individual filter channels was undertaken using a Bentham dmc150 spectroradiometer and reference tungsten light source. Initial measurements undertaken of the intense pulsed light output of a Lumenis One system using the system are described.