Multi-Spot Laser Surgical Apparatus and Method

1 . A light treatment apparatus for generating a pattern of spots over a treatment area of skin tissue, comprising:

an optical module that generates an array of light beams configured to beneficially coagulate skin tissue, wherein the array is elongated along a sub-scan direction that is transverse to a main scan direction;

a sub-scan module coupled to the optical module that dithers the array of light beams in the sub-scan direction; wherein, for a sweep of the array along the main scan direction, a travel of the array in the sub-scan direction is not more than the length of the array in the sub-scan direction;

a handpiece configured to manually scan the array of light beams along the main scan direction across the treatment area of skin tissue; and

a controller that adjusts a location and/or an exposure of the light beams to generate a pattern of treatment energy.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the optical module comprises:

a plurality of light sources; and

optics coupled to the light sources for generating the array of light beams from the plurality of light sources.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the optical module comprises:

an optical input port for receiving one or more input light beams from an external source; and

optics coupled to the optical input port for generating the array of light beams from the received input light beams.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the optical module generates all of the light beams simultaneously.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the optical module generates the light beams sequentially in time.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sub-scan module comprises:

a light deflecting module configured to deflect one or more of the light beams.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the array of light beams is a rectangular array of light beams with N rows in the sub-scan direction, wherein N is a positive integer greater than 2 , and wherein the travel in the sub-scan direction is not more than a row-to-row spacing in the sub-scan direction.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the array of light beams is a 1×N array of light beams, wherein N is a positive integer greater than 1.

9 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the array of light beams is directed through a contact window attached to the handpiece and the array of light beams has a length of about 1 cm in the sub-scan direction.

10 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the travel of the array in the sub-scan direction is less than one half of the length of the array in the sub-scan direction.

11 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pattern of spots produces fractional phototherapy of the treatment area.

12 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pattern of spots is an irregular pattern of spots.

13 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is coupled to the sub-scan module for controlling the dithering of the array of light beams to generate the pattern of spots.

14 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a main scan sensor for sensing the sweeping of the array of light beams along the main scan direction, wherein the controller is coupled to the sub-scan module and the main scan sensor and controls dithering of the array in response to sweeping of the array.

15 . A method for generating a pattern of spots over a treatment area, comprising:

generating an array of light beams, wherein the array is elongated along a sub-scan direction;

directing a handpiece toward a region of dermal tissue; and

manually sweeping the handpiece across the region of skin tissue to scan the array of light beams along a main scan direction that is transverse to the sub-scan direction; and

for a sweep of the array along the main scan direction, automatically dithering the array in the sub-scan direction, wherein a travel of the array in the sub-scan direction is not more than a length of the array in the sub-scan direction and the sweeping along the main scan direction and the dithering in the sub-scan direction generate a pattern of treatment zones at the region of dermal tissue to cause a therapeutic change in the skin tissue.

16 . The method of claim 15 wherein the step of generating an array of light beams comprises:

generating all of the light beams simultaneously.

17 . The method of claim 15 wherein the step of generating an array of light beams comprises:

generating the light beams sequentially in time.

18 . The method of claim 15 wherein the array of light beams is a rectangular array of light beams with N rows in the sub-scan direction, wherein N is a positive integer greater than 1 and wherein the travel in the sub-scan direction is not more than a row-to-row spacing in the sub-scan direction.

19 . The method of claim 15 further comprising:

adjusting an exposure of the light beams in the array.

20 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the step of automatically dithering the array of light beams in the sub-scan direction comprises:

sensing sweeping of the array along the main scan direction; and

controlling dithering of the array in response to the sensed sweeping of the array along the main scan direction.

21 . A light treatment apparatus for generating a pattern of spots over a treatment area of skin tissue, comprising:

optical means for generating an array of light beams configured to beneficially coagulate skin tissue, wherein the array is elongated along a sub-scan direction that is transverse to a main scan direction;

sub-scan means coupled to the optical means that dithers the array of light beams in the sub-scan direction; wherein, for a sweep of the array along the main scan direction, a travel of the array in the sub-scan direction is not more than the length of the array in the sub-scan direction;

handpiece means configured to manually scan the array of light beams along the main scan direction across the treatment area of skin tissue; and

controller means that adjusts a location and/or an exposure of the light beams to generate a pattern of treatment energy.