Variable stage optical system for ophthalmic surgical laser

1. An ophthalmic laser system, comprising:

a laser source that generates a laser beam of laser pulses;

an XY scanner that scans the laser beam in directions transverse to a Z axis;

a Z scanner that scans the laser beam along the Z axis and includes

a continuous Z scanner that provides continuous scanning of the laser beam along the Z axis; and

an incremental Z scanner that provides incremental scanning of the laser beam along the Z axis,

the incremental Z scanner one or more variable stages that can be positioned in and out of a path of the laser beam.

2. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 1 , wherein:

the incremental Z scanner is configured to Z-scan a focus depth of the ophthalmic laser system in an incremental manner by Z steps; and

the continuous Z scanner is configured to Z-scan the focus depth of the ophthalmic laser system a continuous manner in continuous scanning ranges corresponding to the Z steps.

3. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 2 , wherein:

the Z scanner is configured so that continuous scanning ranges are larger than one or more Z steps, thereby

the continuous scanning ranges in which the focus depth can be Z-scanned with the continuous Z scanner at neighboring Z steps overlap; and

an operator of the ophthalmic laser system is capable to Z-scan the focus depth in a quasi-continuous Z scanning range.

4. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 3 , wherein:

the total Z scanning range has a length within one of the ranges of 0-5 mm, 5-40 mm, 10-30 mm and 0-15 mm.

5. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 2 , wherein:

the incremental Z scanner is capable of setting the focus depth

to a corneal Z level, allowing a surgeon to carry out a corneal ophthalmic procedure in the continuous scanning range around the corneal Z level; and

to one or more lens Z levels, allowing the surgeon to carry out a lens ophthalmic procedure in continuous scanning ranges around the one or more lens Z levels.

6. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 1 , wherein:

the Z scanner is configured to keep an aberration of the laser beam better than a threshold value in a target region.

7. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 6 , wherein:

the aberration of the ophthalmic laser system can be characterized by a Strehl ratio S; and

the Strehl ratio S is higher than a threshold value S(threshold) in the target region; wherein

S(threshold) is one of the values of 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, and 0.9.

8. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 7 , wherein;

the Strehl ratio S corresponds to a laser beam with a wavelength in the range of 0.4 microns to 1.1 microns.

9. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 7 , wherein:

the Strehl ratio S is higher than S(threshold) at one or more of five reference points in the target region, wherein

the five reference points are determined by their cylindrical coordinates (z, r) in the target region as P 1 =(0,0), P 2 =(2,6), P 3 =(5,0), P 4 =(8,0), P 5 =(8,3), all in millimeters, at any azimuth angle φ, relative to the front and center of the target region being at (0, 0).

10. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 6 , wherein:

the aberration of the ophthalmic laser system can be characterized by a focal spot radius r f ; and

the focal spot radius r f is smaller than a threshold value r f (threshold) in the target region; wherein

r f (threshold) is one of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 micrometers.

11. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 10 , wherein:

the focal spot radius r f is smaller than r f (threshold) at one or more of five reference points in the target region, wherein

the five reference points are determined by their cylindrical coordinates (z, r) in the target region as P 1 =(0,0), P 2 =(2,6), P 3 =(5,0), P 4 =(8,0), P 5 =(8,3), all in millimeters, at any azimuth angle φ, relative to the front and center of the target region being at (0, 0).

12. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 6 , wherein:

the aberration is one of a spherical aberration, a coma, an astigmatism and a chromatic aberration.

13. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 6 , wherein:

the Z scanner is configured to at least partially compensate an aberration, caused by the Z scanner having Z-scanned a focus depth of the ophthalmic system in the target region.

14. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 1 , wherein:

the variable stages can be positioned in a sequence of configurations which move a focus depth of the laser beam in predetermined Z steps.

15. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 1 , wherein:

different variable stages are configured to move the focus depth proportional to a basic Z-step length multiplied by different powers of 2.

16. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 15 , wherein:

the number of variable stages is one of one, two, three and four.

17. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 1 , wherein:

an aberration caused by a variable stage is compensated, at least partially, by the variable stage comprising a functional multiplet lens.

18. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 1 , wherein:

an aberration caused by a variable stage is compensated, at least partially, by the variable stage comprising a singlet lens with a bending parameter different from zero.

19. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 1 , wherein:

a variable stage can be moved in the path of the laser beam by at least one of: a mechanical slider, a mechanical actuator, a rotating arm, and an electromechanical apparatus.

20. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 1 , wherein:

the continuous Z scanner is configured to scan the focus depth of the laser beam in predetermined continuous scanning ranges when different variable stages are positioned in the path of the laser beam, wherein the predetermined continuous ranges are one of:

different for different variable stages; and

same for different variable stages.

21. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 1 , wherein:

the continuous Z scanner is positioned between the laser source and the XY scanner; and

the incremental Z scanner is positioned after the XY scanner in the path of the laser beam.

22. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 1 , wherein:

the continuous Z scanner is positioned after the XY scanner in a path of the laser beam.

23. The ophthalmic laser system of claim , wherein:

the continuous Z scanner comprises a first block, positioned between the laser source and the XY scanner; and

a second block, positioned after the XY scanner in a path of the laser beam.

24. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 1 , wherein:

the Z scanner is configured to vary a Z focus depth and a numerical aperture of the laser beam essentially independently from each other.

25. The ophthalmic laser system of claim 1 , wherein:

the Z scanner is positioned

in a separate housing from an objective; and

before the objective in a path of the laser beam.

26. A method of scanning a laser beam, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a laser beam by a laser source;

Z-scanning a focus depth of the laser beam by a continuous Z scanner; and

Z-scanning the focus depth of the laser beam by an incremental Z scanner by positioning one or more variable stages of the incremental Z scanner in a path of the laser beam.

27. The method of scanning a laser beam of claim 26 , wherein:

the Z-scanning by the incremental Z scanner comprises Z-scanning the focus depth in incremental Z-steps; and

the Z scanning by the continuous Z scanner comprises Z-scanning the focus depth in continuous scanning ranges corresponding to the incremental Z steps.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein:

one or more of the continuous scanning ranges is larger than the Z steps, thereby

the continuous scanning ranges in which the focus depth can be Z-scanned with the continuous Z scanner at neighboring Z steps overlap; and

an operator of the ophthalmic laser system is capable to Z-scan the focus depth in a quasi-continuous Z scanning range.

29. The method of claim 27 , comprising:

setting the incremental Z scanner to a conical Z-level;

performing a corneal surgical procedure by Z-scanning the focus depth with the continuous Z scanner;

setting the incremental Z scanner to one or more lens levels; and

performing a lens surgical procedure by Z-scanning the focus depth with the continuous Z scanner.

30. The method of claim 27 , comprising:

keeping an aberration better than a threshold value in a target region; wherein

the aberration is one of a spherical aberration, a coma, an astigmatism and a chromatic aberration.

31. The method of claim 26 , wherein the step of Z-scanning by the

incremental Z scanner comprises:

positioning the variable stages in a sequence of configurations which Z-scan the focus depth in predetermined Z-increments.

32. The method of claim 26 , wherein the step of Z-scanning by the incremental Z scanner comprises:

moving the focus depth proportional to a basic Z step multiplied by different powers of 2 by moving different variable stages in and out of the path of the laser beam.

33. The method of claim 27 , wherein the Z-scanning the focus depth comprises:

Z-scanning the focus depth with the continuous Z scanner to a focus depth near a. maximum of a first continuous scanning range;

increasing the focus depth in an incremental Z step by the incremental Z scanner;

resetting the continuous Z scanner to near a minimum of a second continuous scanning range; and

Z scanning the focus depth within the second continuous scanning range.

34. The method of claim 33 , wherein:

the first continuous scanning range and the second continuous scanning range are essentially equal.

35. The method of claim 26 , wherein the step of Z-scanning the focus depth comprises:

Z-scanning the focus depth essentially independently from adjusting a numerical aperture of the laser beam.

36. A scanning laser system, comprising:

a laser source, to generate a pulsed laser beam;

an XY scanner,

to scan the laser beam in directions transverse to a Z axis;

a continuous Z scanner; and

a variable stage Z scanner, comprising variable stages, configured to be positioned in and out of a path of the laser beam,

to scan the laser beam along the Z axis.