Laser eye surgery system

1. A laser eye surgery system comprising:

a laser beam source configured to generate a laser beam for performing laser eye surgery on a patient's eye;

an objective lens configured to focus the laser beam to a focal point in the eye;

a scanning assembly configured to support the objective lens and to scan the focal point of the laser beam to different target locations within the eye in an xy-plane and a z direction, x, y and z being three orthogonal directions;

wherein the scanning assembly and the objective lens are configured to freely move together relative to the laser beam source in the x, y and z directions in response to external forces exerted on the objective lens or the scanning assembly;

a free-floating mechanism that supports the scanning assembly and is configured to accommodate the free movement of the scanning assembly relative to the laser beam source in a manner that maintains alignment in the x, y and z directions between the laser beam and the target locations during the free movement, the free-floating mechanism including first and second beam deflection devices configured to slide relative to one another to vary a distance between the first and second beam deflection devices, the first and second beam deflection devices being external to the scanning assembly and located on an optical path between the laser beam source and the scanning assembly, the first beam deflection device arranged to receive the laser beam in a first direction and deflect it to a second direction, and the second beam deflection device arranged to receive the laser beam in the second direction and deflect it to a third direction, wherein one of the first, second and third directions is the z direction, another one of the first, second and third directions is the x direction, and yet another one of the first, second and third directions is they direction, the second beam deflection device arranged to receive a reflection of a portion of the laser beam from a location of the focal point propagating in a direction opposite to the third direction and deflect it to a direction opposite to the second direction, the first beam deflection device being disposed to receive the portion of the electromagnetic radiation beam propagating in the direction opposite to the second direction and deflect it to a direction opposite to the first direction; and

a detection assembly configured to generate an intensity signal indicative of intensity of the reflection of the portion of the laser beam.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the scanning assembly comprises a z-scan device operable to vary the location of the focal point in a direction of propagation of the laser beam and an xy-scan device operable to vary the location of the focal point transverse to the direction of propagation of the laser beam.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein

a rotational orientation between the first and second beam deflection devices is configured to be variable.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the free-floating mechanism further comprises a third beam deflection device configured to deflect the laser beam propagating in the third direction to propagate in a fourth direction different from the third direction, the third beam deflection device also being configured to deflect the portion of the laser beam reflected from the focal point location and propagating opposite to the fourth direction to propagate opposite to the third direction, wherein a rotational orientation between the second and third beam deflection devices is configured to be variable.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the detection assembly comprises a sensor configured to generate the intensity signal and an aperture configured to block portions of the laser beam reflected from locations other than the focal point location from reaching the sensor.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a polarization-sensitive device and a polarizing device, the polarization-sensitive device being disposed along an optical path of the laser beam between the beam source and the free-floating mechanism, the laser beam passing through the polarization-sensitive device during propagation of the laser beam from the beam source to the free-floating device, the polarizing device modifying polarization of at least one of the laser beam and the portion of the laser beam reflected from the focal point location, the polarization-sensitive device reflecting the portion of the laser beam reflected from the focal point to incident upon a sensor configured to generate the intensity signal.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the polarizing device comprises a one-quarter wave plate.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the beam source is configured to provide the laser beam having a power level insufficient to modify tissue.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the beam source is configured to provide the laser beam having a power level sufficient modify tissue.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the laser beam comprises a plurality of laser pulses having a wavelength between 320 nanometers and 430 nanometers.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the laser beam comprises a plurality of laser pulses having a wavelength between 800 nanometers and 1100 nanometers.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the laser beam comprises a plurality of laser pulses having a pulse duration of between 100 femtoseconds and 15 nanoseconds.