4 Big Mistakes In Developing Photonics-Enabled Medical Devices

By Zygo Corporation

By David Hill and Krista McEuen, Zygo Corporation

Photonics components have become key enablers in the design and development of next-generation medical devices and diagnostics. This trend has its roots in mature imaging technologies like optical microscopy and endoscopy/colonoscopy, which gained momentum with the recent rise of minimally invasive surgeries and molecular diagnostics. Now it’s poised to accelerate, through emerging applications such as optogenetics, laser ablation therapy, and optical coherence tomography (OCT), among many others.

To get a sense of the technology’s projected scale, consider that the global market for photonics in medical technology and life sciences is projected to nearly double during the current decade — increasing from approximately $32 billion in 2011 to $56 billion in 2020 — according to market research.

However, the more widespread use of optics and photonics technologies in medicine presents certain difficulties for medical device original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Integration of these complex, high-precision components must be considered and managed carefully, all the way from the earliest design phases through to production.

Zygo Corporation, an ISO 13485 and 9001 certified supplier of optical components and electro-optical assemblies, has been helping medical device OEMs successfully integrate photonics capabilities into their medical products for more than 15 years. Our extensive experience in optical design, assembly, and high-volume manufacturing equips us to not only supply precision optical components and systems on a build-to-print basis, but also to shepherd them all the way through the development process, from concept to production.

This white paper identifies four of the most common mistakes we see medical device manufacturers make when attempting to incorporate optics and photonics into their designs — and how to avoid them.