Fluorescent‐Decay Temperature Probes for Biomedical Applications

Fiber optic fluorescent-decay temperature probes are widely employed in biomedical applications where traditional wired thermocouples and resistive thermal devices (RTDs) cannot be used due to strong radio frequency interference or intense magnetic fields. Typical applications include MRI patient monitoring, implantable device testing, laser ablation, and high frequency focused ultrasound thermal therapies. The calibrated time-based measurement is accurate to ±0.1 °C with low noise and no temperature shift in high-Tesla MRI environments. Typical probe diameters range from 250 μm to 1 mm with immersion response times as low as 150 ms. Larger diameter probes with thicker insulating materials around the optical fiber sensor show a slower response and lower maximum temperature raise from pulsed energy heating. It is important to consider probe geometry and other sources of measurement error when optimizing solutions for biomedical applications.