Abstract: An optical nanocomposite containing optically active crystals and suitable to be drawn into fiber form, dissolved into solution and subsequently deposited as a thin film, or used as a bulk optical component. This invention integrates compositional tailoring to enable matching of optical properties (index, dispersion, do/dT), specialized dispersion methods to ensure homogeneous physical dispersion of NCs within the glass matrix during preparation, while minimizing agglomeration and mismatch of coefficient of thermal expansion. By tailoring the base glass composition's viscosity versus temperature profile, the resulting bulk nanocomposite can be further formed to create an optical fiber, while maintaining physical dispersion of NCs, avoiding segregation of the NCs.

Abstract: A laser system may include one or more seed lasers to generate a pulsed seed beam. The system may further include a pulse pattern generator to generate an intermediate patterned burst-mode beam from at least one laser pulse from the pulsed seed beam, where the intermediate patterned burst-mode beam includes one or more pulse bursts, and where each of the one or more pulse bursts includes a series of laser pulses with a selected pattern of inter-pulse spacings. The system may further include two or more power amplifiers to amplify the intermediate patterned burst-mode beam to form an amplified patterned burst-mode beam, where at least two of the power amplifiers amplify different portions of the intermediate patterned burst-mode beam, and where the amplified patterned burst-mode beam includes a series of amplified pulse bursts including amplified laser pulses with the selected pattern of inter-pulse spacings.

Abstract: A laser system may include one or more seed lasers to generate a pulsed seed beam including one or more laser pulses, a pulse pattern generator to generate an intermediate patterned burst-mode beam from at least one laser pulse from the pulsed seed beam, where the pulse pattern generator includes splits the at least one laser pulse from the pulsed seed beam along two or more delay paths and combines light along the two or more delay paths to a common optical path, and where the intermediate patterned burst-mode beam includes laser pulses with a selected pattern of inter-pulse spacings associated with the two or more delay paths. The laser system may further include power amplifiers to amplify the intermediate patterned burst-mode beam to form an amplified patterned burst-mode beam, where the amplified patterned burst-mode beam includes amplified laser pulses with the selected pattern of inter-pulse spacings.

Abstract: A supercontinuum source may include a seed source providing seed light, where the seed source includes one or more seed lasers to generate the seed light and a seed controller to adjust at least one of a temporal pulse profile or a wavelength of the seed light. The supercontinuum source may further include an optical fiber to receive the seed light, where the seed source pumps the optical fiber to induce the generation of supercontinuum output light, and where a spectrum of the supercontinuum output light is controllable by adjusting at least one of the temporal pulse profile or the wavelength of the seed light with the seed controller.

Abstract: A diamond Raman laser may include a diamond Raman oscillator (DRO) with a first diamond gain medium, a seed laser providing a seed beam at a seed wavelength, and a cavity configured to resonate at a first-Stokes wavelength, the first-Stokes wavelength corresponding to first-Stokes emission in diamond when pumped with the seed wavelength, and where the DRO outputs a first-Stokes beam at the first-Stokes wavelength. The diamond Raman laser may further include a diamond Raman amplifier (DRA) to amplify the first-Stokes beam and generate an amplified first-Stokes beam, where the DRA includes two or more diamond Raman amplification stages, each including one or more second diamond gain media, and one or more optical filters to filter light with a second-Stokes wavelength generated in at least one of the one or more second gain media.

Abstract: An optical nanocomposite containing optically active crystals (rare earth or transition metal doped) in a suitably index-, dispersion-, thermo-optically matched matrix enables creation of a glass ceramic with unique optical properties. By further tuning the viscosity of the composite, it can be drawn into fiber form, dissolved into solution and subsequently deposited as a thin film, or used as a bulk optical component. Critical to achieving a viable material is closely matching the attributes needed to not only achieve optical function but to enable fabrication under elevated temperatures (i.e., during fiber drawing) or in unique chemical or thermal environments, such as during deposition as a thin film. This invention uses nanosized crystalline powders (nanocrystals—NC), blended with multicomponent chalcogenide glass (ChG) to form an optical nanocomposite.

Abstract: Each of an optical component, a laser apparatus that includes the optical component and a method for operating the laser apparatus uses a particular reflective material layer located and formed over a substrate at a particular thickness for providing the optical component, the laser apparatus and the method for operating the laser apparatus with sufficient imperviousness to laser filaments under particular energy density fluence considerations. A particular reflective material layer comprises gold or a gold alloy. Other reflective materials may include silver, copper, aluminum and palladium reflective materials and related alloys.

Abstract: An organic electroluminescent device comprising: a substrate; a first electrode disposed over the substrate for injecting charge of a first polarity; a second electrode disposed over the first electrode for injecting charge of a second polarity opposite to said first polarity; an organic light emitting layer disposed between the first and the second electrode; and an encapsulant disposed over the second electrode, wherein the second electrode and the encapsulant are transparent to light emitted by the light emitting layer, wherein a cavity is provided between the encapsulant and the second electrode, and wherein an anti-reflective coating is provided on at least one side of the encapsulant for reducing reflection of light emitted by the light emitting layer so as to improve out-coupling of light from the device, said anti-reflective coating being transparent to light emitted by the light emitting layer.

Abstract: Methods, systems and apparatus for producing a variable, known number of nanoparticles of various materials in an expanding mist in a vacuum or enclosure. The configurations allow for this mist of small particles to be produced in bursts, at repetition rates over a wide range of frequencies. The technique produces an isotropically expanding mist of particles. Direct applications of the invention can be used for the development of high power short wavelength incoherent light sources for applications in EUV lithography (EUVL), advanced microscopy, precision metrology, and other fields.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device that can be used to brace the pelvic region of a patient and to a stretcher for bracing the pelvic region of a patient. The pelvic brace includes a plurality of bracing elements that can at least in part be wrapped around or about the pelvic region of a patient. The bracing elements being configured so as to be able to adjustable in length by two different fasteners so that the bracing elements can be fitted to people of various sizes ranging from young children to large adults. The stretcher includes a retractable frame assembly and preferably one or more than one pelvic brace fitted to the frame assembly to applying pressure to the pelvic region of a patient on the stretcher.

Abstract: An organic optoelectrical device comprising: a substrate; at least one first electrode disposed over the substrate; a layer of bank material disposed over the first electrode and defining a plurality of wells; a layer of organic semi-conductive material disposed in the wells; at least one second electrode disposed over the layer of organic semi-conductive material in the wells; an encapsulant disposed over the at least one second electrode; a layer of the bank material provided at a periphery of the device; and a metallic seal adhering the encapsulant to the layer of bank material at the periphery of the device, the bank material being an inorganic electrically insulating material whereby the substrate, the bank material, the metallic seal and the encapsulant form a seal at the periphery of the device.

Abstract: Methods and systems for hybrid gain guiding in laser resonators that combines the features of gain guiding and fiber or other types of lasers into a single system. Hybrid gain guiding in laser resonators is not limited to conventional fiber lasers. Any type of gain guided fiber, index guided or anti-guided, is used as an intracavity element to induce loss on high order modes in an otherwise multimode laser system. The gain guided element contributes little gain to the laser oscillator but allows only the lowest order mode to transmit without loss. When the gain guiding fiber length is selected so the loss for a particular cavity mode is greater than the gain, the cavity mode does not lase. Since the gain guiding fiber induces loss for all laser modes other than the lowest order mode it makes sure that the mode one higher than the lowest order mode does not lase and as a result, no other cavity modes lase.

Abstract: A connector for the connection of a plurality of conduits is described, the connector comprising: a male connector portion (10) and a female connector (12) portion; the male connector portion having a plurality of male conduit connection spigot members (26, 28. 30, 34) sealingly engageable with a plurality of female conduit connection socket members in the female connector portion; the spigot members and socket members (152, 154, 156, 158) having conduit receiving means; a conduit clamp member (38) in each of the male and female connector portions; mutual engagement means in the connector portions for holding the male and female connector portions together or for allowing separation of the connector portions, the engagement means being responsive to fluid flow stemming and fluid flow permitting positions of the clamp members.

Abstract: A connector (10) for connecting two conduits having a plurality of lumens therethrough is described, the connector for comprising a male connector portion (12) and a female connector portion (14), the male and female connector portions having mutually engageable retention means, the male and female connector portions defining a plurality of flow passages commensurate with those of the conduits to be connected, the male and female connector portions having co-operating male and female fluid flow passage connecting portions wherein axes of fluid flow passages in a connector portion are offset at an entry point from an exit point in that portion.

Abstract: A connector for joining ends of two conduits is described, the connector comprising: a male connector portion and a female connector portion, both portions having conduit connection means for the connection of a conduit to each portion; engagement means to hold the male and female connector portions in fluid flow establishing connection when connected together and valve means associated with said female portion.

Abstract: Methods, systems, apparatus, devices for tracking, controlling and providing feedback on droplets used in EUV source technology. The method and system track and correct positions of droplet targets and generated plasma including generating the droplet target or plasma, optically imaging the generated target, determining position coordinates, comparing the position coordinates to a set optimal position to determine if a deviation has occurred and moving the generated target back to the optimal position if the deviation has occurred. The optical imaging step includes activating a light source to image the generated target, the light source is strobed at approximately the same rate as the droplet production to provide illumination of the droplet for stroboscopic imaging. The step of moving is accomplished mechanically by moving the generated target back to the predefined position or electronically under computer control.

Abstract: Methods, systems and devices for a waveguide pumping gain guided index antiguided fiber laser having a fiber selected for a refractive index crossover at a wavelength between a pump wavelength and a laser emission wavelength. A waveguide pumping system pumps a light having a pump wavelength into the fiber allowing a laser light to be captured by a gain guided process in the core while the pump light, propagating in the cladding is coupled to the core. The fiber selection includes selecting a fiber with a cladding material having a refractive index less than a core material refractive index for a pump wavelength and a core refractive index at the laser emission wavelength is less than the cladding refractive index at the same laser emission wavelength to allow the pump light to propagate through the cladding as a conventional wave guided fiber laser, white the laser emission is captured within the core as an index antiguided, gain guided wave.

Abstract: Systems, configurations and methods of using an ultrafast, self-starting, mode-locked laser are provided. The systems, devices and methods of using stable, self-starting mode-locked lasers, can be compact, use fewer optical elements and have energies sufficient for most micro-processing and micro-structuring applications. The large spectral bandwidth of ultra-short (femtosecond) laser pulses can be used in laser sensing applications, micro-machining, time-resolved experiments, where short-lived transient species can be observed in biological or chemical reactions. Terahertz radiation can be generated using ultrashort pulses and used for imaging applications.

Abstract: Systems and methods for measuring a pulse length (?0) of an ultra-short light pulse (P0) based on processing a number of substantially similar light pulses. The system includes an autocorrelation optical system adapted to receive the light pulses P0 and create from each light pulse two beams having an associated optical path length difference ?OPL. Providing a different ?OPL for each light pulse creates an autocorrelation interference pattern representative of an autocorrelation of the light pulse P0. An LED detector detects the autocorrelation interference pattern and generates therefrom an autocorrelation signal. A signal-processing unit forms from the autocorrelation signal a digital count signal representative of a number of counted peaks in the autocorrelation signal above the full-width half maximum. Control electronics unit causes the varying ?OPL and provides a difference signal (S?) representative of the ?OPL to the signal-processing unit.

Abstract: Methods, systems and apparatus for using nanoparticle seeded short-wavelength discharge generator sources discharge sources, for use with X-ray, XUV and EUV light emissions. Applications can include EUV lithography. Additional embodiments can use the generator sources for Hollow Cathode Plasma Discharge (HCPD) lamps, and dense plasma focus (DPF) devices and other sources. Target streams of gases such as Xe and nanoparticles such as tin, copper, or lithium can be heated with laser type sources to emit nano-droplets therefrom.