Patents by Inventor Walter C. Hurlbut

Walter C. Hurlbut has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9054491
    Abstract: Solid state devices are provided for advantageously generating substantially coherent electromagnetic radiation. Electromagnetic waves in one or more desired frequency ranges, including terahertz, infrared, or visible light, can be generated using the ring-down mode of a splint-ring resonator (SRR). Present devices can offer tunable output frequencies by employing a biasing voltage to vary the carrier concentration of the dielectric of a capacitor for the SRR.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Inventor: Walter C. Hurlbut
  • Patent number: 8599474
    Abstract: A synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator (OPO) comprises a nonlinear optical medium positioned in an optical resonator (e.g., a ring resonator) and is pumped by a pump laser source. A first arrangement includes a positioning mechanism for translating the nonlinear optical medium so OPO resonant modes propagate through one of multiple longitudinal regions arranged for differing odd orders of quasi-phase-matching. A second arrangement includes a pump fiber laser oscillator stretched to adjust its repetition rate to match that of the OPO. A third arrangement includes a time-domain-multiplexer (TDM) fiber loop between a pump fiber laser oscillator and fiber laser amplification stage(s). The TDM loop increases the pump repetition rate to enable increased average pump power without increased peak power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Microtech Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Vladimir G Kozlov, Walter C. Hurlbut
  • Patent number: 8599476
    Abstract: A synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator (OPO) comprises a nonlinear optical medium positioned in an optical resonator (e.g., a ring resonator) and is pumped by a pump laser source. A first arrangement includes a positioning mechanism for translating the nonlinear optical medium so OPO resonant modes propagate through one of multiple longitudinal regions arranged for differing odd orders of quasi-phase-matching. A second arrangement includes a pump fiber laser oscillator stretched to adjust its repetition rate to match that of the OPO. A third arrangement includes a time-domain-multiplexer (TDM) fiber loop between a pump fiber laser oscillator and fiber laser amplification stage(s). The TDM loop increases the pump repetition rate to enable increased average pump power without increased peak power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Microtech Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Vladimir G. Kozlov, Walter C. Hurlbut
  • Patent number: 8599475
    Abstract: A synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator (OPO) comprises a nonlinear optical medium positioned in an optical resonator (e.g., a ring resonator) and is pumped by a pump laser source. A first arrangement includes a positioning mechanism for translating the nonlinear optical medium so OPO resonant modes propagate through one of multiple longitudinal regions arranged for differing odd orders of quasi-phase-matching. A second arrangement includes a pump fiber laser oscillator stretched to adjust its repetition rate to match that of the OPO. A third arrangement includes a time-domain-multiplexer (TDM) fiber loop between a pump fiber laser oscillator and fiber laser amplification stage(s). The TDM loop increases the pump repetition rate to enable increased average pump power without increased peak power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Microtech Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Vladimir G. Kozlov, Walter C. Hurlbut
  • Patent number: 8035083
    Abstract: A source of terahertz radiation at a fundamental terahertz frequency is tunable over a fundamental terahertz frequency range, and is coupled into a first waveguide. The first waveguide supports only a single transverse spatial mode within the fundamental terahertz frequency range. A solid-state frequency multiplier receives from the first waveguide the terahertz radiation and produces terahertz radiation at a harmonic terahertz frequency. A second waveguide receives the harmonic terahertz radiation. The tunable terahertz source can comprise a backward wave oscillator with output tunable over about 0.10-0.18 THz, 0.18-0.26 THz, or 0.2-0.37 THz. The frequency multiplier can comprises at least one varistor or Schottky diode, and can comprise a doubler, tripler, pair of doublers, doubler and tripler, or pair of triplers. The terahertz source can be incorporated into a terahertz spectrometer or a terahertz imaging system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Microtech Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Vladimir G. Kozlov, Walter C. Hurlbut