Optical Fiber Laser Patents (Class 372/6)
  • Patent number: 10252666
    Abstract: A vehicle lighting system includes a laser lighting device configured to provide a light source for a vehicle lighting device of the vehicle, and an indicator having a laser light icon. An indicator light source is configured to illuminate the laser light icon based on an operating state of the laser lighting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: David Egly, John Orisich
  • Patent number: 10250009
    Abstract: In a fiber laser system (1) for outputting a laser beam obtained by combining a plurality of laser beams outputted by driving the respective fiber laser unit (2a, 2b, 2c), a control section (7) controls a plurality of current sources (6a, 6b, 6c) so that there are time intervals of a certain time between peaks which appear in a case where respective powers of the laser beams rise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: FUJIKURA LTD.
    Inventor: Masahiro Kashiwagi
  • Patent number: 10234395
    Abstract: Provided herein is an apparatus, including an excitation arm including excitation optics; a collection arm including collection optics, wherein the excitation arm and the collection arm are geometrically off-axis from one another for independent control of the excitation optics or the collection optics; and a full-surface spectroscopic analyzer to analyze a thin-film over an article from Raman-scattered light collected by the collection optics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Daniel J. Gargas, David M. Tung, Travis W. Grodt, Joachim W. Ahner
  • Patent number: 10230208
    Abstract: This disclosed subject matter allows short pulses with high peak powers to be obtained from seed pulses generated by a gain-switched diode. The gain-switched diode provides a highly stable source for optical systems such as nonlinear microscopy. The disclosed system preserves the ability to generate pulses at arbitrary repetition rates, or even pulses on demand, which can help reduce sample damage in microscopy experiments or control deliberate damage in material processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Cornell University
    Inventors: Walter Fu, Frank W. Wise, Logan Wright
  • Patent number: 10218142
    Abstract: A water-cooled package of an optical fiber combiner (OFC) comprising an OFC assembly, a front end cap (EC), a rear EC, and a housing operates for long term reliability. The OFC assembly comprises two submounts and an OFC. Each of the two submounts comprises a U-groove in a lengthwise direction and two flat portions symmetrically connected to the U-groove in a widthwise direction. The two flat portions of each of the two submounts are mechanically coincident in a way to form a cavity between the two U-grooves of the two submounts, in which the OFC is fixed. When the OFC assembly is concentrically mated and sealed with the front EC and the rear EC, cooling water in the water-cooled package is prevented from immersing the OFC. The configurations can minimize varying stress-induced optical degradations and maintain beam quality of a laser light exiting the OFC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: LIGHTEL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Chungho Hsia, Pai-Sheng Shen
  • Patent number: 10175111
    Abstract: A method for characterizing terahertz radiation using spectral domain interferometry, comprising overlapping a pump beam and a terahertz beam in a detecting crystal; obtaining two probe pulses by propagating the probe beam into a polarization maintaining single-mode optical fiber after the detecting crystal; and measuring a change in the optical path difference between the two probe pulses. The system comprises a detection crystal, where a terahertz pulse and a probe beam are made to overlap; a polarization-maintaining optical fiber propagating the probe beam after the detection crystal and outputting two probe pulses; and a spectrometer where the two probe pulses interfere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique
    Inventors: Tsuneyuki Ozaki, Gargi Sharma, Kanwarpal Singh
  • Patent number: 10161805
    Abstract: To measure the frequency of a laser, the frequency of a beat signal that is generated by the interference between an optical frequency comb, used as the reference of measurement, and the laser to be measured is measured. In such a laser frequency measurement using the optical frequency comb, at least one of a repetition frequency and a CEO frequency of the optical frequency comb is changed so that the frequency of the beat signal becomes a predetermined value, and the frequency of the beat signal is measured, so that the frequency of the laser is measured. This allows measurement of the frequency of laser having large frequency variation and low stability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuhiko Kawasaki
  • Patent number: 10164399
    Abstract: A mid-infrared cascading fiber amplifier device having a source configured to generate a first electromagnetic wave output at a first frequency, a fiber coupled to the source and a pump coupled to the fiber and configured to generate a second electromagnetic wave output at a second frequency, wherein the second frequency is higher than the first frequency and causes the fiber to undergo two or more transitions in response to stimulation by the first electromagnetic wave output at the first frequency, wherein the first transition generates the first electromagnetic wave output approximately at the first frequency and the second transition generates the first electromagnetic wave output approximately at the first frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignees: BAYLOR UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY
    Inventors: Jonathan Hu, Curtis R. Menyuk
  • Patent number: 10126492
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a plastic image fiber having a small optical transmission loss. The plastic image fiber comprises N (where N is an integer equal to or greater than 2) number of cores which are disposed within a cladding. The each of the cores has an index of reflection that continuously changes at a peripheral part of the core. The index of reflection at the peripheral part on a center side of the core is greater than an index of reflection at the peripheral part on a cladding side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: KURARAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Osamu Shinji, Tatsuya Ueda, Katashi Saito
  • Patent number: 10098267
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a housing, a printed circuit board (PCB) disposed in the housing, and electronic components that are supported on the PCB. The housing is an assembly of a cover and a base. At least one of the cover and the base include a region in which at least a portion of an outer surface of the housing within the region, and a portion of housing material adjoining the portion of the outer surface, have material properties that are different than those in other regions. A method of manufacturing that provides the desired material properties is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignees: Robert Bosch LLC, Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: John Janson, Ligor Manushi, Alexander Moore, Hiram Avalos, Robert Keller, Mark Ryskamp, Motozo Horikawa
  • Patent number: 10090631
    Abstract: A cladding stripper includes a plurality of transversal notches or grooves in the outer surface of an exposed inner cladding of a double clad optical fiber. Position and orientation of the notches can be selected to even out cladding light release along the cladding light stripper, enabling more even temperature distributions due to released cladding light. The notches on the optical fiber can be made with a laser ablation system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Lumentum Operations LLC
    Inventors: Kai-Chung Hou, Dahv Kliner, Martin H. Muendel, Jeremy Weston
  • Patent number: 10090645
    Abstract: An integrated laser that provides multiple outputs includes a reflective silicon optical amplifier (RSOA) having a reflective end with a reflective coating and an interface end. It also includes an optical waveguide optically coupled to the RSOA. A distributed-Bragg-reflector (DBR) ring resonator is also optically coupled to the optical waveguide, wherein the DBR ring resonator partially reflects a wavelength of the optical signal from the optical waveguide, thereby causing balanced light to flow in clockwise and counter-clockwise directions inside the DBR ring resonator. The integrated laser additionally includes an output waveguide having 2*N ends that function as two outputs, wherein the output waveguide is optically coupled to the DBR ring resonator, which causes balanced light to flow in two directions in the output waveguide, thereby causing the 2*N outputs to provide balanced power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Jock T. Bovington, Xuezhe Zheng, Ashok V. Krishnamoorthy
  • Patent number: 10084287
    Abstract: The mid-infrared laser system has an amplifier including at least one pump laser adapted to generate a pump laser beam and a length of fiber made of a low phonon energy glass and having at least one laser-active doped region between a first end and a second end, and a seed laser to generate a seed laser beam having a seed optical spectrum in the mid-infrared. The seed laser beam is launched into the first end to generate a mid-infrared laser beam outputted from the second end via stimulated emission upon pumping of the at least one laser-active doped region with the pump laser beam. When the power of the pump laser exceeds a spectrum modification threshold, the mid-infrared laser beam has an output optical spectrum being broadened relative to the seed optical spectrum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: UNIVERSITÉ LAVAL
    Inventors: Martin Bernier, Réal Vallée, Vincent Fortin, Jean-Christophe Gauthier, Simon Duval
  • Patent number: 10063030
    Abstract: A high brightness diode laser package includes a plurality of flared laser oscillator waveguides arranged on a stepped surface to emit respective laser beams in one or more emission directions, a plurality of optical components situated to receive the laser beams from the plurality of flared laser oscillator waveguides and to provide the beams in a closely packed relationship, and an optical fiber optically coupled to the closely packed beams for coupling the laser beams out of the diode laser package.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: nLIGHT, Inc.
    Inventors: David Martin Hemenway, Manoj Kanskar
  • Patent number: 10020631
    Abstract: A 3-dimensional (3-D) inscripted wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) coupler for optical amplifiers is provided. The 3-D WDM coupler includes a substrate. The 3-D WDM coupler further includes a 3-dimensional pump waveguide direct laser inscripted into the substrate. The 3-D WDM coupler also includes a optical pump laser coupled into the 3-dimensional pump waveguide. The 3-D WDM coupler further includes a multicore fiber coupled into cores in the direct laser inscripted substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Fatih Yaman
  • Patent number: 9980654
    Abstract: A multi-focus physiologic sensing device for condensing light is disclosed, comprises a multi-focus condenser has one first ellipse reflection member, and one second ellipse reflection member is arranged at an end of the first ellipse reflection member. The first ellipse reflection member has a first focus point thereon. The second ellipse reflection member has two second focus points thereon. A boundary between the first ellipse reflection member and the second ellipse reflection member has a first confocal point. Two lighting elements are respectively arranged on the two second focus points to generate light sources, that focus light on the first confocal point through the second ellipse reflection member, and then the detected object reflects the detected light source back to the first confocal point. Then, the detected light source is passes through the sensor from the first focus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Automotive Research & Test Center
    Inventors: Shun-Wen Cheng, Chun-Yao Shih, Jih-Tao Hsu
  • Patent number: 9985407
    Abstract: To provide a fiber laser apparatus capable of detecting a failure of an optical fiber within a wide range of the apparatus with an inexpensive configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: FUJIKURA LTD.
    Inventor: Yuji Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 9972966
    Abstract: The disclosure herein generally relates to a system (10) for converting an input light (12) into an output light beam (14) that has a spatial beam quality that is greater than that of the input light (12). The system (10) comprises an optical resonator having disposed therein a Raman crystal (20). The Raman crystal (20) is for receiving the input light (12) and the optical resonator is configured to resonate a Stokes light beam (22) generated from the input light (12) by at least one nonlinear interaction within the Raman crystal (20). The at least one nonlinear interaction comprises at least one Raman interaction. The Stokes light beam (22) has a spatial beam quality that is greater than that of the input light (12). The system (10) comprises a light extractor (18) arranged to generate the output light beam (14) by extracting at least some of the Stokes light beam (22) from the optical resonator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Macquarie University
    Inventors: Richard Paul Mildren, Aaron McKay
  • Patent number: 9941654
    Abstract: An apparatus for generating and amplifying laser beams at approximately 1 micrometer wavelength is disclosed. The apparatus includes an ytterbium-doped gain-crystal pumped by an ytterbium fiber-laser. The fiber-laser enables a pump wavelength to be selected that minimizes heating of the gain-crystal. The apparatus can be configured for generating and amplifying ultra-fast pulses, utilizing the gain-bandwidth of ytterbium-doped gain-crystals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: Coherent, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrei Starodoumov, Dmitri Simanovski
  • Patent number: 9935425
    Abstract: A pump laser package may include an input fiber to send signal light on a first optical path. A first lens may be arranged on the first optical path. The pump laser package may include a source to send pump light on a second optical path. A second lens and a negative lens may be arranged on the second optical path. The first lens and the negative lens may be arranged to create a virtual image associated with the pump light. The pump laser package may include an output fiber on a third optical path. The first lens may be arranged on the third optical path. The pump laser package may include a combiner to receive the signal light on the first optical path, receive the pump light on the second optical path, and send the signal light and the pump light on the third optical path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: Lumentum Operations LLC
    Inventors: Yonghong Guo, Jay A. Skidmore, Xia Hong, John Martinho, Huijie Xu, Lihua Wang, Yaogeng Ding, Nicolas Guerin
  • Patent number: 9905987
    Abstract: A laser radar system includes a first light source unit including a signal light source—a seed laser diode or a light source for amplifying a laser beam from the seed laser diode—and a pump laser diode, a second light source unit disposed to be spaced apart from the first light source unit, the second light source unit including an optical amplifier for amplifying a signal output from the first light source unit, and an optical connector for connecting the first light source unit and the second light source unit to each other, wherein the second light source unit is disposed at an end of a laser transceiver unit of the laser radar system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Hong-Seok Seo, Bong Ki Mheen, Min Hyup Song, Gyu Dong Choi
  • Patent number: 9880355
    Abstract: The present relates to a spatially modulated cladding mode stripper and to an optical fiber comprising a spatially modulated cladding mode stripper. The spatially modulated cladding mode stripper comprises a series of alternating high cladding light extracting regions and low cladding light extracting regions located along a portion of a cladding to modulate extracting of cladding light therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: CORACTIVE HIGH-TECH INC.
    Inventors: Marc-André Lapointe, Serge Doucet, Jean-Noel Maran
  • Patent number: 9864131
    Abstract: Application of non-uniform strain to discrete segments of a fiber grating mechanically changes the structure type of the associated device, e.g., the refractive index perturbation profile of the fiber grating is changed from uniform to phase shifted superstructured, or from chirped to superstructured. The strain may be applied with one or more deformable corrugated slides which are bonded to the fiber grating between the discrete segments. The applied strain changes the local period of fiber grating. Complex changes may be achieved via variations of corrugated slide dimensions. An LPFG may be provided with bare fiber by applying periodically longitudinal axial strain to fiber at multiple discrete segments on the fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Inventor: Fei Luo
  • Patent number: 9843410
    Abstract: Methods and systems for amplifying optical signals include generating idler signals for input signals using an optical pump at a first Bragg reflection waveguide (BRW) having second order optical nonlinearity. Phase and amplitude regulation is performed using the output from the first BRW. Optical power monitoring of the input signals may be used for power equalization. The phase-sensitive amplified signal is generated at a second BRW using the optical pump. Optical power monitoring of the input signals may be used for power equalization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Jeng-Yuan Yang, Inwoong Kim, Youichi Akasaka, Motoyoshi Sekiya
  • Patent number: 9804324
    Abstract: An embodiment of the invention relates to a GI-MMF with a structure for achieving widening of bandwidth in a wider wavelength range and improving manufacturing easiness of a refractive index profile in a core. In an example of the GI-MMF, a whole region of the core is doped with Ge and a part of the core is doped with P. Namely, the Ge-doped region coincides with the whole region of the core and the Ge-doped region is comprised of a partially P-doped region doped with Ge and P; and a P-undoped region doped with Ge but not intentionally doped with P.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Manabu Shiozaki, Kazuhiro Yonezawa, Tadashi Enomoto
  • Patent number: 9806487
    Abstract: The present invention relates generally to high brightness optical fiber systems and, more particularly to optical fiber systems 104 having an optical power module 151 remote from an initial amplifier stage 101. In one aspect of the invention, the optical fiber system comprises a first active optical fiber 102 operatively coupled to one or more first pump sources 104; a first signal optical fiber 110 coupled to the first active optical fiber 102; one or more final pump sources 120; one or more final pump optical fibers 130, coupled to one or more of the final pump sources 120; and spatially separated from the one or more final pump sources 120 and the initial amplifier stage 101 comprising the first active optical fiber 102, a power module 151, comprising a final active optical fiber 150, coupled to the first signal optical fiber 110, said final active optical fiber 150 being coupled to said one or more final pump optical fibers 130.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Nufern
    Inventors: Martin Seifert, Scott Christensen
  • Patent number: 9787050
    Abstract: A tunable narrow-linewidth single-frequency linear-polarization laser device comprising a heat sink, a pumping source packaged on the heat sink, a first and second collimating lenses, a laser back cavity mirror, a thermal optical tunable filter, a rare-earth-ion heavily-doped multicomponent glass optical fiber, a super-structure polarization-maintaining fiber grating, a polarization-maintaining optical isolator, a polarization-maintaining optical fiber, and a thermoelectric refrigerating machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: South China University of Technology
    Inventors: Shanhui Xu, Changsheng Yang, Zhongmin Yang, Zhouming Feng, Qinyuan Zhang, Zhonghong Jiang
  • Patent number: 9768581
    Abstract: As kilowatt class fiber laser and amplifier systems become more in demand, there are ongoing efforts to improve optical fiber laser and amplifier designs to maximize efficiency and further increase the capacity of these high-energy optical fiber lasers and amplifiers. The present disclosure provides a fiber laser or amplifier system configured to efficiently and conveniently generate and couple high numerical aperture and high-energy pump light into a fiber laser or amplifier system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: OFS FITEL, LLC
    Inventor: William R Holland
  • Patent number: 9762334
    Abstract: We disclose a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) having a first photonic chip and a second photonic chip that are bonded and optically coupled to one another in a manner that reduces the number of different photonic chips that need to be integrated into the same PIC package to achieve a desired electro-optical function. In an example embodiment, the first photonic chip may include active optical components, such as lasers and optical amplifiers, and be fabricated using the III-V semiconductor technology. The second photonic chip may include additional optical components, such as modulators, photodetectors, and passive optical components, and be fabricated using the CMOS technology. The second photonic chip may also include one or more 2×2 optical couplers configured to appropriately (re)direct various optical signals between the active optical components of the first photonic chip and the additional optical components of the second photonic chip to achieve the desired electro-optical function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA Inc.
    Inventors: Chia-Ming Chang, Guilhem de Valicourt
  • Patent number: 9735536
    Abstract: Optical system and method for the provision of at least one high-frequency modulated light pulse having a pump light source for the provision of high-frequency pump light pulses; an optical resonator having a coupling element for coupling the pump light pulses into the resonator and a decoupling element for decoupling the at least one high-frequency modulated light pulse from the resonator and an optically non-linear frequency conversion medium arranged in the resonator for transforming the pump light pulses in each case into two conversion light pulses and one residual pump light pulse. The resonator comprises a feedback arm for at least one of the two conversion light pulses and/or the residual pump light pulse, in which an optically non-linear feedback medium is arranged for the optical modulation of the at least one conversion light pulse and/or the residual pump light pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: Baden-Wuerttemberg Stiftung gGmbH
    Inventors: Harald Giessen, Tobias Steinle, Andy Steinmann
  • Patent number: 9681917
    Abstract: Improved/efficient fiber laser systems are provided for medical/cosmetic applications, comprising at least one pump source, optically coupled with at least one fiber laser. The fiber laser comprises an irregularly-shaped single-, double- or multiple-clad fiber of unconventional structure and geometry, and means for partially/completely reflecting the pump radiation, such as Bragg gratings. The fiber laser system further comprises at least one fiber optic delivery device optically coupled with the pump source, with the irregularly-shaped single-, double- or multiple-clad fiber laser, or with both, to convey laser radiation to a treatment site. The fiber optic delivery device comprises one or more waveguides, preferably optical fibers. The irregularly-shaped fiber laser and waveguides of the fiber optic delivery device have the same or different tip configurations to perform the treatment according to therapeutic needs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: Biolitec Unternehmens Beteiligungs IIAG
    Inventor: Wolfgang Neuberger
  • Patent number: 9677996
    Abstract: An optical sensor arrangement for measuring an observable including at least one light source for generating a first light component of a first frequency including a first mode and a second light component of a second frequency including a second mode orthogonal to the first mode, an optical resonator having differing optical lengths for the first and second modes, at least one of the optical lengths being variable depending on the observable and a dependence of the respective optical length being different for the first and second modes, and a detector unit coupled to the optical resonator for coupling out the two light components and being configured for detecting a frequency difference between a resonance frequency of the optical resonator for the first mode and a resonance frequency of the optical resonator for the second mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Helmut Heidrich, Peter Lützow, Daniel Pergande
  • Patent number: 9680287
    Abstract: A laser source that generates an optical frequency comb, comprising a pumped laser medium placed inside an optical cavity that incorporates at least one optically-controlled modulator, a detector generating an error signal, and a modulation optical source that is controlled by the error signal and whose radiation is directed onto said optically-controlled modulator thereby stabilizing the Carrier-Envelope Offset (CEO) frequency and/or the CEO phase and/or the repetition rate of said source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: UNIVERSITÉ DE NEUCHÂTEL
    Inventors: Stephane Schilt, Martin Hoffmann, Thomas Sudmeyer
  • Patent number: 9667023
    Abstract: A high power fiber laser system includes a booster winch is configured as a fiber amplifier extending over free space, pump source and laser head including a reflective element which receives pump light and reflects toward the output end of the booster in a counter signal-propagating direction. The booster is configured with concentric and coextending frustoconically shaped (“MM”) core and cladding around the core. The core includes a mode transition region expanding between small diameter SM input and large diameter MM output core ends and configured so that amplification of high order modes is substantially suppressed as a single mode (“SM”) signal light propagates from the input to output core ends. The laser head receives output ends of respective pump light delivery fibers and signal fiber, respectively. The pump source is structured with a plurality of independent sub pumps arranged around the booster.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: IPG Photonics Corporation
    Inventors: Valentin Fomin, Anton Ferin, Mikhail Abramov, Igor Samartsev, Valentin Gapontsev
  • Patent number: 9653867
    Abstract: A source of femtosecond pulses at center wavelengths of about 940 nm and about 1140 nanometers (nm) includes a mode-locked fiber MOPA delivering pulses having a center wavelength of about 1040 nm. The 1040-nanometer pulses are spectrally spread into a continuum spectrum extending in range between about 900 nm and about 1200 nm and having well defined side-lobes around the 940-nm and 1140-wavelengths. Radiation is spatially selected from these side-lobes and delivered as the 940-nm and 1140-nm pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Coherent, Inc.
    Inventors: Dmitri Simanovski, Norman Hodgson
  • Patent number: 9634457
    Abstract: A source of optical supercontinuum radiation comprises a length of microstructured optical fiber and a pump laser adapted to generate lasing radiation at a pump wavelength. The length of microstructured optical fiber is arranged to receive lasing radiation at the pump wavelength to generate optical supercontinuum radiation and comprises a core region and a cladding region which surrounds the core region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: NKT Photonics A/S
    Inventors: Jonathan Cave Knight, Dmitry Vladimirovich Skryabin, James Morgan Stone
  • Patent number: 9634461
    Abstract: A fiber optic geometric isolator is disclosed which is inserted between two cascaded, high-power fiber optic lasers and, in conjunction with a cladding mode stripper, provides improved optical Isolation between the two fiber optic lasers while maintaining highly-efficient laser operation. The isolator achieves this without the need for electromagnetic isolation between the two cascaded lasers. The isolator is an optical fiber designed to operate as a monolithic, continuous waveguide to enable a specific mode-coupling condition that converts the light of a first laser to that of a second, cascaded laser, with the light moving from the core of the first laser to both the core and the cladding of the second laser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin R Johnson, Daniel J Creeden
  • Patent number: 9627852
    Abstract: A high brightness diode laser package includes a plurality of flared laser oscillator waveguides arranged on a stepped surface to emit respective laser beams in one or more emission directions, a plurality of optical components situated to receive the laser beams from the plurality of flared laser oscillator waveguides and to provide the beams in a closely packed relationship, and an optical fiber optically coupled to the closely packed beams for coupling the laser beams out of the diode laser package.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: nLIGHT, Inc.
    Inventors: David Martin Hemenway, Manoj Kanskar
  • Patent number: 9616679
    Abstract: A method for example of irradiating a light-curable material, may comprise irradiating light about a first axis from an array of light-emitting elements towards a light-curable surface, directing the irradiated light through an optical element interposed between the array of light-emitting elements and the light-curable surface, wherein a central axis of the optical element is offset from the first axis, and deflecting the irradiated light directed through the optical element asymmetrically away from the first axis towards the light-curable surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Phoseon Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Doug Childers
  • Patent number: 9612399
    Abstract: Optical fiber combiner includes a plurality of input optical fibers having a core and a cladding surrounding the core, a bridge fiber having a portion that transmits a light beam entered from each of the input optical fibers, and a glass member fusion-spliced to an end face of the cladding and to a first end face of the bridge fiber. The end portions of the claddings of the plurality of input optical fibers are bundled on at least a first end face side, with the adjacent side surfaces of the claddings being in contact with each other. The glass member has an outer diameter greater than the diameter of the core and smaller than the outer diameter of the cladding. The adjacent glass members are in a non-fusion-spliced state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: FUJIKURA LTD.
    Inventor: Yoshikiyo Noguchi
  • Patent number: 9601899
    Abstract: A super-continuum system including: a fiber laser configured to output a pulse having a center wavelength; a first nonlinear waveguide configured to shift the wavelength of the pulse from the fiber laser; a first fiber amplifier of at least one stage configured to amplify the output from the first nonlinear waveguide; and a second nonlinear waveguide configured to spectrally broaden the output from the first fiber amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: Thorlabs, Inc.
    Inventors: Reza Salem, Peter Fendel, Alex Cable
  • Patent number: 9595802
    Abstract: A laser utilizes a cavity design which allows the stable generation of high peak power pulses from mode-locked multi-mode fiber lasers, greatly extending the peak power limits of conventional mode-locked single-mode fiber lasers. Mode-locking may be induced by insertion of a saturable absorber into the cavity and by inserting one or more mode-filters to ensure the oscillation of the fundamental mode in the multi-mode fiber. The probability of damage of the absorber may be minimized by the insertion of an additional semiconductor optical power limiter into the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: IMRA America, Inc.
    Inventors: Martin E. Fermann, Donald J. Harter
  • Patent number: 9595918
    Abstract: A microwave-frequency source, generating an output electrical signal at an output frequency fM, comprises a pump laser source, an optical resonator, and a photodetector. Free spectral range vFSR of the optical resonator equals an integer submultiple of a Brillouin shift frequency vB of the optical resonator (i.e., vB=MvFSR). The pump laser source is frequency-locked to a corresponding resonant optical mode of the optical resonator. Pumping the optical resonator with output of the pump laser source at a pump frequency vpump results in stimulated Brillouin laser oscillation in the optical resonator at respective first, second, and third Stokes Brillouin-shifted frequencies v1=vpump?vB, v2=vpump?2vB, and v3=vpump?3vB. The photodetector receives stimulated Brillouin laser outputs at the first and third Stokes Brillouin-shifted frequencies v1 and v3 and generates therefrom the output electrical signal at a beat frequency fM=v1?v3=2vB.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Jiang Li, Kerry Vahala
  • Patent number: 9588298
    Abstract: A composite optical waveguide is constructed using an array of waveguide cores, in which one core is tapered to a larger dimension, so that all the cores are used as a composite input port, and the one larger core is used as an output port. In addition, transverse couplers can be fabricated in a similar fashion. The waveguide cores are preferably made of SiN. In some cases, a layer of SiN which is provided as an etch stop is used as at least one of the waveguide cores. The waveguide cores can be spaced away from a semiconductor layer so as to minimize loses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Elenion Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ari Novack, Ruizhi Shi, Michael J. Hochberg, Thomas Baehr-Jones
  • Patent number: 9570880
    Abstract: A laser utilizes a cavity design which allows the stable generation of high peak power pulses from mode-locked multi-mode fiber lasers, greatly extending the peak power limits of conventional mode-locked single-mode fiber lasers. Mode-locking may be induced by insertion of a saturable absorber into the cavity and by inserting one or more mode-filters to ensure the oscillation of the fundamental mode in the multi-mode fiber. The probability of damage of the absorber may be minimized by the insertion of an additional semiconductor optical power limiter into the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: IMRA America, Inc.
    Inventors: Martin E. Fermann, Donald J. Harter
  • Patent number: 9568670
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide systems and methods for mitigating lensing and scattering as an optical fiber is being inscribed with a grating. The disclosed systems and methods mitigate the lensing phenomenon by surrounding an optical fiber with an index-matching material that is held in a vessel with an integrated interferometer (e.g., phase mask, etc.). The index-matching material has a refractive index that is sufficient to reduce intensity variations of the actinic radiation within the optical fiber. Some embodiments of the system include different vessels for holding the index-matching material, with the vessel having an interferometer integrated into the vessel. These vessels permit the optical fiber to be surrounded by the index-matching material while the gratings are written to the optical fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: OFS FITEL, LLC
    Inventors: Kenneth S Feder, Paul S Westbrook
  • Patent number: 9559485
    Abstract: A dual wavelength pumping system and method have been developed to improve the efficiency of laser systems operating in the raid infrared region has been developed, in a conventional system the ions are excited from a ground state to an upper lasing state using a light pump. They then undergo a laser transition to leave the ion in a long lived post lasing excited state from which it eventually decays back to the ground state. In contrast they present system uses a first light pump to pump ions from the ground state to the post lasing state, and a second light pump to pump ions from the post lasing state to the upper lasing state. This system thus exploits the long lifetime of the post lasing state to enable it to become a virtual ground state for the second laser allowing continued cycling of ions between the upper lasing state and the post lasing state. A system using an Erbium, doped fiber generated a 3.5 ?m laser output with an average power of over 250 mW and an initial slope, efficiency of 25.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Adelaide Research & Innovation Pty Ltd.
    Inventors: Ori Henderson Sapir, Jesper Munch, David Ottaway
  • Patent number: 9551850
    Abstract: A light source module of an optical apparatus is disclosed. The light source module includes a laser pump unit, a lens unit, and a fiber unit. The laser pump unit generates a laser source. The lens unit converts the laser source into a condensed beam. The fiber unit receives the condensed beam and emits an optical signal. The light source module can achieve effects of low cost, large bandwidth, high resolution, and high stability with well-designed pump power of the laser pump unit, and length, doping material, and core size of the fiber unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignees: CRYSTALVUE MEDICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: William Wang, Chung-Ping Chuang, Meng-Shin Yen, Chung-Cheng Chou, Sheng-Lung Huang, Kuang-Yu Hsu, Chien-Chung Tsai, Tuan-Shu Ho
  • Patent number: 9551839
    Abstract: An optical fiber assembly includes at least one optical component configured to deliver light from a first end to a second end opposite the first end. The at least one optical component includes at least one localized heat-sensitive area that emits increased temperatures with respect to remaining areas of the at least one optical fiber in response to light traveling through the localized heat-sensitive area. The optical fiber assembly further includes a nanoparticle heat sink that contacts the optical component and that completely surrounds the localized heat-sensitive area such that the nanoparticle heat sink dissipates heat from the at least one optical component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: RAYTHEON COMPANY
    Inventor: Andrew R. Rollinger
  • Patent number: 9538013
    Abstract: A method and system for updating physical location data associated with a VoIP endpoint device is implemented in a variety of embodiments. In one such embodiment, a VoIP endpoint device stores an identifier for a packet-communicating device which is subject to changing. The VoIP endpoint device has an interface for communication over the Internet via the packet-communicating device and uses a circuit-implemented method for prompting a VoIP user to update physical location data associated with the VoIP endpoint device. In response to a power state transition and a change in the stored identifier, the VoIP endpoint device facilitates an update to the physical location data associated with the VoIP service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: 8x8, Inc.
    Inventors: Marc Petit-Huguenin, Bryan R. Martin