Folded Cavity Patents (Class 372/93)
  • Patent number: 11101614
    Abstract: An optic produces a beam of ultraviolet laser radiation from a beam of visible laser radiation and spatially separates the ultraviolet laser beam from the visible laser beam. The optic includes two crystals made of the same optically-nonlinear material that are contact bonded along a planar interface. One crystal has principle crystal axes that are oriented for type-I second-harmonic generation. The ultraviolet laser beam exits the optic through an uncoated surface of the other crystal. The principle crystal axes of the two crystals have different orientations and have reflection symmetry about the planar interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: Coherent LaserSystems GMBH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Wolf Seelert, RĂ¼diger Von Elm
  • Patent number: 11087980
    Abstract: A laser crystallization method includes exciting gas medium in an airtight container to generate laser beams; amplifying the laser beams by reflecting the laser beams between a high reflection mirror and a low reflection mirror respectively disposed facing opposite end portions of the airtight container, wherein a first transparent window and a second transparent window are fixed to respective end portions of the airtight container, and outputting the amplified laser beams; and disposing a cleaning mirror in a path of the laser beams that have propagated through the second transparent window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Byung Soo So, Mee Jae Kang, Ho Seok Lee, Jae Gyun Lim, Sang Ho Jeon, Yeon Hee Jeon
  • Patent number: 10840406
    Abstract: An optical semiconductor element includes: an optical waveguide body; a first electrode that is disposed on the second clad layer; a second electrode that is disposed on a second clad layer on one side of the first electrode in a light guiding direction of the optical waveguide body; a third electrode that is disposed on the second clad layer on the other side of the first electrode in the light guiding direction; and at least one fourth electrode that faces the first electrode, the second electrode, and the third electrode with the optical waveguide body interposed therebetween. The optical waveguide body includes a first separation region that electrically separates a first region under the first electrode from a second region under the second electrode and a second separation region that electrically separates the first region under the first electrode and a third region under the third electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS K.K.
    Inventors: Masamichi Yamanishi, Akira Higuchi, Toru Hirohata, Kazunori Tanaka, Kazuue Fujita, Yasufumi Takagi, Yuta Aoki, Satoru Okawara
  • Patent number: 10069279
    Abstract: A self mode locking laser and corresponding method is described. The laser comprises a resonator (2) terminated by first (3) and second (4) mirrors and folded by a third mirror (5). The third mirror comprises a reflector (15) surmounted by a multilayer semiconductor gain medium (16) that includes at least one quantum well layer and an optical Kerr lensing layer (20). A perturbator is also included that provides a means to induce a perturbation on an intensity of one or more cavity modes of the resonator. The pertubator is employed to induce a small perturbation on the intensity of the cavity modes of the resonator which is sufficient for the optical Kerr lensing layer to induce mode locking on the output field. The second mirror (4) comprises an intensity saturable mirror that provides a means for reducing the pulse widths of the generated output field e.g. to around 100 fs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: SOLUS TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED
    Inventors: Graeme Peter Alexander Malcolm, Craig James Hamilton
  • Patent number: 9973738
    Abstract: A generation unit generates adjustment information to adjust a first clock indicating a timing of illumination of a laser beam to scan on a screen, based on a scanning position to be scanned by the laser beam. On the basis of the adjustment information, adjustment unit adjusts the first clock to a second clock different from the first clock. Then, in synchronization with the second clock, the laser beam is allowed to illuminate as a pixel. This may be applicable to a projection apparatus for projecting an image on the screen, for example.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Motoi Kimura
  • Patent number: 9735538
    Abstract: Disclosed is a semiconductor laser device assembly including a semiconductor laser device; and a dispersion compensation optical system, where a laser light exited from the semiconductor laser device is incident and exits to control a group velocity dispersion value of the laser light exited from the semiconductor laser device per wavelength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shunsuke Kono, Masaru Kuramoto, Takao Miyajima, Rintaro Koda, Hideki Watanabe
  • Patent number: 9484705
    Abstract: An optically end-pumped amplifier with a plate-shaped optical gain medium has a plurality of pump laser units for optically pumping the gain medium through at least one of the narrow side surfaces thereof. The pump laser units are designed such that the pump laser radiation, upon passing through the gain medium, has an elongated beam cross section having a short axis and a long axis running parallel to the main surfaces of the gain medium and propagates freely through the gain medium with respect to the short axis. They are arranged such that in each case the principal axes of the beam bundles of the pump laser units impinge on one of the pumped side surfaces in a plane perpendicular to the short axis at an angle to one another, wherein the beam cross sections of the beam bundles are superimposed on one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignees: FRAUNHOFER-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG E.V., RWTH AACHEN
    Inventors: Peter Russbueldt, Guido Rotarius, Thomas Sartorius, Johannes Weitenberg
  • Patent number: 9279984
    Abstract: The image displaying apparatus includes an image production apparatus, a first light conduction section and a second light conduction section. The first light conduction section includes a first light conduction plate which propagates part of incident light thereto by total reflection in the inside thereof and emits the propagated light, and a reflection type volume hologram diffraction grating disposed on the first light conduction plate. The second light conduction section includes a second light conduction plate, a first deflection section and a second deflection section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuma Aiki, Katsuyuki Akutsu
  • Patent number: 9263844
    Abstract: Embodiments of an air-cooled gas laser are disclosed herein. A laser configured in accordance with one embodiment includes a laser superstructure, an optical assembly, and an elongated thermal decoupler member having a first end portion fixedly coupled to the optical assembly and a second end portion fixedly coupled to the laser superstructure. The laser further includes an optical assembly that includes a first holder member fixedly coupled to the first end portion of the thermal decoupler, a second holder member pivotally coupled to the first holder member and fixedly coupled to the laser superstructure, and a flexible seal having a portion coupled to the laser structure and disposed at least between the first holder member and the second holder member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: Universal Laser Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Yefim P. Sukhman, Stefano J. Noto, Christian J. Risser, Mikhail E. Ryskin, Jonathan S. Marx, Robert A. Hoeffer, III
  • Patent number: 9154753
    Abstract: A generation unit generates adjustment information to adjust a first clock indicating a timing of illumination of a laser beam to scan on a screen, based on a scanning position to be scanned by the laser beam. On the basis of the adjustment information, adjustment unit adjusts the first clock to a second clock different from the first clock. Then, in synchronization with the second clock, the laser beam is allowed to illuminate as a pixel. This may be applicable to a projection apparatus for projecting an image on the screen, for example.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Motoi Kimura
  • Patent number: 9042422
    Abstract: Disclosed is an ASE-free continuously tunable external resonator laser in which reduction in tuning range and decrease in output are suppressed. The external resonator laser comprises: a fixed support body which has a half mirror that partially reflects incident light and partially transmits incident light fixed therein; and a rotatory support body which is rotatably supported by the fixed support body by way of a shaft, and which has a laser chip that emits light, a collimator lens that collimates light emitted from the laser chip, and a diffraction grating that diffracts light emitted from the laser chip, fixed therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION CHIBA UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Kiyohumi Muro, Tomohisa Endo, Yasutaka Shimada, Daisuke Fukuoka
  • Patent number: 9036677
    Abstract: An optical gain architecture includes a pump source and a pump aperture. The architecture also includes a gain region including a gain element operable to amplify light at a laser wavelength. The gain region is characterized by a first side intersecting an optical path, a second side opposing the first side, a third side adjacent the first and second sides, and a fourth side opposing the third side. The architecture further includes a dichroic section disposed between the pump aperture and the first side of the gain region. The dichroic section is characterized by low reflectance at a pump wavelength and high reflectance at the laser wavelength. The architecture additionally includes a first cladding section proximate to the third side of the gain region and a second cladding section proximate to the fourth side of the gain region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventors: Andrew James Bayramian, Kenneth R. Manes, Robert Deri, Alvin Erlandson, John Caird, Mary L. Spaeth
  • Patent number: 9031114
    Abstract: An intra-cavity frequency doubled OPS-laser includes a laser-resonator terminated by a plane mirror and a mirror-structure of an OPS-chip. The resonator is folded by three fold-mirrors. The fold-mirrors are supported on a vibration-isolation plate supported by isolation posts above a base-plate. The plane mirror and the mirror-structure of the OPS-chip are mounted back to back on opposite parallel surfaces of a mounting block. The mounting-block is supported on the base-plate and extends through an aperture in the vibration-isolation plate. Movement of the vibration-isolation plate with respect to the base-plate does not change the resonator length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Coherent LaserSystems GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: RĂ¼diger Von Elm
  • Patent number: 9014230
    Abstract: Single-mode quantum cascade lasers having shaped cavities of various geometries are provided. The shaped cavities function as monolithic coupled resonators, and permit single-mode operation of the lasers. A folded or hairpin-shaped cavity could be provided, having a plurality of straight segments interconnected with a curved segment. Additionally, a shaped cavity could be provided having a single straight segment interconnected at one end to a curved segment. The curved segment could also be tapered in shape, such that the width of the curved segment decreases toward one end of the curved segment. A laser which includes a shaped cavity having two interconnected, folded shaped cavities is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: The Trustees of Princeton University
    Inventors: Qiang Liu, Claire Gmachl, Kamil Przemyslaw Sladek
  • Patent number: 8971374
    Abstract: A device for generating electromagnetic radiation includes a light source (1) generating a first radiation (7) at a fundamental wavelength, an optical resonator (2) in which the first radiation (7) circulates, and a frequency multiplier (8) located in the optical resonator (2) which converts the first radiation (7) at least partly into a second radiation (9) at a second or higher harmonic wavelength. The frequency multiplier (8) includes at least one non-linear crystal (10). At least one beam splitter element (12) passed through by the first radiation (7) and the second radiation (9) is coupled to the non-linear crystal (10), wherein the first radiation (7) and the second radiation (9) leave the beam splitter element (12) each in a different spatial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: TOPTICA Photonics AG
    Inventor: Matthias Scholz
  • Patent number: 8958454
    Abstract: The slant of a first mirror (21), the slant of a second mirror (22), and the laser output when the slant of the first mirror (21) is an initial value and when the slant of the first mirror (21) is made to move from the initial value by exactly a predetermined value in the positive and negative directions are used as the basis to calculate a first approximation curve of the laser output with respect to the slant of the first mirror (21) and second approximation curve of the laser output with respect to the slant of the second mirror (22), set a value which corresponds to a local maximum value of the first approximation curve as the slant of the first mirror (21), and set a value which corresponds to a local maximum value of the second approximation curve as the slant of the second mirror (21).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
    Inventors: Takanori Sato, Takafumi Murakami
  • Patent number: 8942266
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to systems and methods for correcting lateral and angular displacement of laser beams within a laser cavity. For some embodiments, such systems and methods are used to correct angular displacement of laser beams within a laser cavity that result from varying the lasing wavelength in a tunable laser system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Newport Corporation
    Inventor: Richard Boggy
  • Patent number: 8908737
    Abstract: A laser includes a Ti:sapphire gain-medium in the form of a thin-disk. The thin-disk gain-medium is optically pumped by pump-radiation pulses having a wavelength in the green region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The pump-radiation pulses have a duration less than twice the excited-state lifetime of the gain-medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Coherent, Inc.
    Inventors: Norman Hodgson, Michael Hertwig, H. Yang Pang
  • Patent number: 8861563
    Abstract: The use of reflecting surfaces that are inclined towards one another enables the multiple reflection of a beam path to be achieved in a laser structure. This permits the realization of compact laser assemblies. The introduction of beam-influencing media between the reflective surfaces or the configuration of said reflective surfaces from or using media of this type allows the use of the multiple reflection for influencing parameters of the radiation or radiation field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: High Q Laser GmbH
    Inventors: Daniel Kopf, Max Lederer, Udo Bunting
  • Patent number: 8831049
    Abstract: A tunable optical system with hybrid integrated semiconductor laser is provided. The optical system includes a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate; a first optical waveguide tunable comb filter formed at the first side of the SOI substrate; a second optical waveguide tunable comb filter with detuned filter response formed at the first side of the SOI substrate; an etched laser pit at the first side of the SOI substrate; a plurality of spacers formed on the bottom surface of the laser pit near the plane of the first side of the SOI substrate; a plurality of bumping pads formed on the bottom surface of the laser pit near the plane of the first side of the SOI substrate; and a laser chip flip-chip bonded at the first side of the SOI substrate supported by the spacers. Heating sections may be provided on the filters to tune the filters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Laxense Inc.
    Inventors: Ningning Feng, Xiaochen Sun, Dawei Zheng
  • Patent number: 8831047
    Abstract: The multi-wavelength laser is a ring laser source working at room temperature. The laser has an inner cavity disposed in an outer cavity. A pair of circulators disposed in the inner cavity is configured to assure counter-propagation of light between the inner cavity and the outer cavity. A gain-clamped semiconductor optical amplifier (GC-SOA) is formed by combining a SOA and a Fiber Fabry-Perot Tunable Filter (FFP-TF) with the circulator pair. This configuration in the laser cavity results in an improvement in terms of transient gain excursions by applying an optical feedback. This attribute of the GC-SOA enables realizing a stable multi-wavelength laser source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
    Inventor: Khurram Karim Qureshi
  • Patent number: 8811437
    Abstract: A Laser device with phase front regulation, including a resonator with a beam path, a laser medium located within the resonator, and a phase front regulating unit located within the resonator; a coupling element; an uncoupling element; and phase front controller and a phase front sensor. A measuring laser beam can impact first the coupling element, then the laser medium, then the phase front regulating unit, then the uncoupling element, and then the phase front sensor. The disturbance of the phase front of the laser medium is transferable to the measuring laser beam. The disturbance of the measuring laser beam and the working laser beam can be corrected by the phase front regulating unit. Sensor data can be received from the phase front sensor and can be processed by the phase front controller. Regulating unit signals for the phase front regulating unit can be generated by the phase front controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Institut Franco-Allemand de Recherches de Saint-Louis
    Inventor: Marc Eicchorn
  • Patent number: 8798105
    Abstract: A compact, lightweight, laser target designator uses a TIR bounce geometry to place an end-pumped gain element functionally in the center of the resonator path, thereby allowing the resonator path to be terminated by a pair of crossed Porro prisms, so that the designator produces a high quality beam that is insensitive to alignment and temperature, and is low in manufacturing cost. Some embodiments fold the Porro legs of the resonator path back toward the gain element for compactness. Embodiments use a single gain element as both an oscillator gain element with TIR and as an output amplifier gain element without TIR. Various embodiments use block optical elements in a planar layout on a standard support medium such as aluminum to facilitate automated manufacturing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
    Inventors: John C. McCarthy, Katherine J. Snell, Christopher A. Miller
  • Patent number: 8792528
    Abstract: Disclosed are semiconductor microtube lasers including a semiconductor multilayer heterostructure. The multilayer heterostructure includes a substantially cylindrical optically active structure capable of light emission when under the influence of an applied electromagnetic field and a substantially cylindrical distributed feedback grating structure configured to provide optical feedback for a selected wavelength of light from the optically active region and to produce lasing action from the microtube when under the influence of an applied electromagnetic field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Robert H. Blick, Luke J. Mawst
  • Patent number: 8780947
    Abstract: The invention relates to a mirror arrangement for guiding a laser beam in a laser system having at least one first end mirror and one second end mirror, wherein said end mirrors define a resonator having an optical resonator axis, wherein the laser beam is guided into the resonator as an input laser beam and is guided out of the resonator again after multiple reflection at the first and second end mirrors as an output laser beam. The sequence of reflections at the first and second end mirror thereby determines a direction of rotation between the first and second end mirror, defined as an axis of rotation relative to the resonator axis, whereby a first beam path is defined and the laser beam circulates in a direction of rotation between the first and second end mirrors in the resonator defined as an axis of rotation relative to the resonator axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: High Q Laser GmbH
    Inventors: Joachim Meier, Ulrike Wegner, Maximilian Josef Lederer
  • Patent number: 8774238
    Abstract: A laser includes an optically pumped semiconductor OPS gain-structure. The apparatus has a laser-resonator which includes a mode-locking device for causing the laser to deliver mode-locked pulses. The resonator has a total length selected such that the mode-locked pulses are delivered at a pulse repetition frequency of about 100 MHz. An optical arrangement within the resonator provides that radiation circulating in the resonator makes a plurality of incidences on the OPS gain-structure with a time less than the excited-state lifetime of the gain-structure between successive incidences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Coherent, Inc.
    Inventors: Ian MacGillivray, Andrea Caprara, Sergei Govorkov
  • Patent number: 8767787
    Abstract: A laser diode device operable at a one or more wavelength ranges. The device has a first waveguide provided on a non-polar or semipolar crystal plane of gallium containing material. In a specific embodiment, the first waveguide has a first gain characteristic and a first direction. In a specific embodiment, the first waveguide has a first end and a second end and a first length defined between the first end and the second end. The device has a second waveguide provided on a non-polar or semipolar crystal plane of gallium containing material. In a specific embodiment, the second waveguide has a second gain characteristic and a second direction. In a specific embodiment, the second waveguide has a first end, a second end, and a second length defined between the first end and the second end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Soraa Laser Diode, Inc.
    Inventors: James W. Raring, Daniel F. Feezell
  • Patent number: 8743925
    Abstract: A laser system having an acoustic stimulator and amplifier section adjacent to the acoustic stimulator is disclosed. The stimulator is configured to apply acoustic energy to the amplifier section whereby luminescent output is produced in the amplifier section. This luminescent output may be concentrated to form a high intensity light output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Mark J. Clemen, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8693517
    Abstract: A semiconductor laser using an external resonator. A laser diode chip emits a laser beam in a horizontal direction parallel to the bottom plane of a package, and the travel path of the laser beam is changed into a vertical direction by a reflective mirror next to a laser beam-emitting surface of the laser diode chip. As a result, the beam arrangement of the external cavity is available on a plane parallel to the bottom plane of the package through a lens installed on the vertical travel path of the laser beam. Consequently, the beam is easily arranged. Furthermore, an additional reflective mirror is installed above the lens which changes the vertical travel path into a horizontal travel path, which allows the beam traveling parallel to the bottom plane to be easily arranged through the lens. The production of the package can also be enabled in the configuration where various optical tools are arranged on the bottom of the package.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Inventor: Jeong Soo Kim
  • Patent number: 8613520
    Abstract: An optical mirror element includes an optically transmissive element having a first surface and a second surface, and a reflective coating layer on the first surface that defines a mirror surface. A first portion of the first surface does not include the reflective coating layer such that the first portion defines an optically transmissive window in the mirror surface. Q method of forming an optical mirror element having a window portion includes providing an optical element, masking a first portion of a first surface of the optical element, and thereafter applying a reflective coating to the first surface so as to define a reflective surface, wherein the masked portion defines a transmissive region in the reflective surface. The exposed portion of the first surface may be coated with an anti-reflective coating, either before or after the reflective coating is applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: LI-COR, Inc.
    Inventors: Tyler Anderson, Ahmed Bouzid
  • Patent number: 8605767
    Abstract: Long semiconductor laser cavities are placed in relative short length chips through the use of total internal reflection (TIR) surfaces formed through etched facets. In one embodiment, a laser cavity is formed along the perimeter edges of a rectangular semiconductor chip by using three 45° angled TIR facets to connect four legs of a ridge or buried heterostructure (BH) waveguide that defines the laser cavity. In other embodiments, even more TIR facets and waveguide legs or sections are employed to make even longer laser cavities in the shape of rectangular or quadrilateral spirals. These structures are limited in the spacing of adjacent waveguide sections, which if too small, can cause undesirable coupling between the sections. However, use of notches etched between the adjacent sections have been shown to decrease this coupling effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Binoptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Cristian Stagarescu
  • Patent number: 8559472
    Abstract: A solid state-gain medium is in the form of a thin disk backed by a reflective coating. A laser resonator is formed by the reflective coating and another mirror. Optical pump radiation is directed into the thin-disk gain-medium for energizing the gain-medium and generating a standing wave of fundamental-wavelength radiation in the resonator. The pump-radiation is directed into the gain-medium at an angle to the resonator axis and pump-radiation fringes are formed by interference between incident and reflected pump-radiation. The pump-radiation angle is selected such that the pump-radiation fringes are aligned with antinodes of the fundamental-wavelength standing wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Coherent, Inc.
    Inventor: Andrea Caprara
  • Patent number: 8537872
    Abstract: A light emitting device includes first and second cladding layers and an active layer therebetween including first and second side surfaces and first and second gain regions, a second side reflectance is higher than a first side reflectance, a first end surface part of the first gain region overlaps a second end surface part of the second gain region in an overlapping plane, the first gain region obliquely extends from the first end surface to a third end surface, the second gain region obliquely extends from the second end surface to a fourth end surface, a first center line connecting the centers of the first and third end surfaces and a second center line connecting the centers of the second and fourth end surfaces intersect, and the overlapping plane is shifted from the intersection point toward the first side surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masamitsu Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 8508874
    Abstract: An optical mirror element includes an optically transmissive element having a first surface and a second surface, and a reflective coating layer on the first surface that defines a mirror surface. A first portion of the first surface does not include the reflective coating layer such that the first portion defines an optically transmissive window in the mirror surface. Q method of forming an optical mirror element having a window portion includes providing an optical element, masking a first portion of a first surface of the optical element, and thereafter applying a reflective coating to the first surface so as to define a reflective surface, wherein the masked portion defines a transmissive region in the reflective surface. The exposed portion of the first surface may be coated with an anti-reflective coating, either before or after the reflective coating is applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: LI-COR, Inc.
    Inventors: Tyler Anderson, Ahmed Bouzid
  • Patent number: 8509281
    Abstract: The different advantageous embodiments provide an apparatus and method comprising a substrate configured to increase an intensity of light at a desired wavelength. The substrate has a front side, a back side, and an outer edge. The substrate is configured to reflect the light received on the front side of the substrate. The substrate comprises ceramic. The substrate comprises a plurality of sections. The method and apparatus also comprise a material configured to attenuate the light passing between the plurality of sections. The material surrounds an edge of each section of the plurality of sections. The apparatus and method also comprise a cooling system configured to allow liquid nitrogen to be transmitted through the cooling system and receive heat generated in the substrate from the back side of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: D. Anthony Galasso, David A. Whelan, Alan Zachary Ullman, Dennis George Harris
  • Patent number: 8477814
    Abstract: A semiconductor laser module is disclosed, comprising a module carrier (20) having a mounting area (21), a pump device (1) arranged on the mounting area (21), a surface emitting semiconductor laser (40) arranged on the mounting area (21), and a frequency conversion device (6) arranged on the mounting area (21), wherein the mounting area (21) of the module carrier (20) has an area content of at most 100 mm2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Schwarz, Michael Kuehnelt, Roland Schulz, Juergen Dachs, Ulrich Steegmueller, Heiko Unold
  • Patent number: 8467427
    Abstract: A device includes a semiconductor layer including first and second cladding layers sandwiching an active layer, a groove electrically separates receiving and emitting areas, an active layer part forms a continuous region between first and second end surfaces on a first side of the active layer, the gain region has a reflection surface between the first and second end surfaces reflecting gain region generated light, a first gain region portion extending from the first end surface and a second gain region portion extending from the second end surface are tilted, some light from the first portion is reflected to be emitted from the second end surface, some light from the second portion is reflected to be emitted from the first end surface, and some light transmits through a mirror portion of the reflection surface and is received in the receiving area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masamitsu Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 8463088
    Abstract: The multi-channel optical device includes multiple laser cavities that each reflects a different light channel back and forth between reflective components. One of the reflective components is common to all of the laser cavities in that the common reflective component receives the channels from each of the laser cavities and reflects the received channels. The laser cavities also share a multiplexer that receives the channels reflected by the common reflective device and demultiplexes the channels into demultiplexed channels. A portion of the reflective components are partial return devices that each receives one of the demultiplexed channels. Each of the partial return devices transmits a portion of the demultiplexed channel received by that partial return device. The transmitted portion of the demultiplexed channel exits the laser cavity. Additionally, each of the partial return devices reflects a portion of the demultiplexed channel receive by that partial return device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Kotura, Inc.
    Inventors: Mehdi Asghari, Dazeng Feng
  • Publication number: 20130044778
    Abstract: An optical source including a laser source and a waveguide is provided. The laser source includes a laser cavity having a laser optical path length extending from a DBR grating to a reflective laser output facet, and emits an output beam at a fundamental wavelength. The waveguide includes an input facet and an output face. The waveguide extends along a waveguide optical length from the input facet of the waveguide to the output facet of the waveguide, and the waveguide is optically coupled to the laser source, thereby forming an external cavity having an optical path length extending from the reflective laser output facet to the input facet of the waveguide that is substantially equal to the laser optical path length.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2011
    Publication date: February 21, 2013
    Inventors: Jacques Gollier, Dmitri Vladislavovich Kuksenkov
  • Patent number: 8315284
    Abstract: A laser device with frequency conversion, the device comprising a complex optical cavity comprising two cavity parts with two different levels of circulating intracavity power wherein there is placed at least one non-linear crystal (30) is placed within the cavity part of higher circulating power and an active medium (21) in the cavity part of lower circulating power, the power enhancement achieved in two steps and the total enhancement being the product of the enhancement factors in each step, providing additional freedom in design allowing both the condition for high enhancement of the interacting laser power inside the intracavity non-linear crystal and the condition for maximum power output from the laser to be satisfied simultaneously and wherein said complex optical cavity the first cavity part provides the initial step of power enhancement and comprises at least a laser cavity back mirror (20), highly reflective about a laser radiation fundamental frequency .omega., and an active (gain) medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Inventor: Fedor V. Karpushko
  • Patent number: 8306375
    Abstract: A first exemplary aspect of the present invention is a wavelength-tunable optical transmitter including: a semiconductor substrate (101); a wavelength-tunable light source that is formed on the semiconductor substrate (101) and includes at least a first reflector (102) of a wavelength-tunable type and a gain region (104); a semiconductor optical modulator formed on the semiconductor substrate (101); a first semiconductor optical waveguide (105c) that is formed on the semiconductor substrate (101) and smoothly connected to the wavelength-tunable light source; a second semiconductor optical waveguide (105d) that is formed on the semiconductor substrate and smoothly connected to the semiconductor optical modulator; a waveguide coupling region (108) in which the first and second semiconductor optical waveguides are collinearly coupled with a length LC that is not equal to m/2 (m: integer) times a complete coupling length LC0; and a second reflector (113) formed at an end of the waveguide coupling region (108).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Tomoaki Kato
  • Patent number: 8284813
    Abstract: The disclosure discloses a Fabry-Perot (F-P) cavity, which is a folded confocal cavity integrally formed by a monolithic optical element, the folded confocal cavity having three reflection surfaces, wherein a first reflection surface is a plane and at the same time serves as an input/output coupling surface, a second reflection surface is a plane, and a third surface is a spherical surface, curvature radius of which is equal to half of a round trip geometric length of light in the folded confocal cavity. The invention further discloses a laser based on the F-P cavity. The solution of the disclosure solves the problems in existing folded F-P cavity, such as unsatisfactory stability, sensitive to outside inferences, bulky and complicated construction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: National Istitute of Metrology P.R. China
    Inventors: Erjun Zang, Yang Zhao, Jianping Cao, Ye Li, Zhanjun Fang
  • Patent number: 8259769
    Abstract: A laser diode device operable at a one or more wavelength ranges. The device has a first waveguide provided on a non-polar or semipolar crystal plane of gallium containing material. In a specific embodiment, the first waveguide has a first gain characteristic and a first direction. In a specific embodiment, the first waveguide has a first end and a second end and a first length defined between the first end and the second end. The device has a second waveguide provided on a non-polar or semipolar crystal plane of gallium containing material. In a specific embodiment, the second waveguide has a second gain characteristic and a second direction. In a specific embodiment, the second waveguide has a first end, a second end, and a second length defined between the first end and the second end. In a specific embodiment, the second waveguide has the first end being coupled to the first end of the first waveguide. The second length is in a different direction from the second length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Soraa, Inc.
    Inventors: James W. Raring, Daniel F. Feezell
  • Patent number: 8228967
    Abstract: A light emitting device includes first and second cladding layers and an active layer therebetween including first and second side surfaces and first and second gain regions, a second side reflectance is higher than a first side reflectance, a first end surface part of the first gain region overlaps a second end surface part of the second gain region in an overlapping plane, the first gain region obliquely extends from the first end surface to a third end surface, the second gain region obliquely extends from the second end surface to a fourth end surface, a first center line connecting the centers of the first and third end surfaces and a second center line connecting the centers of the second and fourth end surfaces intersect, and the overlapping plane is shifted from the intersection point toward the first side surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masamitsu Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 8175133
    Abstract: A laser-induced optical wiring apparatus is provided wherein optical wiring is realized by digital operations of a laser oscillator. The apparatus includes optical ring resonator formed of a loop-shaped optical waveguide on substrate. At least two optical gain sections are provided on the optical ring resonator. When each optical gain section is activated, a laser oscillator including the optical ring resonator and optical gain sections is enabled to oscillate. In this state, the gain of at least one of the optical gain sections is changed in accordance with an input signal, thereby changing the optical route gain of the optical ring resonator to change the oscillation state of the laser oscillator. A change in the laser oscillation state is detected by the optical gain section other than the at least one optical gain section, whereby an output signal is acquired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Hideto Furuyama
  • Patent number: 8170073
    Abstract: A semiconductor gain-structure functions as a gain-element in a laser-resonator. The gain-structure is bonded to a diamond heat-spreader that is peripherally cooled by a heat-sink configured to allow access to the gain-structure by laser-radiation circulating in the laser-resonator. In one example, the gain-structure is used as a transmissive gain-structure in a traveling-wave ring-resonator. In another example, the gain-structure surmounts mirror-structure which functions as an end-mirror of a standing-wave laser-resonator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Coherent, Inc.
    Inventors: Sergei V. Govorkov, R. Russel Austin
  • Patent number: 8107509
    Abstract: This invention relates to a monolithic folded F-P cavity used for semiconductor laser, which is composed of a monolithic optical element. The monolithic optical element is made of the material having low propagation loss for a certain spectrum range. Light entering through an input/output coupling surface of the monolithic optical element is reflected several times between the input/output coupling surface and at least two high reflection surfaces within the monolithic optical element, and then at least one part of the light exits through the input/output coupling surface along the path which is collinear with the incident light but in an opposite direction. By means of integrating reflecting and coupling parts of the folded F-P cavity within a single monolithic optical material, this invention greatly improves the reliability of the F-P cavity, and has other advantages, such as insensitive to outside interferences, smaller size, simpler structure and easy usage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: National Institute of Metrology P.R. China
    Inventors: Erjun Zang, Jianping Cao, Ye Li, Zhanjun Fang
  • Publication number: 20110280271
    Abstract: The disclosure discloses a fabry-Perot (F-P) cavity, which is a folded confocal cavity integrally formed by a monolithic optical element, the folded confocal cavity having three reflection surfaces, wherein a first reflection surface is a plane and at the same time serves as an input/output coupling surface, a second reflection surface is a plane, and a third surface is a spherical surface, curvature radius of which is equal to half of a round trip geometric length of light in the folded confocal cavity. The invention further discloses a laser based on the F-P cavity. The solution of the disclosure solves the problems in existing folded F-P cavity, such as unsatisfactory stability, sensitive to outside inferences, bulky and complicated construction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2011
    Publication date: November 17, 2011
    Inventors: Erjun Zang, Yang Zhao, Jianping Cao, Ye Li, Zhanjun Fang
  • Patent number: 8018979
    Abstract: A mode-locked short pulse laser resonator including a pump laser beam input, a non-linear laser medium, a plurality of resonator mirrors as well as a first outcoupler mirror and a second outcoupler mirror, wherein the first outcoupler mirror is arranged for coupling out laser radiation having first spectral properties, and the second outcoupler mirror is arranged for coupling out laser radiation having second spectral properties which are different from the first spectral properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Femtolasers Produktions GmbH
    Inventors: Andreas Stingl, Harald Frei, Christian Warmuth
  • Patent number: 8014433
    Abstract: A large number of passes of pump light through an active mirror in a solid state disk laser is realized using a pair of coupled imaging systems, where the optical axes of imaging systems are not coincident. Two imaging systems are optically coupled, so that an image of the first imaging system is an object of the second imaging system, and vice versa. An active mirror is disposed at the object or image plane, or at the focal plane of any one of the coupled imaging systems, where the position of the reflected pump beam during the multi-reflection between the first and second imaging systems is substantially unchanged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Apollo Instruments
    Inventors: Zhijiang Wang, Ying Wang