Abstract: A multi-path optical amplification system includes a modulated light source emitting ?1 modulated light, a first signal splitter coupled to receive the modulated ?1 light providing a first ?1 modulated light signal and second ?1 modulated light signal. A first optical amplifier is for receiving the first ?1 modulated light signal and generating a first amplified output signal, and a second optical amplifier is for receiving the second ?1 modulated light signal and generating a second amplified output signal. A first collimator assembly is coupled to receive the first amplified output signal and provide a first output beam having a first beam divergence (D1) and a second collimator assembly is coupled to receive the second amplified output signal and provide a second output beam having a second beam divergence (D2).

Abstract: An optical mount includes a mount material in a closed geometry with an outer surface sized for matching internal dimensions of an outer housing, and an inner surface including spaced apart inward extending contacting features providing contact points that collectively define an inner opening sized for securing an optical device including a crystal within. At least one feature gap or a recessed portion is between the inward extending contacting features. Edge holders are adapted for receiving corners of the optical device can be the protrusion pair or inner notches. The outer surface includes at least one outer notch between the inward extending contacting features. The edge holders and outer notch(es) are for each acting as hinge points opening or pinching depending on a direction of force on the optical mount for responding with flexure when there is a dimensional change in the crystal, mount material, or the housing.

Abstract: A cone-based polarizer includes a beam splitter including a front side (FS) and a back side (BS) part for receiving a first and a second beam portion, respectively. The FS part includes two prisms including parallel first and second FS hypotenuses, and the BS part includes two prisms including parallel first and second BS hypotenuses. A first TIR cone is on top and a second TIR cone is on a bottom of the beam splitter. The first and second TIR cones are aligned to have an essentially common cone axis direction and are configured to add a structured polarization upon retroreflecting. The first and second FS hypotenuses have a FS TIR interface in-between and are angled at about 45 degrees relative to the cone axis direction. The first and second BS hypotenuses have a BS TIR interface in-between and are angled at about 90 degrees relative to the FS hypotenuses.

Abstract: An optical device includes an optical assembly having a housing, a first end window, and a second end window. The first and second end window together with the housing provide an enclosed volume for a protected optical device including an optical material. A material for the end windows blocks essentially all non-pass band light having sufficient energy to generate absorption phenomena in the optical material while transmitting essentially all of operational wavelength light (pass band light) for the optical device. A material for the housing also blocks essentially all the non-pass band light from reaching the optical material.

Abstract: A bi-directionally pumped PM fiber amplifier includes an amplifier input coupled to a first WDM coupler and a second WDM coupler providing an amplifier output. A doped fiber is between the WDM couplers. A first pump light source emitting at a first wavelength along a first polarization axis is coupled to the WDM coupler through a polarization beam combiner/splitter and a polarization rotator is for downstream pumping of the doped fiber with rotated light relative to the first polarization. The fiber is upstream pumped with light having the first polarization using a second pump light source emitting at the first wavelength/first polarization, by an output of an optical power splitter with its input coupled to the first pump light source, or by a fiber-coupled rotator mirror coupled to the second WDM coupler.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing Q-switches includes coating a first Z-surface and second Z-surface of an oriented slab of a chemically reducible electro-optic lithium compound crystal (LC slab) with a condensed material including an active chemical operable once activated to chemically reduce the LC. The LC slab with condensed material thereon is heated in a non-oxidizing atmosphere at a temperature above an activating temperature of the condensed material. The LC slab is cooled to a temperature below a quenching temperature below which re-oxidization of the LN slab is inhibited. A finishing process is performed including cutting the LC slab of LC into a plurality of Q-switch devices each having a chemically reduced LC substrate, and forming metal electrodes on opposing sides of the LC substrates that are orthogonal to the Z-surfaces, and coating the Z-surfaces with an antireflective (AR) coating material.

Abstract: A method of removing a potential false positive result in a stained sample. The method includes the steps of: acquiring a spectral image set of a stained sample; performing linear spectral unmixing of the spectral image set to obtain a plurality of rule images; calculating an error image for the stained sample; thresholding at least one of the plurality of rule images, wherein thresholding is based on the error image; and removing a potential false positive result from the at least one of the plurality of rule images based on thresholding.

Abstract: A method of free space fiber-to-fiber coupling includes providing a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber spaced apart from one another by a free space distance having a pair of spaced-apart achromatic collimating lenses within the free space distance. Essentially single mode light is launched from the first fiber at a wavelength ? or a range of ?s that provides at least a portion of its light at wavelength(s) below a cut-off wavelength for the first fiber. The first optical fiber and second optical fiber are both <50 m and sufficiently short to provide essentially single mode operation. The essentially single mode light after the launching propagates as free space light through said free space distance and is received by and propagates in the second optical fiber as essentially single mode light.

Abstract: A laser rod assembly includes a first and second laser rod embedded in a cladding material. The assembly has a first end and a second end. The laser rods generate laser light at ?laser (?laser light) when pumped by pump power at ?pump. A reflecting outer surface at ?pump is on or over a majority of an outer surface of the cladding material. Fold optic(s) on the second end provides optical coupling between the laser rods. An optical resonator includes a highly reflecting (HR) mirror at ?laser over an end of the first laser rod on the first end and an output coupler over an end of the second laser rod also on the first end.

Abstract: A wavelength convertor includes a beam splitter which splits a pulsed laser beam at wavelength ?p into a first higher power pulse portion and a second low power pulse portion. A fiber super continuum (SC) generator is coupled to receive the second pulse portion which converts the second pulse portion into a SC pulse having a bandwidth of >100 nm including a narrow spectral portion at wavelength ?s. An optical parametric amplifier (OPA) having a periodically poled material is included with domains arranged to provided quasi-phase matching for amplification at ?s and pumping at ?p. The arrival of the SC pulse portion at ?s and the first pulse portion at the OPA is synchronized to overlap in time. The OPA is seeded by the SC pulse portion at ?s and pumped by the first pulse portion to provide an amplified OPA seed at ?s.

Abstract: An acousto-optic (AO) device includes an AO crystal having a plurality of faces including a first face and a second face. An input transducer bonded to the first face (top electrode) for receiving a radio frequency (RF) signal and launching bulk acoustic waves (BAWs) configured to interact with an optical beam propagating in the AO crystal, wherein the BAWs are received at least in part by the second face after interacting with the optical beam. The second face has a roughened surface portion over an area of at least (?) 50% of an area of the top electrode, and a root mean square (rms) surface roughness?1 ?m and a surface profile derivable from a Fourier transform which provides at least one a first spatial frequency peak from 1 cycle/mm to 300 cycles/mm or at least one band of spatial frequency peaks from 1 cycle/mm to 300 cycles/mm.

Abstract: A crystal capture housing (housing) for cooling an optical device including a crystal having optical end faces and non-optical faces spanning a length between the optical end faces. An outer housing body (body) has end openings and a crystal mount assembly (CMA) includes a thermally conductive material having end openings connected to an internal opening sized to mount the crystal therein. The CMA thermally contacts each of the non-optical faces of said crystal. The CMA includes a plurality of embedded liquid coolant conduit channels (coolant channels) formed therethrough spanning the length, and the CMA is sized to fit within the body and provide an air gap between the CMA and the body.

Abstract: An optical fiber device includes a first optical element for transmitting light. An output fiber includes an output fiber core having a light receiving end optically aligned to receive light from the first optical element, and includes at least a first outer cladding on a clad portion. The output fiber includes a mode stripper adhesive with a first adhesive composition and a structural adhesive with a second adhesive composition thereon. The mode stripper adhesive is positioned closer to the first optical element than the structural adhesive to strip a majority of power of cladding guided mode(s) light before reaching the structural adhesive. The mode stripper adhesive has a lower hardness as compared to the structural adhesive, and is substantially indexed matched to an outermost layer of the output fiber that it is in direct contact with.

Abstract: A distributed feedback (DFB) laser includes a substrate of a compound semiconductor material, and quantum-well (QW) active layer(s) overlying the substrate. A p-doped cladding layer including the compound semiconductor material is on one side of the active layer and an n-doped cladding layer is on the other side. A grating is in one of the cladding layers configured to select an operating wavelength for the DFB laser. A waveguide structure in the n-doped cladding layer includes a waveguide layer of a first composition compositionally different from the compound semiconductor material having an optical thickness of 0.7 to 1.5 of the guided wavelength. The waveguide structure can further include a hetero-waveguide stack including a plurality of alternating compositional layers beyond the waveguide layer each having a thickness between one quarter and one half the guided wavelength alternating the compound semiconductor material with a second composition defining a composition wavelength.

Abstract: A method of removing a potential false positive result in a stained sample. The method includes the steps of: acquiring a spectral image set of a stained sample; performing linear spectral unmixing of the spectral image set to obtain a plurality of rule images; calculating an error image for the stained sample; thresholding at least one of the plurality of rule images, wherein thresholding is based on the error image; and removing a potential false positive result from the at least one of the plurality of rule images based on thresholding.

Abstract: An optical fiber device includes a first optical element for transmitting light. An output fiber includes an output fiber core having a light receiving end optically aligned to receive light from the first optical element, and includes at least a first outer cladding on a clad portion. The output fiber includes a mode stripper adhesive with a first adhesive composition and a structural adhesive with a second adhesive composition thereon. The mode stripper adhesive is positioned closer to the first optical element than the structural adhesive to strip a majority of power of cladding guided mode(s) light before reaching the structural adhesive. The mode stripper adhesive has a lower hardness as compared to the structural adhesive, and is substantially indexed matched to an outermost layer of the output fiber that it is in direct contact with.

Abstract: A laser system includes a semiconductor laser having a laser driver coupled thereto. An output of the semiconductor laser is optically coupled to an input of an optical splitter that provides outputs including or coupled to a first branch having a first branch fiber coupled to a feedback reflector which provides a cavity boundary that defines a passive secondary cavity for the semiconductor laser, and a second branch including a back reflection reduction device. The roundtrip attenuation from an output facet of the laser to the feedback reflector is from ?30 dB to ?80 dB. The laser driver provides sufficient drive stability so that a frequency variation of the semiconductor laser is less than one free spectral range (FSR) of the secondary cavity. An output of said system is taken after the back reflection reduction device.

Abstract: A Fabry-Perot tunable filter (FPTF) includes a top mirror having a first surface for receiving light and a second surface opposite the first surface. A movable mirror having a front side is secured to the second surface of the top mirror and includes back side. The movable mirror includes an inner bend resistant portion, wherein the front side includes a flexible front side portion outside the inner bend resistant portion recessed relative to the inner bend resistant portion, and a front side outer bend resistant portion thicker than the flexible front side portion. The back side includes a flexible back side portion outside the inner bend resistant portion and a back side outer bend resistant portion thicker than the flexible back side portion. An actuator mechanically coupled to the back side of the movable mirror moves the inner bend resistant portion relative to the second surface of the top mirror.

Abstract: Devices and techniques are disclosed for amplifying a plurality of optical signals using a single pump laser coupled to a set of optical splitters arranged in a binary tree configuration for powering a plurality of fiber optical amplifying path circuits (FOAP circuits) each configured to amplify one of the plurality of optical signals, where each of the optical splitters at the leaves of the binary tree is coupled to one of the plurality of FOAP circuits to provide the power required to amplify the optical signal.

Abstract: A polarization diversity detector includes at least one optical fiber having a first end for receiving a beam of light and a second end for transmitting the beam of light. A collimator receives the beam of the light from the optical fiber and outputs a collimated beam. A polarization diversity element includes a birefringent material which is positioned for receiving the collimated beam and resolving the collimated beam into a first beam having a first polarization and a second beam having a second polarization different from the first polarization. The first beam and second beam are angled relative to one another. At least one photodetector array pair includes a first photodetector array positioned to receive the first beam and a second photodetector array positioned to receive the second beam.