Abstract: A laser system is configured with at least one light amplifying device sequentially outputting a light signal at first and at least one additional operating wavelengths over respective time intervals. Each time interval is shorter than the predetermined lifespan of the light amplifying device. The total useful life of the light amplifying device, operating at a plurality of wavelengths, is 3-10 times longer than the predetermined lifespan.

Abstract: A laser welding head with movable mirrors may be used to perform welding operations, for example, with wobble patterns and/or seam finding/tracking and following. The movable mirrors provide a wobbling movement of one or more beams within a relatively small field of view, for example, defined by a scan angle of 1-2°. The movable mirrors may be galvanometer mirrors that are controllable by a control system including a galvo controller. The laser welding head may also include a diffractive optical element to shape the beam or beams being moved. The control system may also be used to control the fiber laser, for example, in response to the position of the beams relative to the workpiece and/or a sensed condition in the welding head such as a thermal condition proximate one of the mirrors.

Abstract: Controlling a low-threshold femtosecond supercontinuum (fs SCG) in a bulk nonlinear material (BNLM) with a positive thermo-optic coefficient (dn/dT>0 K?1) is provided by coupling light at a first wavelength output by a fs oscillator at a full pulse repetition PRR into the BNLM. The coupling of light produces a nonlinear lens of the coupled beam in the BNLM which is insufficient to provide intensity of the light sufficient to reach ta threshold of the fs SCG. To raise the pulse energy and reach the SCG threshold, light at a second wavelength different from the first wavelength is absorbed in the BNLM to form a thermal lens in the BNLM which assist the nonlinear lens in creating the SCG.

Abstract: A laser light energy coupling with a male launch connecter. The male launch connector having a body portion with the fiber optic line terminating at an optical connection component including a male ferrule. The optical connection component being elongate and generally cylindrical with a central circumferential band. The body portion defining a cavity form fit and spaced about the optical connection component. An elastomeric support engaging the optical connection portion provides compliancy when the coupling is made and provides centration before the coupling is made. The elastomeric support positioned rearward of the optical connection component. The elastomeric support may clamp the fiber optic line therein. A forward facing annular surface displaced rearwardly of a forwardmost portion of the male ferrule provides a stop surface when the coupling is made and provides heat transfer means to dissipate heat from the male ferrule through into a receiving coupling.

Abstract: A surgical laser system includes a surgical optical fiber optically coupled to a light source and a light detector configured to receive a portion of light reflected from a treatment target and generate optical data corresponding to the portion of the reflected light interacting with the light detector. The system also includes a computing device configured to analyze the optical data relative to characteristic criteria, and based on the comparison of the optical data to the characteristic criteria, control operation of a laser source.

Abstract: A spectral beam combiner includes at least one transmitting volume chirped Bragg grating (TVCBG) which 1. diffracts a first broadband beam propagating at one central wavelength, which satisfies the Bragg condition, and incident on the TVCBG at one of (+) (?) Bragg angles, and 2. transmits at least one second broadband beam propagating at a second central wavelength, which does not satisfy the Bragg condition. The second broadband beam is incident on the TVCBG at the Bragg angle which is opposite to the one Bragg angle of the first broadband beam. The TVCBG is configured to eliminate divergence of the first broadband beam, which is resulted from dispersion of the one TVCBG, in a plane of diffraction, and combine the first diffracted and second transmitted broadband beams into a first single high-power collimated broadband output beam.

Abstract: A handheld laser system. In certain examples the handheld laser system includes a laser source emitting laser light at a wavelength for performing a material processing operation on a workpiece material with a laser beam of the emitted laser light, a plasma sensor configured to detect plasma emitted from the workpiece material during a material processing operation, and a controller coupled to the plasma sensor and configured to: compare an optical intensity value obtained by the plasma sensor to a threshold value at a time when a predetermined time period has elapsed after the material processing operation has commenced, and produce a control command based on the comparison.

Abstract: An SrB4O7 or PbB4O7 crystal is configured with a plurality of domains with respective periodically alternating polarity of the crystal axis so that the disclosed crystal is capable of quasi-phasematching (QPM). The disclosed crystal is manufactured by a method including patterning a surface of a crystal block of SrB4O7 or PbB4O7, thereby providing patterned uniformly dimensioned regions with a uniform polarity sign on the surface. The method further includes generating a disturbance on the patterned surface, thereby inverting a sign of crystal polarity of every other region to form the SrB4O7 or SrB4O7 crystal with a plurality of domains with alternating polarity enabling a QPM mechanism.

Abstract: A Raman fiber laser source (RFLS) is configured with a feeding fiber delivering MM pump radiation to an inner cladding of double-clad MM Raman fiber laser. The MM pump radiation has a sufficient power to produce Raman scattering in the MM Raman fiber converting the pump radiation to a MM signal radiation at a Raman-shifted wavelength ?ram which is longer than a wavelength ?pump of the pump radiation. The RFLS further has a pair of spaced reflectors defining therebetween a resonator for the signal radiation at a 1st Stokes wavelength and flanking at least part of the MM core of the Raman fiber which is provided with a central core region which is doped with impurities for enhancing Raman process. The reflectors and central core region are dimensioned to correspond to the fundamental mode of the MM signal radiation.

Abstract: A surface treating method and apparatus include operating a quasi-continuous wave fiber laser and pre-scan shaping the laser beam such that an instantaneous spot beam has predetermined geometrical dimensions, intensity profile, and power; operating a scanner at an optimal angular velocity and angular range to divide the pre-scan beam into at least one sub-beam deflected toward the surface being processed; guiding the sub-beam through a post-scan optical assembly to provide the spot beam with predetermined geometrical dimensions, power, and angular velocity and range, which are selected such that the instantaneous spot beam is dragged in a scan direction over a desired length at a desired scan velocity, which allow the treated surface to be exposed for a predetermined exposure duration and have a predetermined fluence distribution providing the treated surface with a quality comparable to that of the surface processed by an excimer laser or a burst-mode fiber laser.

Abstract: A beam combiner configured to spectrally combine multiple beams includes at least one pair of identically configured TVBGs. The TVBGs are spaced apart along a light path and aligned at respective “+” and “?” Bragg angles. The upstream TVBGs diffracts a first beam, which is incident thereon at one of the Bragg angles, so that spectral components of this beams diverge from one another defining thus a fan-shaped beam at the output of the upstream TVBG. Upon launching the diffracted first beam to the downstream TVBG at the other Bragg angle, its spectral components again are diffracted but in the direction opposite to that provided by the upstream TVBG. Thus, the dispersion effects in respective TVBGs cancel out each other. Another beam is incident on and transmitted by the downstream TVBG which combines the twice diffracted and transmitted beams into a collimated combined beam.

Abstract: A laser alignment system is used to align an output fiber with a fiber laser, for example, when coupling a feeding fiber to a process fiber using a beam coupler or switch. The alignment system includes a laser alignment apparatus that is coupled at a first end to the output fiber and at a second end to a beam dump/power meter. The alignment apparatus defines a light passage and a light capture chamber along the light passage. When light is not aligned into the core of the output fiber, at least a portion of the light passing out of the output fiber will be captured by the light capture chamber and detected by a photodetector in optical communication with the light capture chamber. By monitoring the readings of the photodetector, the output fiber may be properly aligned with the laser light from the fiber laser.

Abstract: Laser lift off systems and methods overlap irradiation zones to provide multiple pulses of laser irradiation per location at the interface between layers of material to be separated. To overlap irradiation zones, the laser lift off systems and methods provide stepwise relative movement between a pulsed laser beam and a workpiece. The laser irradiation may be provided by a non-homogeneous laser beam with a smooth spatial distribution of energy across the beam profile. The pulses of laser irradiation from the non-homogenous beam may irradiate the overlapping irradiation zones such that each of the locations at the interface is exposed to different portions of the non-homogeneous beam for each of the multiple pulses of the laser irradiation, thereby resulting in self-homogenization. Thus, the number of the multiple pulses of laser irradiation per location is generally sufficient to provide the self-homogenization and to separate the layers of material.

Abstract: Laser processing of hard dielectric materials may include cutting a part from a hard dielectric material using a continuous wave laser operating in a quasi-continuous wave (QCW) mode to emit consecutive laser light pulses in a wavelength range of about 1060 nm to 1070 nm. Cutting using a QCW laser may be performed with a lower duty cycle (e.g., between about 1% and 15%) and in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen, argon or helium. Laser processing of hard dielectric materials may further include post-cut processing the cut edges of the part cut from the dielectric material, for example, by beveling and/or polishing the edges to reduce edge defects. The post-cut processing may be performed using a laser beam with different laser parameters than the beam used for cutting, for example, by using a shorter wavelength (e.g., 193 nm excimer laser) and/or a shorter pulse width (e.g., picosecond laser).

Abstract: A beam-shaper for transforming a MM beam with the flattop intensity distribution profile includes an end block which is fused to a downstream end of a fiber outputting the MM beam along a path within a laser head. The beam-shaper further has a collimator mounted to the laser head downstream from the end block. The collimated MM beam is then focused on the working zone with a beam waist characterized by a Gaussian intensity profile. The Gaussian region may be provided in the vicinity of the beam waist by positioning the collimator so that the Gaussian region of the MM flattop beam is located inside the end block and in the focal plane of the collimator. Alternatively, the Gaussian region may be provided within the waist by using a diffractive optical element which transforms the flattop distribution profile into a donut-shaped profile.

Abstract: A pulse configurable laser unit is an environmentally stable, mechanically robust, and maintenance-free ultrafast laser source for low-energy industrial, medical and analytical applications. The key features of the laser unit are a reliable, self-starting fiber oscillator and an integrated programmable pulse shaper. The combination of these components allows taking full advantage of the laser's broad bandwidth ultrashort pulse duration and arbitrary waveform generation via spectral phase manipulation. The source can routinely deliver near-TL, sub-60 fs pulses with megawatt-level peak power. The output pulse dispersion can be tuned to pre-compensate phase distortions down the line as well as to optimize the pulse profile for a specific application.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for using optical interferometry in the context of material modification processes such as surgical laser, sintering, and welding applications. An imaging optical source that produces imaging light. A feedback controller controls at least one processing parameter of the material modification process based on an interferometry output generated using the imaging light. A method of processing interferograms is provided based on homodyne filtering. A method of generating a record of a material modification process using an interferometry output is provided.

Abstract: A multi-axis robot includes multiple arms. The last arm which is closest to the workpiece has a tip or wrist which is configured to receive an end-of-arm tooling (EOAT) rotatable about the 6th axis of the robot. A mount for supporting a laser head assembly is coupled to the wrist so that the laser head assembly is not rotatable about the 6th axis of the robot.

Abstract: A laser head for a high power fiber laser system has a 5 to 10 mm high housing which is provided with a bottom. The housing encloses an input collimator assembly which collimates a single mode pump light at a fundamental frequency and maximum power of 2 kW. The housing further encases a multi-cascaded nonlinear frequency converter receiving the collimated pump light so as to convert the fundamental frequency into a higher harmonic thereof, wherein converted light at the higher frequency has a maximum power of 1 kW. Enclosed in the housing are electronic and light guiding optical components mounted in the housing. The bottom of the housing is an electro-optical printed circuit board (EO PCB) which directly supports the input collimator assembly, multi-cascaded nonlinear frequency converter, electronic and optical components at respective designated locations.

Abstract: Catheter steering handles that are ergonomically designed to enable an operator to reduce hand fatigue. Various ergonomic aspects of the disclosed steering handles include geometries that more naturally conform to the palm of the hand and that enable the hand to be held in a natural, low stress posture during operation of the steering handle. In another aspect of the disclosure, the catheter steering handle is configured so that the operator can release or partially release the grip on the handle, thereby enabling the operator to relax and flex the hand, thereby reducing fatigue.