Patents Assigned to Novalux, Inc.
-
Patent number: 7357513Abstract: A light engine includes a multi-color laser source having a set of semiconductor lasers. A controller synchronizes the operation of the laser source to operate in a color sequential order with a spatial modulator.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 2006Date of Patent: April 15, 2008Assignee: Novalux, Inc.Inventors: Jason P. Watson, Aram Mooradian, Andrei V. Shchegrov
-
Patent number: 7322704Abstract: A vertical extended cavity surface emitting laser (VECSEL) includes intra-cavity frequency doubling. Conventional frequency control elements, such as etalons, are replaced with thin film interference filters or volume Bragg gratings.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 2006Date of Patent: January 29, 2008Assignee: Novalux, Inc.Inventor: Andrei V. Shchegrov
-
Patent number: 7315560Abstract: An array of surface emitting laser diodes has a series electrical connection of laser diodes. Junction isolation is used to isolate laser diodes in the array.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 2005Date of Patent: January 1, 2008Assignee: Novalux, Inc.Inventors: Alan Lewis, Brad Cantos, Glen P. Carey, William R. Hitchens, Jason P. Watson, Aram Mooradian
-
Patent number: 7296897Abstract: In an apparatus, system, and method for generating a projected display, a light source generates red, green, and blue light using arrays of extended cavity surface emitting semiconductor lasers. The beams of individual lasers overlap and have a distribution of optical attributes selected to reduce speckle on a display surface.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 2005Date of Patent: November 20, 2007Assignee: Novalux, Inc.Inventors: Aram Mooradian, Andrei V. Shchegrov, Jason P. Watson
-
Publication number: 20070147458Abstract: Arrays of surface emitting lasers are disclosed. A top contact plate is patterned with apertures and used to form an electrical connection to a top surface of a laser die. The top contact plate reduces electrical resistance and improves current uniformity compared with conventional contacts formed by plating.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 9, 2006Publication date: June 28, 2007Applicant: Novalux, Inc.Inventors: Jason Watson, Andrei Shchegrov, Aram Mooradian, Kenneth Scholz, William Hitchens, Brad Cantos, John Green
-
Patent number: 7189589Abstract: A method of fabricating a semiconductor device is described. In this method, a starting substrate of sufficient thickness is selected that has the required defect density levels, which may result in an undesirable doping level. Then a semiconductor layer having a desired doping level is formed on the starting substrate. The resulting semiconductor layer has the required defect density and doping levels for the final product application. After active components, electrical conductors, and any other needed structures are formed on the semiconductor layer, the starting substrate is removed leaving a desired thickness of the semiconductor layer. In a VECSEL application, the active components can be a gain cavity, where the semiconductor layer has the necessary defect density and doping levels to maximize wall plug efficiency (WPE). In one embodiment, the doping of the semiconductor layer is not uniform. For example, a majority of the layer is doped at a low level and the remainder is doped at a much higher level.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2003Date of Patent: March 13, 2007Assignee: Novalux, Inc.Inventors: Glen Phillip Carey, Ian Jenks, Alan Lewis, René Lujan, Hailong Zhou, Jacy R. Titus, Gideon W. Yoffe, Mark A. Emanuel, Aram Mooradian
-
Publication number: 20060029120Abstract: An active gain region sandwiched between a 100% reflective bottom Bragg mirror and an intermediate partially reflecting Bragg mirror is formed on a lower surface of a supporting substrate, to thereby provide the first (“active”) resonator cavity of a high power coupled cavity surface emitting laser device. The reflectivity of the intermediate mirror is kept low enough so that laser oscillation within the active gain region will not occur. The substrate is entirely outside the active cavity but is contained within a second (“passive”) resonator cavity defined by the intermediate mirror and a partially reflecting output mirror, where it is subjected to only a fraction of the light intensity that is circulating in the gain region.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 23, 2005Publication date: February 9, 2006Applicant: Novalux Inc.Inventors: Aram Mooradian, Andrei Shchegrov, Sergei Anikitchev
-
Patent number: 6898225Abstract: An active gain region sandwiched between a 100% reflective bottom Bragg mirror and an intermediate partially reflecting Bragg mirror is formed on a lower surface of a supporting substrate, to thereby provide the first (“active”) resonator cavity of a high power coupled cavity surface emitting laser device. The bottom mirror is preferably in direct thermal contact with an external heat sink for maximum heat removal effectiveness. The reflectivity of the intermediate mirror is kept low enough so that laser oscillation within the active gain region will not occur. The substrate is entirely outside the active cavity but is contained within a second (“passive”) resonator cavity defined by the intermediate mirror and a partially reflecting output mirror, where it is subjected to only a fraction of the light intensity that is circulating in the gain region.Type: GrantFiled: July 26, 2004Date of Patent: May 24, 2005Assignee: Novalux, Inc.Inventor: Aram Mooradian
-
Patent number: 6778582Abstract: An active gain region sandwiched between a 100% reflective bottom. Bragg mirror and an intermediate partially reflecting Bragg mirror is formed on a lower surface of a supporting substrate, to thereby provide the first (“active”) resonator cavity of a high power coupled cavity surface emitting laser device. The bottom mirror is preferably in direct thermal contact with an external heat sink for maximum heat removal effectiveness. The reflectivity of the intermediate mirror is kept low enough so that laser oscillation within the active gain region will not occur. The substrate is entirely outside the first active resonator cavity to a level sufficient to cause lasing. The substrate is entirely outside the active cavity but is contained within a second (“passive”) resonator cavity defined by the intermediate mirror and a partially reflecting output mirror, where it is subjected to only a fraction of the light intensity that is circulating in the gain region.Type: GrantFiled: March 6, 2000Date of Patent: August 17, 2004Assignee: Novalux, Inc.Inventor: Aram Mooradian
-
Patent number: 6775000Abstract: A system and method for manufacturing and wafer-level testing properties of a wafer comprises a chuck receiving a wafer to be tested and a pump light source directing an output beam toward selected locations on a wafer received on the chuck in combination with a laser light detector detecting light emitted from the wafer and a pump beam aiming mechanism selectively varying a position at which the pump light source output beam enters the wafer.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2001Date of Patent: August 10, 2004Assignee: Novalux, Inc.Inventors: James Harrison, David Leslie Heald
-
Patent number: 6636539Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for reducing thermal gradients in optical devices. According to an embodiment of the invention, the size of the heat sink interface is adapted to correspond to a region of principal heat generation within the device. Doing so can make the heat generating region within the device have a more laterally uniform temperature gradient. The reduction (or elimination) of such temperature gradients can lead to a marked reduction in thermal lensing and greatly diminish the change in lensing with applied current, thereby improving the performance of the optical device over a wide operating range.Type: GrantFiled: May 25, 2001Date of Patent: October 21, 2003Assignee: Novalux, Inc.Inventor: Robert Jens Martinsen
-
Patent number: 6614827Abstract: In an apparatus and method for generating high power laser radiation, the geometry of the resonant laser cavity defines a fundamental spatial or transverse cavity mode. A gain medium is disposed within the resonant cavity and an energy source energizes the gain medium within a first volume. This causes spontaneous and stimulated energy emission to propagate in the gain medium in a direction transverse to the fundamental cavity mode. The transverse emission in turn optically pumps a second volume of the gain medium about the first volume. When the intensity of the transverse emission is sufficiently high, inversion and gain are produced in the second volume. By optimizing the geometry of the cavity such that the fundamental cavity mode is coupled to both the first and the second volumes encompassing the first pumped volume, the transversely-directed energy of the first volume which would otherwise be wasted is instead captured by the fundamental beam, improving the overall power efficiently of the laser.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 1999Date of Patent: September 2, 2003Assignee: Novalux, Inc.Inventor: Aram Mooradian
-
Patent number: 6448805Abstract: A method and device for wafer level testing of semiconductor lasers allows probing from one side while detecting light output from the opposite side. A chuck with a transparent substrate receives the optical aperture side of a wafer of semiconductor lasers. The wafer is probed form the side opposite the side contacting the chuck and emitted light is detected on a side of the chuck opposite the side contacting the wafer.Type: GrantFiled: February 12, 2001Date of Patent: September 10, 2002Assignee: Novalux, Inc.Inventors: David Leslie Heald, Legardo Tardeo Reyes
-
Patent number: 6404797Abstract: In an apparatus and method for generating high power laser radiation, the geometry of the resonant laser cavity defines a fundamental spatial or transverse cavity mode. A gain medium is disposed within the resonant cavity and an energy source energizes the gain medium within a first volume. This causes spontaneous and stimulated energy emission to propagate in the gain medium in a direction transverse to the fundamental cavity mode. The transverse emission in turn optically pumps a second volume of the gain medium about the first volume. When the intensity of the transverse emission is sufficiently high, inversion and gain are produced in the second volume. By optimizing the geometry of the cavity such that the fundamental cavity mode is coupled to both the first and the second volumes encompassing the first pumped volume, the transversely-directed energy of the first volume which would otherwise be wasted is instead captured by the fundamental beam, improving the overall power efficiently of the laser.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 1999Date of Patent: June 11, 2002Assignee: Novalux, Inc.Inventor: Aram Mooradian
-
Patent number: 6243407Abstract: In an apparatus and method for generating high power laser radiation, the geometry of the resonant laser cavity defines a fundamental spatial or transverse cavity mode. A gain medium is disposed within the resonant cavity and an energy source energizes the gain medium within a first volume. This causes spontaneous and stimulated energy emission to propagate in the gain medium in a direction transverse to the fundamental cavity mode. The transverse emission in turn optically pumps a second volume of the gain medium about the first volume. When the intensity of the emission is sufficiently high, inversion and gain are produced in the second volume. By optimizing the geometry of the cavity such that the fundamental cavity mode is coupled to both the first and the second volumes encompassing the first pumped volume, the transversely-directed energy of the first volume which would otherwise be wasted is instead captured by the fundamental beam, improving the overall power efficiently of the laser.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 1997Date of Patent: June 5, 2001Assignee: Novalux, Inc.Inventor: Aram Mooradian