Patents by Inventor Armin Zach

Armin Zach has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20220255285
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an all-fiber, easy to use, wavelength tunable, ultrafast laser based on soliton self-frequency-shifting in an Er-doped polarization-maintaining very large mode area (PM VLMA) fiber. The ultrafast laser system may include an all polarization-maintaining (PM) fiber mode-locked seed laser with a pre-amplifier; a Raman laser including a cascaded Raman resonator and an ytterbium (Yb) fiber laser cavity; an amplifier core-pumped by the Raman laser, the amplifier including an erbium (Er) doped polarization maintaining very large mode area (PM Er VLMA) optical fiber and a passive PM VLMA fiber following the PM Er VLMA, the passive PM VLMA for supporting a spectral shift to a longer wavelength.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2020
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Applicants: OFS Fitel, LLC, TOPTICA Photonics AG
    Inventors: Jeffrey W Nicholson, Armin Zach
  • Publication number: 20210075191
    Abstract: The invention relates to a laser system comprising a laser light source (1) that emits laser radiation during operation of the laser system, a modulation means (2) that brings about modulation of the laser radiation emitted by the laser light source (1) such that the spectrum of the laser radiation comprises a carrier (14) and two sidebands (13, 15) that are symmetrically distributed around the carrier, and at least one optical amplifier (5) that amplifies the radiation emitted by the laser light source (1). The invention proposes that an optical filter (4) be provided in the beam path of the laser radiation, upstream of the optical amplifier (5), which filter is intended for removing the spectral portion of the laser radiation at the frequency of one of the two sidebands (13). The laser system is suitable inter alia for generating an artificial guide star (“laser guide star”) for astronomical telescopes comprising adaptive optics.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2019
    Publication date: March 11, 2021
    Applicant: TOPTICA Projects GmbH
    Inventors: Martin Enderlein, Armin Zach
  • Patent number: 10355440
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the synthesis of electromagnetic radiation, wherein electromagnetic radiation having a spectrum comprising two or more spectral components is generated and phase setting of the electromagnetic radiation is performed. The invention proposes that the phase setting comprises phase shifting of the spectral components of the electromagnetic radiation, wherein the relative phase relationship of the spectral components is predeterminable. In addition, the invention relates to an apparatus for the synthesis of electromagnetic radiation, said apparatus comprising a pulsed laser (1), which generates a sequence of temporally equidistant light pulses, wherein the spectrum of the electromagnetic radiation of the pulsed laser (1) is the spectrum of an optical frequency comb, which is characterized by an offset frequency and a repetition rate. Furthermore, the apparatus has a phase setter (5), which effects phase setting of the electromagnetic radiation of the pulses laser (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: TOPTICA PHOTONICS AG
    Inventors: Armin Zach, Thomas A. Puppe, Thomas Hellerer
  • Patent number: 9882342
    Abstract: A method and system for delivering laser pulses achieves the delivery of high quality laser pulses at the location of an application. The method includes the steps of: generating laser pulses, amplifying the laser pulses, temporally stretching the amplified laser pulses, and propagating the amplified laser pulses through an optical delivery fiber of desired length, wherein the laser pulses are temporally compressed in the optical delivery fiber and wherein the laser pulses undergo nonlinear spectral broadening in the optical delivery fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Toptica Photonics AG
    Inventors: Armin Zach, Robert Herda
  • Patent number: 9774161
    Abstract: A method and system for delivering laser pulses achieves the delivery of high quality laser pulses at the location of an application. The method includes the steps of: generating laser pulses, amplifying the laser pulses, temporally stretching the amplified laser pulses, and propagating the amplified laser pulses through an optical delivery fiber of desired length, wherein the laser pulses are temporally compressed in the optical delivery fiber and wherein the laser pulses undergo nonlinear spectral broadening in the optical delivery fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Toptica Photonics AG
    Inventors: Armin Zach, Robert Herda
  • Patent number: 9685754
    Abstract: A device for generating temporally distant light pulses is provided, the device including at least a first light source for generating a first sequence of light pulses at a first repetition rate, and a second light source for generating a second sequence of light pulses at a second repetition rate. In some embodiments the device includes at least one actuator element which influences the first and/or the second repetition rate, and a control element which charges the actuator element with a periodical modulation signal for periodical variation of the first and/or second repetition rate. A control circuit is also provided including at least a phase detector, a corrective element, a control element, and a superposition element that forms an actuator signal from a modulation signal and an output signal of the control element, and which charges the actuator element with the actuator signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: TOPTICA PHOTONICS AG
    Inventors: Thomas A. Puppe, Nico Vieweg, Armin Zach, Alexander Sell
  • Patent number: 9472920
    Abstract: A method and system generates two synchronized trains of laser pulses at different wavelengths, wherein the two pulse trains are temporally synchronized and have a stable phase relation, and wherein the wavelength of one of the pulse trains is de-tunable. The method includes the steps of: generating a train of ultra-short seed laser pulses; splitting the train of seed laser pulses into a first pulse train and a second pulse train; and frequency-shifting the first pulse train by soliton self-frequency shift in an optically pumped waveguide having anomalous dispersion, wherein the spectrum of the frequency-shifted first pulse train is de-tunable by varying the pump power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: Toptica Photonics AG
    Inventor: Armin Zach
  • Publication number: 20160240997
    Abstract: A method and system for delivering laser pulses achieves the delivery of high quality laser pulses at the location of an application. The method includes the steps of: generating laser pulses, amplifying the laser pulses, temporally stretching the amplified laser pulses, and propagating the amplified laser pulses through an optical delivery fiber of desired length, wherein the laser pulses are temporally compressed in the optical delivery fiber and wherein the laser pulses undergo nonlinear spectral broadening in the optical delivery fiber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2015
    Publication date: August 18, 2016
    Inventors: Armin ZACH, Robert HERDA
  • Publication number: 20160240994
    Abstract: A method and system generates two synchronized trains of laser pulses at different wavelengths, wherein the two pulse trains are temporally synchronized and have a stable phase relation, and wherein the wavelength of one of the pulse trains is de-tunable. The method includes the steps of: generating a train of ultra-short seed laser pulses; splitting the train of seed laser pulses into a first pulse train and a second pulse train; and frequency-shifting the first pulse train by soliton self-frequency shift in an optically pumped waveguide having anomalous dispersion, wherein the spectrum of the frequency-shifted first pulse train is de-tunable by varying the pump power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2015
    Publication date: August 18, 2016
    Applicant: Toptica Photonics AG
    Inventor: Armin ZACH
  • Publication number: 20160240995
    Abstract: A method and system for delivering laser pulses achieves the delivery of high quality laser pulses at the location of an application. The method includes the steps of: generating laser pulses, amplifying the laser pulses, temporally stretching the amplified laser pulses, and propagating the amplified laser pulses through an optical delivery fiber of desired length, wherein the laser pulses are temporally compressed in the optical delivery fiber and wherein the laser pulses undergo nonlinear spectral broadening in the optical delivery fiber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2016
    Publication date: August 18, 2016
    Applicant: Toptica Photonics AG
    Inventors: Armin ZACH, Robert HERDA
  • Publication number: 20150357788
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for generating temporally distant light pulses, said device comprising a first light source (51) generating a first sequence (I) of light pulses at a first repetition rate, and a second light source (52) generating a second sequence (II) of light pulses at a second repetition rate. It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved device for generating temporally distant light pulses. This object is inventively achieved by providing for at least one actuator element which influences the first and/or the second repetition rate, and a control element (61) which charges the actuator element with a periodical modulation signal (62) for periodical variation of the first and/or second repetition rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2015
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Applicant: TOPTICA Photonics AG
    Inventors: Thomas A. Puppe, Nico Vieweg, Armin Zach, Alexander Sell
  • Publication number: 20150303639
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the synthesis of electromagnetic radiation, wherein electromagnetic radiation having a spectrum comprising two or more spectral components is generated and phase setting of the electromagnetic radiation is performed. The invention proposes that the phase setting comprises phase shifting of the spectral components of the electromagnetic radiation, wherein the relative phase relationship of the spectral components is predeterminable. In addition, the invention relates to an apparatus for the synthesis of electromagnetic radiation, said apparatus comprising a pulsed laser (1), which generates a sequence of temporally equidistant light pulses, wherein the spectrum of the electromagnetic radiation of the pulsed laser (1) is the spectrum of an optical frequency comb, which is characterized by an offset frequency and a repetition rate. Furthermore, the apparatus has a phase setter (5), which effects phase setting of the electromagnetic radiation of the pulses laser (1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2013
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Applicant: TOPTICA PHOTONICS AG
    Inventors: Armin Zach, Thomas A. Puppe, Thomas Hellerer
  • Patent number: 8457164
    Abstract: The invention relates to a fiber laser comprising a ring-shaped resonator (3). A first section of the resonator is formed by an optical fiber (7) while a second section of the resonator is formed by an optically pumped amplifier fiber (8). The fiber laser further comprises an injection point (4) for injecting light of a pump light source (1) into the resonator (3) as well as an extraction point (5) for extracting generated laser light from the resonator (3). The aim of the invention is to design a more developed fiber laser. The aim is achieved by providing the resonator (3) with at least one reflective optical component (12, 51) which reflects the laser light circulating in the resonator (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: TOPTICA Photonics AG
    Inventors: Reto Haering, Armin Zach
  • Patent number: 8284808
    Abstract: A device for generating light pulses includes a seed laser source for generating input light pulses. An optical pre-amplifier having variable gain receives the input light pulses from the seed laser source. An optical power amplifier receives the light pulses from the optical pre-amplifier and amplifies and compresses the received light pulses. The light pulses are compressed in the optical power amplifier in such a manner that the pulse duration of the output light pulses of the optical power amplifier is tunable via adjusting the gain of the optical pre-amplifier. Wavelength-tunable light pulses are obtained by supplying the output light pulses of the optical power amplifier to a highly non-linear optical fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: TOPTICA Photonics AG
    Inventors: Robert Herda, Armin Zach, Frank Lison
  • Publication number: 20100296528
    Abstract: The invention relates to a fiber laser comprising a ring-shaped resonator (3). A first section of the resonator is formed by an optical fiber (7) while a second section of the resonator is formed by an optically pumped amplifier fiber (8). The fiber laser further comprises an injection point (4) for injecting light of a pump light source (1) into the resonator (3) as well as an extraction point (5) for extracting generated laser light from the resonator (3). The aim of the invention is to design a more developed fiber laser. The aim is achieved by providing the resonator (3) with at least one reflective optical component (12, 51) which reflects the laser light circulating in the resonator (3).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2008
    Publication date: November 25, 2010
    Applicant: TOPTICA PHOTONICS AG
    Inventors: Reto Haering, Armin Zach
  • Publication number: 20100135338
    Abstract: A device for generating light pulses includes a seed laser source for generating input light pulses. An optical pre-amplifier having variable gain receives the input light pulses from the seed laser source. An optical power amplifier receives the light pulses from the optical pre-amplifier and amplifies and compresses the received light pulses. The light pulses are compressed in the optical power amplifier in such a manner that the pulse duration of the output light pulses of the optical power amplifier is tunable via adjusting the gain of the optical pre-amplifier. Wavelength-tunable light pulses are obtained by supplying the output light pulses of the optical power amplifier to a highly non-linear optical fiber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2009
    Publication date: June 3, 2010
    Inventors: Robert Herda, Armin Zach, Frank Lison