Patents by Inventor Elizabeth Twyford Kunkee

Elizabeth Twyford Kunkee 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).

  • Patent number: 9368935
    Abstract: One embodiment is a wide stripe semiconductor waveguide, which is cleaved at a Talbot length thereof, the wide stripe semiconductor waveguide having facets with mirror coatings. A system provides for selective pumping the wide stripe semiconductor waveguide to create and support a Talbot mode. In embodiments according to the present method and apparatus the gain is patterned so that a single unique pattern actually has the highest gain and hence it is the distribution that oscillates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Rex Rice, Elizabeth Twyford Kunkee
  • Patent number: 8432609
    Abstract: An edge photo-pumped semiconductor slab amplifier including an undoped semiconductor slab. A first gain structure is formed on an upper surface of the slab and a second gain structure is formed on a lower surface of the slab. The gain structures can be resonant periodic gain structures including a plurality of stacked quantum well layers. Confining layers are coupled to the gain structures to confine a signal beam within the semiconductor slab. Heat sinks are thermally coupled to the confining layers. Optical pump sources are provided along the side edges or coupled to the end edges of the slab so that pump light is introduced into the slab through the edges to provide gain for the quantum well layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Rex Rice, Derek Evan Schulte, Elizabeth Twyford Kunkee
  • Patent number: 8169692
    Abstract: A waveguide parametric device including a multi-mode waveguide having orientation layers formed in a propagation direction of a signal beam and a pump beam propagating down the waveguide. The orientation layers are oppositely oriented to provide non-linear coupling between the pump beam and the signal beam and have a periodicity that provides quasi-phase matching for a fundamental propagation mode, where the waveguide has a size to accommodate multi-mode wave propagation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Robert R. Rice, Elizabeth Twyford Kunkee, Peter Y. M. Livingston
  • Publication number: 20110176204
    Abstract: An edge photo-pumped semiconductor slab amplifier including an undoped semiconductor slab. A first gain structure is formed on an upper surface of the slab and a second gain structure is formed on a lower surface of the slab. The gain structures can be resonant periodic gain structures including a plurality of stacked quantum well layers. Confining layers are coupled to the gain structures to confine a signal beam within the semiconductor slab. Heat sinks are thermally coupled to the confining layers. Optical pump sources are provided along the side edges or coupled to the end edges of the slab so that pump light is introduced into the slab through the edges to provide gain for the quantum well layers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2010
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Applicant: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Rex Rice, Derek Evan Schulte, Elizabeth Twyford Kunkee
  • Publication number: 20100328760
    Abstract: A waveguide parametric device including a multi-mode waveguide having orientation layers formed in a propagation direction of a signal beam and a pump beam propagating down the waveguide. The orientation layers are oppositely oriented to provide non-linear coupling between the pump beam and the signal beam and have a periodicity that provides quasi-phase matching for a fundamental propagation mode, where the waveguide has a size to accommodate multi-mode wave propagation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2008
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Applicant: Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems Corp.
    Inventors: Robert R. Rice, Elizabeth Twyford Kunkee, Peter Y.M. Livingston
  • Publication number: 20090268761
    Abstract: One embodiment is a wide stripe semiconductor waveguide, which is cleaved at a Talbot length thereof, the wide stripe semiconductor waveguide having facets with mirror coatings. A system provides for selective pumping the wide stripe semiconductor waveguide to create and support a Talbot mode. In embodiments according to the present method and apparatus the gain is patterned so that a single unique pattern actually has the highest gain and hence it is the distribution that oscillates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2008
    Publication date: October 29, 2009
    Inventors: Robert Rex Rice, Elizabeth Twyford Kunkee