Patents by Inventor Hans Opower

Hans Opower 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: 20020048292
    Abstract: In order to improve a laser radiation source comprising an array of N individual slave laser diodes in a predetermined surface area, a slave power supply for the slave laser diodes, a master laser diode for generating a master laser radiation, a master power supply for the master laser diode, an optical coupling device, with which the master laser radiation can be coupled into the individual slave laser diodes in order to operate them at the frequency of the master laser diode in a phase-locked manner, and an optical transformation device which combines the slave laser radiation of the individual slave laser diodes to form a coherent total laser radiation field with essentially plane wave fronts, in such a manner that it is possible as a result of the adjustability of the power supply networks to adjust the slave laser diodes relative to one another and thus operate them in a stable manner in relation to one another it is suggested that the slave power supply have a separate power supply network for each slav
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2001
    Publication date: April 25, 2002
    Applicant: Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft-und Raumfahrt e.V.
    Inventors: Norbert Bissinger, Uwe Brauch, Guido Hergenhan, Hans Opower, Marcus Scholl, Bernd Luecke, Werner Spaeth
  • Publication number: 20010021484
    Abstract: In order to create a lithography exposure device for producing structures extending in a surface area in a light-sensitive layer, with which a radiation field can be generated in the light-sensitive layer and with a control for controlling the intensity and position of the radiation field in such a manner that by means of a large number of successive exposure steps a plurality of conversion areas can be generated, in which the material of the light-sensitive layer is converted from an initial state into an end state and which together result in the structures, with which it is possible to produce, without masks, structures which have in at least one direction an extension which is smaller than that of one of the radiation fields used, it is suggested that with at least some of the exposure steps the control generate radiation fields with a distribution of energy which makes the action of at least two radiation fields on the same conversion area necessary in order to transfer the material of the light-sensitiv
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2001
    Publication date: September 13, 2001
    Inventors: Uwe Brauch, Hans Opower
  • Patent number: 6157755
    Abstract: In order to improve a laser system comprising a fiber bundle consisting of single mode fibers which form with a first end a fiber bundle end, at which a total radiation field, which can be imaged onto a target surface, is formed from laser radiation exiting from the first ends of the fibers, and which are coupled with a second end to a subsystem generating the laser radiation with at least one semiconductor laser, such that this also operates efficiently with semiconductor lasers or semiconductor laser amplifiers and can be realized in an inexpensive manner it is suggested that the subsystem comprise a plurality of semiconductor laser units operating parallel, that all the semiconductor laser units of the subsystem operate with the same wavelength in a phase-balanced manner relative to one another as a result of master laser radiation coupled into them and that individual laser radiation exiting from the individual semiconductor laser units of the respective subsystem be combined by means of a coupling device
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignees: Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft-und Raumfahrt e.V., Universitaet Stuttgart Institut fuer Strahlwerkzeuge
    Inventors: Uwe Brauch, Hans Opower, Adolf Giesen
  • Patent number: 6013130
    Abstract: Layers of compound semiconductor 60 are grown epitaxially on a substrate 40. One or more components 24 are removed from a target 14 by a supply of energy 18, and reacted with gas surrounding the target. The gas stream conveys the components through a nozzle 34 to achieve a uniform layer on the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2000
    Assignee: Deutsche Forschungsanstalt Fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V.
    Inventors: Ralph Dieter, Hans Opower, Heinrich Weyer
  • Patent number: 6002466
    Abstract: A lithography exposure device allows more effective production of small structures within a short time by lithography. The device includes a retainer for a substrate, an exposure unit for producing a light spot on the light-sensitive layer of the substrate, a motion unit for producing apparent motion between the exposure unit and the retainer, and a control unit for controlling the intensity and position of the light spot on the light-sensitive layer. The exposure unit has several solid-state lasers, and a focusing unit that guides the laser beam of each solid-state laser to a light spot of a defined light spot pattern. The entire light spot pattern and the retainer are displaceable relative to each other in an exposure motional direction. Moreover, the light spots of the light spot pattern which correspond to the form of the partial areas to be exposed can be activated or deactivated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Assignees: Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft -und Raumfahrt e.V., Institutfuer Mikroelektronik Stuttgart
    Inventors: Uwe Brauch, Hans Opower, Bernd Hoefflinger, Reinhard Springer
  • Patent number: 5936993
    Abstract: In order to improve upon a laser system, comprising a laser-active medium which is arranged between mutually opposed waveguide surfaces of an optical waveguide and a resonator which by means of resonator mirrors defines a coherent resonator radiation field permeating the optical waveguide and from which a plurality of mutually coherent radiation fields issue, in such manner that higher laser output power levels can be attained it is proposed that the plurality of radiation fields are conducted as coupled-out radiation fields to a coupling element, and that the coupling element combines the plurality of radiation fields with a defined mutual phase relationship to form one single coherent output radiation field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignee: Deutsche Zentrum Fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V.
    Inventors: Hans Opower, Rolf Nowack
  • Patent number: 5874929
    Abstract: An image is produced in an image plane using a row of semiconductor laser emitters which provide a corresponding row of outlet spots as light sources. An optical projection system receives radiation from the outlet spots and the radiation on the image plane as one or more rows of images by virtue of the illumination of individual, adjacently located imaging spots. The optical projection system associates at least one outlet spot with each of the imaging spots, and simultaneously forms the image of the outlet spots of all of the semiconductor laser emitters of the row of light sources at the imaging spots associated therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1999
    Assignee: Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V.
    Inventors: Hans Opower, Uwe Becker, Uwe Brauch
  • Patent number: 5862278
    Abstract: In order to improve a laser system comprising several laser radiation sources, each of which generates laser radiation which is coupled into a first end of a respective optical single-mode fiber, wherein all optical single-mode fibers form a fiber bundle and have second ends lying at a fiber bundle end, the laser radiation exiting from the second ends and thereby forming a total laser radiation field, and further comprising an optical transformation means which transforms the total laser radiation field onto an object, such that a focal point with a highest possible power per area and per solid angle can be generated therewith, it is proposed that the optical transformation means comprise a collimating element which collimates the laser radiation exiting divergently from each individual second end of the single-mode fibers and forms a collimated radiation bundle therefrom, and that the optical transformation means comprise a focusing element which images the collimated radiation bundle as a whole onto a focal
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1999
    Assignees: Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luftund Raumfahrt e.V., Universitaet Stuttgart Institut fuer Strahlwerkqeuge
    Inventors: Uwe Brauch, Helmut Huegel, Hans Opower, Adolf Giesen
  • Patent number: 5818546
    Abstract: In order to improve an apparatus for generating an image in an image plane that is visible, in particular, for a human eye, comprising a radiation source which generates an image via an optical projection means by building up at least one row of image spots during an image build-up cycle by illuminating individual, adjacently located image spots and periodically repeating the image build-up cycle, so that it is possible to generate images as simply and, therefore, also as inexpensively as possible, it is suggested that a row of light sources comprising a plurality of semiconductor emitters be provided for the illumination of the image spots of the row of image spots, that the optical projection means associate each exit spot for the radiation of each semiconductor emitter with at least one of the image spots and that the optical projection means simultaneously image the exit spots of all the semiconductor emitters of the row of light sources onto the image spots associated therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1998
    Assignee: Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft -und Raumfahrt e.V.
    Inventors: Hans Opower, Uwe Becker, Uwe Brauch
  • Patent number: 5736464
    Abstract: In order to improve a process and an apparatus for producing a functional structure of a semiconductor component, which comprises layers arranged on a base substrate and defining the entire functions of the semiconductor component, such that the functional structure of the semiconductor components can be produced as simply as possible and with as little susceptibility as possible with respect to the quality of the semiconductor components it is suggested that all the layers be produced without lithography and applied to the base substrate one after the other exclusively with physical layer application processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1998
    Assignee: Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft-und Raumfahrt e.V.
    Inventor: Hans Opower
  • Patent number: 5729568
    Abstract: In order to improve a semiconductor laser system with a plurality of semiconductor laser units comprising a laser oscillator, laser radiation exiting from each of these units, a light-conducting fiber associated with each semiconductor laser unit, a coupling element for coupling the laser radiation exiting from the respective semiconductor laser unit into the respective light-conducting fiber, and a fiber bundle comprising the fibers as light conductor system, a total laser radiation formed by the sum of the coherent laser radiation generated by the respective semiconductor laser units exiting from one end of the fiber bundle, this total laser radiation illuminating a target surface on an object to be irradiated during laser activity of all the semiconductor laser units, such that complex irradiation tasks can be performed with this system in a simple and as effective a manner as possible it is suggested that a control be provided for controlling the power of each individual semiconductor laser unit in a defi
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1998
    Assignees: Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft-und Raumfahrt e.V., Universitaet Stuttgart Institut fur Strahlwerkzeuge
    Inventors: Hans Opower, Helmut Huegel, Adolf Giesen, Friedrich Dausinger
  • Patent number: 5725914
    Abstract: In order to improve a process and an apparatus for producing a functional structure of a semiconductor component, which comprises layers arranged on a base substrate and defining the entire functions of the semiconductor component, such that the functional structure of the semiconductor components can be produced as simply as possible and with as little susceptibility as possible with respect to the quality of the semiconductor components it is suggested that all the layers be produced without lithography and applied to the base substrate one after the other exclusively with physical layer application processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1998
    Assignee: Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft - und Raumfahrt e.V.
    Inventor: Hans Opower
  • Patent number: 5528619
    Abstract: In order to produce a gas discharge structure for two-dimensionally extending gas discharges comprising a pair of electrodes including a first and a second electrode which have mutually facing electrode surfaces, a gas discharge space arranged between the electrode surfaces with a plasma gas provided therein and a high frequency source with which a current can be fed into the pair of electrodes for producing a plasma between the first and the second electrode, in such a way that wavelength dependent modulations of the field strength substantially no longer occur in the gas discharge space, it be proposed that, the electrode surface of the first electrode is divided into two partial electrode surfaces that are located adjacent to one another in this electrode surface but are electrically separated from one another, that the partial electrode surfaces have mutually facing edge regions which extend at a defined distance from one another, that the partial electrode surfaces be connected to two terminals of the hi
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 18, 1996
    Assignee: Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft-und Raumfahrt e.V.
    Inventors: Hansjoerg Bochum, Rolf Nowack, Hans Opower, Wolfram Schock, Klaus Wessel
  • Patent number: 5513195
    Abstract: In order to improve a semiconductor laser system with a plurality of semiconductor laser units, from which laser radiation exits, a light-conducting fiber associated with each semiconductor laser unit, a coupling element for coupling the laser radiation exiting from the respective semiconductor laser unit into the respective light-conducting fiber, and a fiber bundle comprising the fibers as light conductor system, a total laser radiation formed by the sum of the laser radiations generated by the respective semiconductor laser units exiting from one end of this fiber bundle, the total laser radiation illuminating a target surface on an object to be irradiated during laser activity of all the semiconductor laser units, such that complex irradiation tasks can be performed it is suggested that the semiconductor laser units be designed such that they operate relative to one another in a phase-defined and frequency-defined mode operation, that the laser radiation of each semiconductor laser unit be coupled into th
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 30, 1996
    Assignees: Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft-und Raumfahrt e.V., Universitaet Stuttgart Institut fuer Strahlwerkzeuge
    Inventors: Hans Opower, Helmut Huegel, Adolf Giesen
  • Patent number: 5492861
    Abstract: In order to provide a process for applying structured layers of a functional structure of a semiconductor component, with which structured layers of a functional structure of a semiconductor component can be produced as simply as possible and with as little susceptibility as possible with respect to the quality of the semiconductor components, it is suggested that a material film be arranged above a surface region of a process substrate to be provided with the structured layer, that the material film be acted upon on its side remote from the process substrate by a focus of a laser beam located in a defined position corresponding to the structured layer to be produced and that with the laser beam in the region of the focus the material from the material film migrate to the surface region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 20, 1996
    Assignee: Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft-und Raumfahrt e.V.
    Inventor: Hans Opower
  • Patent number: 5373525
    Abstract: In order to improve a wave guide laser comprising a wave guide arranged between two resonator mirrors and having an outer cylindrical wave guide surface and an inner cylindrical wave guide surface facing the outer surface and arranged within this outer surface in spaced relation thereto, the two surfaces together forming a wave guide having a radiation coherent in the entire wave guide and essentially expanding in axial direction, and a high-frequency excited and diffusion-cooled laser gas arranged between the wave guide surfaces, such that the high-power Laser beam can be outcoupled by an element which is constructionally simple to produce and inexpensive, it is suggested that the second resonator mirror be composed in azimuthal direction of a plurality of successive reflecting segments, that outcoupling openings for the laser radiation to be outcoupled be provided between the respective reflecting segments and that the entire radiation expanding in the wave guide be diffraction-coupled in azimuthal directio
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1994
    Assignee: Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V.
    Inventors: Rolf Nowack, Hans Opower
  • Patent number: 5361275
    Abstract: In order to improve an apparatus for removing material from a target, comprising a high-power laser generating laser pulses with a pulse duration in the picosecond range and comprising a resonator, in which a mode-locking device and a Q-switch are arranged, a frequency multiplier following the high-power laser and a beam guide for focusing the laser beam coming from the frequency multiplier onto the target, such that the energy in the single laser pulses having a pulse duration in the picosecond range is as high as possible, it is suggested that the resonator have fully reflecting end mirrors for generating single high-energy laser pulses, that a system for the controlled coupling out of single pulses be arranged in the resonator and that a control be provided for coupling out a single pulse following release of the laser activity by the Q-switch and the build up of the single pulse after repeated round trips through the resonator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1994
    Assignee: Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luftund Raumfahrt e.V.
    Inventor: Hans Opower
  • Patent number: 5324552
    Abstract: To provide a process for coating substrate material in which coating material is ablated in an ablation region by a laser beam in a coating chamber containing a negative pressure, propagates in the form of a coating particle stream in the direction of the substrate material and is deposited on it in the form of a coating, with which substrate material can be coated in large quantities by laser ablation, it is proposed that the substrate material be flat material, that the flat material be passed continuously as a continuous strip through the coating chamber and coated under the negative pressure substantially maintained therein, and that the necessary coating material be fed to the coating chamber while the negative pressure is substantially maintained therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 28, 1994
    Assignees: Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft-und Raumfahrt e.V., Voest-Alpine Stahl Linz GmbH
    Inventors: Hans Opower, Kurt Koesters, Reinhold Ebner
  • Patent number: 5220577
    Abstract: In order to improve a high-frequency excited high-power laser comprising two resonator mirrors arranged opposite one another, a gas discharge chamber, a waveguide having two reflecting waveguide surfaces located opposite one another and facing the gas discharge chamber and a beam path having an initial wave bundle, which expands with spatial coherence as a wave bundle system due to multiple back and forth reflection in a transverse direction between the waveguide surfaces, such that the expansion of the wave bundle system with spatial coherence in the transverse direction at right angles to the initial direction can be achieved by other means, it is suggested that the tangents at two first waveguide surface regions reflecting the initial wave bundle, these tangents extending at right angles to the initial direction, extend parallel to one another and that a distance between second waveguide surface regions following the first waveguide surface regions which reflect the initial wave bundle become steadily larg
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1993
    Assignee: Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V.
    Inventor: Hans Opower
  • Patent number: 5209944
    Abstract: In order to so improve a process for the manufacture of a layer on a substrate wherein by means of a pulsed laser beam a coating material is ablated from a carrier, transported in the form of a current of particles to the substrate and deposited on the latter to form the layer, that it is suitable for the manufacture of thin precision layers, preferably in a defined number of atom layers, as is, for example, required in the manufacture of semiconductors, it is proposed that the layer be manufactured as thin precision layer by pulse duration and pulse intensity of the laser beam being selected such that ionization and heating-up of the coating material take place essentially only in the zone of interaction of the laser light with the coating material so the stream of particles is formed as cluster-free plasma containing single, non-coherent ions or atoms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 11, 1993
    Assignee: Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V.
    Inventors: Hans Opower, Manfred Klose