Patents by Inventor John E. Nettleton
John E. Nettleton 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).
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Patent number: 9972963Abstract: The compact, laser cavity with a single-axis scanning element as the optical Q-switch incorporates all optical components required for a short-pulse laser. These optical components are ‘locked’ into alignment forming an optical laser cavity for diode laser or flash lamp pumping. The optical laser cavity does not need optical alignment after it is fabricated. Unfortunately, during the alignment process of the optical laser cavity there are small shifts due to the bonding process of the optical elements. These small shifts introduce alignment errors which results in a decrease in output energy and beam quality. The improvement presented adds a single circular wedge prism that corrects these alignment errors returning the output back to its optimum energy output and beam quality.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2014Date of Patent: May 15, 2018Assignee: The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the ArmyInventors: John E. Nettleton, Nathaniel L. Hough
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Publication number: 20170201062Abstract: The compact, laser cavity with a single-axis scanning element as the optical Q-switch incorporates all optical components required for a short-pulse laser. These optical components are ‘locked’ into alignment forming an optical laser cavity for diode laser or flash lamp pumping. The optical laser cavity does not need optical alignment after it is fabricated. Unfortunately, during the alignment process of the optical laser cavity there are small shifts due to the bonding process of the optical elements. These small shifts introduce alignment errors which results in a decrease in output energy and beam quality. The improvement presented adds a single circular wedge prism that corrects these alignment errors returning the output back to its optimum energy output and beam quality.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 1, 2014Publication date: July 13, 2017Applicant: United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the ArmyInventors: John E. Nettleton, Nathaniel L. Hough
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Patent number: 8494024Abstract: A monoblock laser cavity incorporates optical components for a short-pulse laser. These optical components are ‘locked’ into alignment forming an optical laser cavity for flash lamp or diode laser pumping. The optical laser cavity does not need optical alignment after it is fabricated, increasing the brightness of the monoblock laser.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2012Date of Patent: July 23, 2013Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the ArmyInventors: John E. Nettleton, Lew Goldberg, Dallas N. Barr
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Patent number: 8446925Abstract: A method and device for reducing the timing jitter in a passive Q-switched Nd:YAG solid state laser by spatially selective bleaching a thin sheet of a saturable absorber of Cr+4:YAG from a direction orthogonal to the direction of laser emission where the Cr+4:YAG transmission increases 18% when the bleaching probe beam is a single laser diode bar. For steady state operation of a passive Q-switched laser, the pulse-to-pulse timing jitter showed a ?12× reduction in standard deviation from 241 nsec for free running operation to 20 nsec with optical triggering.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2010Date of Patent: May 21, 2013Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the ArmyInventors: Lew Goldberg, Brian J Cole, John E Nettleton, Dallas N Barr
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Publication number: 20130094525Abstract: The compact Er:Yb:Glass Laser Cavity incorporates all optical components required for a short-pulse laser. These optical components are ‘locked’ into alignment forming an optical laser cavity for diode laser or flash lamp pumping. The optical laser cavity does not need optical alignment after it is fabricated. The improvement upon the original Er:Yb:Glass design replaces the Cobalt Spinel passive Q-switch component with a MEMS active Q-Switch component.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 14, 2011Publication date: April 18, 2013Applicant: United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the ArmyInventors: John E. Nettleton, Lew Goldberg, Dallas N. Barr
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Publication number: 20130094526Abstract: A monoblock laser cavity incorporates optical components for a short-pulse laser. These optical components are ‘locked’ into alignment forming an optical laser cavity for flash lamp or diode laser pumping. The optical laser cavity does not need further optical alignment upon fabrication. The improvements upon the original Monoblock design replaces the Cr:YAG Q-switch component with a MEMS scanner and replaces the Nd:YAG with Nd:YLF laser material.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 14, 2011Publication date: April 18, 2013Applicant: United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the ArmyInventors: John E. Nettleton, Dallas N. Barr
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Publication number: 20130044769Abstract: A monoblock laser cavity incorporates optical components required for a short-pulse laser. These optical components are ‘locked’ into alignment forming an optical laser cavity for flash lamp or diode laser pumping. Optical alignment is not necessary after the optical laser cavity is fabricated. An exemplary Q-switched monoblock laser replaces the Cr:YAG Q-switch functionality with a MEMS scanner.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 18, 2011Publication date: February 21, 2013Applicant: United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the ArmyInventors: John E. Nettleton, Dallas N. Barr
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Patent number: 8306074Abstract: A monoblock laser cavity incorporates optical components for a short-pulse laser. These optical components are ‘locked’ into alignment forming an optical laser cavity for flash lamp or diode laser pumping. The optical laser cavity does not need optical alignment after it is fabricated, increasing the brightness of the monoblock laser.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 2010Date of Patent: November 6, 2012Assignee: The United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the ArmyInventors: John E. Nettleton, Lew Goldberg, Dallas N. Barr
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Patent number: 8223809Abstract: A laser gain medium crystal comprising a square rod of laser gain medium material having top and bottom surfaces that are finely ground to introduce scattering surfaces to cancel parasitic lasing. The square rod of laser gain material has input and output faces and side surfaces, and portions of the side surfaces near the output face of the square rod are finely ground to introduce scattering surfaces to cancel parasitic lasing. The rest of the side surfaces of the square rod are polished.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2010Date of Patent: July 17, 2012Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the ArmyInventors: John E. Nettleton, Dallas N. Barr
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Patent number: 8125642Abstract: A process for optically aligning a laser rangefinder that includes the steps of providing a laser rangefinder having a laser source, a photodetector lens and a photodetector, providing a fiber optic travel path, aligning the laser source to the fiber optic travel path, illuminating the photodetector with a light source, focusing the photodetector lens, coupling the fiber optic travel path to an optical light source, and aligning the fiber optic light relative to the photodetector.Type: GrantFiled: September 2, 2009Date of Patent: February 28, 2012Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the ArmyInventors: John E. Nettleton, Dallas N. Barr
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Publication number: 20120027034Abstract: A monoblock laser cavity incorporates optical components for a short-pulse laser. These optical components are ‘locked’ into alignment forming an optical laser cavity for flash lamp or diode laser pumping. The optical laser cavity does not need optical alignment after it is fabricated, increasing the brightness of the monoblock laser.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 2, 2010Publication date: February 2, 2012Applicant: United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the ArmyInventors: John E. Nettleton, Lew Goldberg, Dallas N. Barr
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Publication number: 20110286476Abstract: A laser gain medium crystal comprising a square rod of laser gain medium material having top and bottom surfaces that are finely ground to introduce scattering surfaces to cancel parasitic lasing. The square rod of laser gain material has input and output faces and side surfaces, and portions of the side surfaces near the output face of the square rod are finely ground to introduce scattering surfaces to cancel parasitic lasing. The rest of the side surfaces of the square rod are polished.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 19, 2010Publication date: November 24, 2011Applicant: United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the ArmyInventors: John E. Nettleton, Dallas N. Barr
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Publication number: 20110188522Abstract: A method and device for reducing the timing jitter in a passive Q-switched Nd:YAG solid state laser by spatially selective bleaching a thin sheet of a saturable absorber of Cr+4:YAG from a direction orthogonal to the direction of laser emission where the Cr+4:YAG transmission increases 18% when the bleaching probe beam is a single laser diode bar. For steady state operation of a passive Q-switched laser, the pulse-to-pulse timing jitter showed a ?12× reduction in standard deviation from 241 nsec for free running operation to 20 nsec with optical triggering.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 29, 2010Publication date: August 4, 2011Applicant: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF ARMYInventors: Lew Goldberg, Brian J. Cole, John E. Nettleton, Dallas N. Barr
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Publication number: 20110051138Abstract: A process for optically aligning a laser rangefinder that includes the steps of providing a laser rangefinder having a laser source, a photodetector lens and a photodetector, providing a fiber optic travel path, aligning the laser source to the fiber optic travel path, illuminating the photodetector with a light source, focusing the photodetector lens, coupling the fiber optic travel path to an optical light source, and aligning the fiber optic light relative to the photodetector.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 2, 2009Publication date: March 3, 2011Applicant: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE ARMYInventor: John E. Nettleton
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Publication number: 20100189140Abstract: A monoblock laser that has a laser cavity having a laser gain material, a Q switch optically coupled to the laser gain material, and an OPO material optically coupled to the Q switch. A laser pump is spaced from an end of the laser cavity. The laser pump has an output that is absorbed along an entire length of the laser cavity providing athermal operation without temperature control of the laser pump over the operating range of the monoblock laser.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 6, 2010Publication date: July 29, 2010Applicant: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS REPRESENTED BY SECRETARY OF THE ARMYInventors: John E. Nettleton, Dallas N. Barr
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Patent number: 7751462Abstract: A YAG/Nd:YAG block where an Nd:YAG block ends in a peak integrated inside a YAG block. The YAG block has reflective surfaces positioned at 45° to one another. The angled reflective surfaces serve as a “mirror” within the laser cavity to effectively increase the length of the cavity by a factor greater than 2. Fused to the output end of the laser cavity are a polarizer, an active/passive Q-switch, a one quarter waveplate and an output coupler. In operation, the laser cavity is pumped either from the side or the end of the cavity. The optical components of the present invention are bonded to form one optical ‘block’. All the components are prealigned during the crystal manufacturing process to form the optical laser cavity. The width of the cavity should be selected such that nearly all of the laser diode pump output is absorbed by the cavity.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2007Date of Patent: July 6, 2010Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the ArmyInventors: John E. Nettleton, Bradley W. Schilling
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Publication number: 20090122818Abstract: An electronic selectable, two color solid state laser comprising a laser diode pump and a plurality of discrete optical elements disposed serially and sharing a common optical axis. The optical components include a laser rod of gain material having a laser emission wavelength, a polarizer cube, a means for compensating for OPO crystal polarization, an electro-optic active Q-switch having input terminals for applying a voltage across the Q-switch, and an OPO crystal. The laser rod has an input end face coated with an anti-reflector at the laser diode pump wavelength and a high reflector at the laser emission wavelength. The OPO crystal has an input end face coated with an anti-reflector at the laser emission wavelength and a high reflector at the OPO wavelength, and an output end face coated with a partial reflector at the laser emission wavelength and a partial reflector at the OPO wavelength.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 14, 2007Publication date: May 14, 2009Inventors: John E. Nettleton, Dallas N. Barr
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Patent number: 7532650Abstract: A monoblock laser cavity includes a plurality of discrete optical components disposed serially on a substrate and sharing a common optical axis. The optical components include a laser rod of gain material, a Q-switch, an OPO crystal, and an output coupler. The output coupler has at least one convex end face to improve the beam quality.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2007Date of Patent: May 12, 2009Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Department of the ArmyInventors: John E. Nettleton, Dallas N. Barr
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Publication number: 20090059993Abstract: A YAG/Nd:YAG block where an Nd:YAG block ends in a peak integrated inside a YAG block. The YAG block has reflective surfaces positioned at 45° to one another. The angled reflective surfaces serve as a “mirror” within the laser cavity to effectively increase the length of the cavity by a factor greater than 2. Fused to the output end of the laser cavity are a polarizer, an active/passive Q-switch, a one quarter waveplate and an output coupler. In operation, the laser cavity is pumped either from the side or the end of the cavity. The optical components of the present invention are bonded to form one optical ‘block’. All the components are prealigned during the crystal manufacturing process to form the optical laser cavity. The width of the cavity should be selected such that nearly all of the laser diode pump output is absorbed by the cavity.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 14, 2007Publication date: March 5, 2009Inventors: JOHN E. NETTLETON, BRADLEY W. SCHILLING
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Patent number: 7428252Abstract: A monoblock laser cavity includes a plurality of discrete optical components disposed serially on a substrate and sharing a common optical axis. The optical components include a laser rod of gain material, a Q-switch, an OPO crystal, an output coupler, and a positive lens. The output coupler has a convex input end face and a concave output end face, and acts as the expanding lens element of a beam expander, and the positive lens completes the beam expander to improve the beam quality.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2007Date of Patent: September 23, 2008Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the ArmyInventors: John E. Nettleton, Dallas N. Barr