Patents by Inventor Mark E. Kuznetsov
Mark E. Kuznetsov 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: 12040594Abstract: A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) has a shortened overall laser cavity by combining the gain section with a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR). The overall cavity length can be contracted by placing gain structures inside the DBR. This generally applies to a number of semiconductor material systems and wavelength bands, but this scheme is very well suited to the AlGaAs/GaAs material system with strained InGaAs quantum wells as a gain medium, for example.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2022Date of Patent: July 16, 2024Assignee: Excelitas Technologies Corp.Inventors: Bartley C. Johnson, Mark E. Kuznetsov, Peter S. Whitney
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Patent number: 11749962Abstract: An optically pumped tunable VCSEL swept source module has a VCSEL and a pump, which produces light to pump the VSCEL, wherein the pump is geometrically isolated from the VCSEL. In different embodiments, the pump is geometrically isolated by defocusing light from the pump in front of the VCSEL, behind the VCSEL, and/or by coupling the light from the pump at an angle with respect to the VCSEL. In the last case, angle is usually less than 88 degrees. There are further strategies for attacking pump noise problems. Pump feedback can be reduced through (1) Faraday isolation and (2) geometric isolation. Single frequency pump lasers (Distributed feedback lasers (DFB), distributed Bragg reflector lasers (DBR), Fabry-Perot (FP) lasers, discrete mode lasers, volume Bragg grating (VBG) stabilized lasers can eliminate wavelength jitter and amplitude noise that accompanies mode hopping.Type: GrantFiled: January 13, 2021Date of Patent: September 5, 2023Assignee: Excelitas Technologies Corp.Inventors: Bartley C. Johnson, Walid A. Atia, Peter S. Whitney, Mark E. Kuznetsov, Edward J. Mallon
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Publication number: 20230208107Abstract: A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) has a shortened overall laser cavity by combining the gain section with a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR). The overall cavity length can be contracted by placing gain structures inside the DBR. This generally applies to a number of semiconductor material systems and wavelength bands, but this scheme is very well suited to the AlGaAs/GaAs material system with strained InGaAs quantum wells as a gain medium, for example.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 20, 2022Publication date: June 29, 2023Applicant: Excelitas Technologies Corp.Inventors: Bartley C. Johnson, Mark E. Kuznetsov, Peter S. Whitney
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Publication number: 20220115838Abstract: Tunable VCSELs (TVCSELs) employing expanded material systems with expanded mechanical/optical design space for semiconductor DBR mirrors on GaAs substrates. One is the InGaAs/AlGaAsP material system. It adds indium In to decrease InGaAs H-layer bandgap for higher refractive index and higher DBR layer refractive index contrast. Adding phosphorus P gives independent control of bandgap and strain of AlGaAsP low refractive index L-layers. The tensile strain of AlGaAsP L-layer compensates compressive strain of InGaAs H-layer and lowers the cumulative strain of the multilayer DBR structure. Another option is the InGaAsN(Sb)/AlGaAsP material system, where both types of layers can be lattice matched to GaAs. It uses indium In and nitrogen N, and possibly antimony Sb, to get independent control of strain and bandgap, and thus refractive index, of dilute nitride InGaAsN(Sb) H-layers, with lower bandgap and higher refractive index than starting GaAs.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 14, 2021Publication date: April 14, 2022Inventor: Mark E. Kuznetsov
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Patent number: 11139635Abstract: Quantum well designs for tunable VCSELs are disclosed that are tolerant of the wavelength shift. Specifically, the active region has even number of substantially uniformly spaced (¼ of the center wavelength in the semiconducting material) quantum wells.Type: GrantFiled: June 19, 2019Date of Patent: October 5, 2021Assignee: Excelitas Technologies Corp.Inventors: Bartley C. Johnson, Mark E. Kuznetsov, Walid A. Atia, Peter S. Whitney
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Publication number: 20210175683Abstract: An optically pumped tunable VCSEL swept source module has a VCSEL and a pump, which produces light to pump the VSCEL, wherein the pump is geometrically isolated from the VCSEL. In different embodiments, the pump is geometrically isolated by defocusing light from the pump in front of the VCSEL, behind the VCSEL, and/or by coupling the light from the pump at an angle with respect to the VCSEL. In the last case, angle is usually less than 88 degrees. There are further strategies for attacking pump noise problems. Pump feedback can be reduced through (1) Faraday isolation and (2) geometric isolation. Single frequency pump lasers (Distributed feedback lasers (DFB), distributed Bragg reflector lasers (DBR), Fabry-Perot (FP) lasers, discrete mode lasers, volume Bragg grating (VBG) stabilized lasers can eliminate wavelength jitter and amplitude noise that accompanies mode hopping.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 13, 2021Publication date: June 10, 2021Inventors: Bartley C. Johnson, Walid A. Atia, Peter S. Whitney, Mark E. Kuznetsov, Edward J. Mallon
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Patent number: 10951007Abstract: An optically pumped tunable VCSEL swept source module has a VCSEL and a pump, which produces light to pump the VSCEL, wherein the pump is geometrically isolated from the VCSEL. In different embodiments, the pump is geometrically isolated by defocusing light from the pump in front of the VCSEL, behind the VCSEL, and/or by coupling the light from the pump at an angle with respect to the VCSEL. In the last case, angle is usually less than 88 degrees. There are further strategies for attacking pump noise problems. Pump feedback can be reduced through (1) Faraday isolation and (2) geometric isolation. Single frequency pump lasers (Distributed feedback lasers (DFB), distributed Bragg reflector lasers (DBR), Fabry-Perot (FP) lasers, discrete mode lasers, volume Bragg grating (VBG) stabilized lasers can eliminate wavelength jitter and amplitude noise that accompanies mode hopping.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2019Date of Patent: March 16, 2021Assignee: EXCELITAS TECHNOLOGIES CORP.Inventors: Bartley C. Johnson, Walid A. Atia, Peter S. Whitney, Mark E. Kuznetsov, Edward J. Mallon
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Patent number: 10951009Abstract: A design and method for introducing asymmetric crystal strain to control polarization in a tunable VCSEL, either optically or electrically pumped. The invention is especially relevant to wafer- or die-bonded tunable VCSELs. Then, mechanical stress is applied to the half VCSEL device by asymmetric arrangement of metal bond pads.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2019Date of Patent: March 16, 2021Assignee: Excelitas Technologies Corp.Inventors: Bartley C. Johnson, Mark R. Malonson, Walid A. Atia, Mark E. Kuznetsov, James W. Getz, Peter S. Whitney
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Publication number: 20210075190Abstract: A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-tunable vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) in which the MEMS mirror is bonded to the active region. This allows for a separate electrostatic cavity that is outside the laser's optical resonant cavity. Moreover, the use of this cavity configuration allows the MEMS mirror to be tuned by pulling the mirror away from the active region. This reduces the risk of snap down. Moreover, since the MEMS mirror is now bonded to the active region, much wider latitude is available in the technologies that are used to fabricate the MEMS mirror. This is preferably deployed as a swept source in an optical coherence tomography (OCT) system.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 28, 2020Publication date: March 11, 2021Inventors: Dale C. Flanders, Mark E. Kuznetsov, Walid A. Atia, Bartley C. Johnson
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Publication number: 20210050712Abstract: A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) has a shortened overall laser cavity by combining the gain section with a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR). The overall cavity length can be contracted by placing gain structures inside the DBR. This generally applies to a number of semiconductor material systems and wavelength bands, but this scheme is very well suited to the AlGaAs/GaAs material system with strained InGaAs quantum wells as a gain medium, for example.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 14, 2020Publication date: February 18, 2021Inventors: Bartley C. Johnson, Mark E. Kuznetsov, Peter S. Whitney
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Patent number: 10855053Abstract: A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-tunable vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) in which the MEMS mirror is bonded to the active region. This allows for a separate electrostatic cavity that is outside the laser's optical resonant cavity. Moreover, the use of this cavity configuration allows the MEMS mirror to be tuned by pulling the mirror away from the active region. This reduces the risk of snap down. Moreover, since the MEMS mirror is now bonded to the active region, much wider latitude is available in the technologies that are used to fabricate the MEMS mirror. This is preferably deployed as a swept source in an optical coherence tomography (OCT) system.Type: GrantFiled: September 13, 2018Date of Patent: December 1, 2020Assignee: Axsun Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Dale C. Flanders, Mark E. Kuznetsov, Walid A. Atia, Bartley C. Johnson
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Publication number: 20190386461Abstract: Quantum well designs for tunable VCSELs are disclosed that are tolerant of the wavelength shift. Specifically, the active region has even number of substantially uniformly spaced (¼ of the center wavelength in the semiconducting material) quantum wells.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 19, 2019Publication date: December 19, 2019Inventors: Bartley C. Johnson, Mark E. Kuznetsov, Walid A. Atia, Peter S. Whitney
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Publication number: 20190361159Abstract: The present invention concerns the use of hybrid metal-dielectric optical coatings as the end reflectors of laser cavities and/or in the mirror structures used in other optical resonators, such as Fabry-Perot tunable filters, along with the use of such Fabry-Perot tunable filters in wavelength swept sources such as lasers. Hybrid metal-dielectric optical coatings have reflectivity spectra that can be broader than pure dielectric coatings, offer optical reflectivities higher than metal, as high as pure dielectric coatings, eliminate mirror transmission that can cause parasitic light reflections, and use fewer layers and thus have lower mass and higher mechanical resonant frequency for movable mirror applications An important characteristic of these coatings concerns the non-reflected light. Pure dielectric coatings offer high reflectivity, while the non-reflected portion of the light is transmitted by the coating to the substrate, for example.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 6, 2019Publication date: November 28, 2019Inventors: Mark E. Kuznetsov, Ranko Galeb
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Publication number: 20190348815Abstract: A design and method for introducing asymmetric crystal strain to control polarization in a tunable VCSEL, either optically or electrically pumped. The invention is especially relevant to wafer- or die-bonded tunable VCSELs. Then, mechanical stress is applied to the half VCSEL device by asymmetric arrangement of metal bond pads.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 10, 2019Publication date: November 14, 2019Inventors: Bartley C. Johnson, Mark R. Malonson, Walid A. Atia, Mark E. Kuznetsov, James W. Getz, Peter S. Whitney
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Publication number: 20190348813Abstract: An optically pumped tunable VCSEL swept source module has a VCSEL and a pump, which produces light to pump the VSCEL, wherein the pump is geometrically isolated from the VCSEL. In different embodiments, the pump is geometrically isolated by defocusing light from the pump in front of the VCSEL, behind the VCSEL, and/or by coupling the light from the pump at an angle with respect to the VCSEL. In the last case, angle is usually less than 88 degrees. There are further strategies for attacking pump noise problems. Pump feedback can be reduced through (1) Faraday isolation and (2) geometric isolation. Single frequency pump lasers (Distributed feedback lasers (DFB), distributed Bragg reflector lasers (DBR), Fabry-Perot (FP) lasers, discrete mode lasers, volume Bragg grating (VBG) stabilized lasers can eliminate wavelength jitter and amplitude noise that accompanies mode hopping.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 10, 2019Publication date: November 14, 2019Inventors: Bartley C. Johnson, Walid A. Atia, Peter S. Whitney, Mark E. Kuznetsov, Edward J. Mallon
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Patent number: 10393502Abstract: Real-time swept source OCT data is most often sampled using a specially cut hardware k-clock. The present invention involves mathematically resampling signals within an FPGA-based data acquisition board based on data sampled from a wide free spectral range reference interferometer. The FPGA can then multiply up the reference clock rate to achieve greater imaging depth. The Nyquist fold-over depth can thus be programmed from a standard reference to an arbitrary depth, much as PLL frequency synthesizer can produce many frequencies from a standard stable reference. The system is also capable of real-time performance.Type: GrantFiled: July 27, 2015Date of Patent: August 27, 2019Assignee: AXSUN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: Bartley C. Johnson, Noble G. Larson, Brian Goldberg, Mark E. Kuznetsov
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Patent number: 10359551Abstract: The present invention concerns the use of hybrid metal-dielectric optical coatings as the end reflectors of laser cavities and/or in the mirror structures used in other optical resonators, such as Fabry-Perot tunable filters, along with the use of such Fabry-Perot tunable filters in wavelength swept sources such as lasers. Hybrid metal-dielectric optical coatings have reflectivity spectra that can be broader than pure dielectric coatings, offer optical reflectivities higher than metal, as high as pure dielectric coatings, eliminate mirror transmission that can cause parasitic light reflections, and use fewer layers and thus have lower mass and higher mechanical resonant frequency for movable mirror applications An important characteristic of these coatings concerns the non-reflected light. Pure dielectric coatings offer high reflectivity, while the non-reflected portion of the light is transmitted by the coating to the substrate, for example.Type: GrantFiled: August 12, 2013Date of Patent: July 23, 2019Assignee: Axsun Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Mark E. Kuznetsov, Ranko Galeb
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Publication number: 20190027895Abstract: A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-tunable vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) in which the MEMS mirror is bonded to the active region. This allows for a separate electrostatic cavity that is outside the laser's optical resonant cavity. Moreover, the use of this cavity configuration allows the MEMS mirror to be tuned by pulling the mirror away from the active region. This reduces the risk of snap down. Moreover, since the MEMS mirror is now bonded to the active region, much wider latitude is available in the technologies that are used to fabricate the MEMS mirror. This is preferably deployed as a swept source in an optical coherence tomography (OCT) system.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 13, 2018Publication date: January 24, 2019Inventors: Dale C. Flanders, Mark E. Kuznetsov, Walid A. Atia, Bartley C. Johnson
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Patent number: 10184783Abstract: A frequency swept laser source for TEFD-OCT imaging includes an integrated clock subsystem on the optical bench with the laser source. The clock subsystem generates frequency clock signals as the optical signal is tuned over the scan band. Preferably the laser source further includes a cavity extender in its optical cavity between a tunable filter and gain medium to increase an optical distance between the tunable filter and the gain medium in order to control the location of laser intensity pattern noise. The laser also includes a fiber stub that allows for control over the cavity length while also controlling birefringence in the cavity.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2017Date of Patent: January 22, 2019Assignee: Axsun Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Dale C. Flanders, Walid A. Atia, Bartley C. Johnson, Mark E. Kuznetsov, Carlos R. Melendez
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Patent number: 10109979Abstract: A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-tunable vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) in which the MEMS mirror is bonded to the active region. This allows for a separate electrostatic cavity that is outside the laser's optical resonant cavity. Moreover, the use of this cavity configuration allows the MEMS mirror to be tuned by pulling the mirror away from the active region. This reduces the risk of snap down. Moreover, since the MEMS mirror is now bonded to the active region, much wider latitude is available in the technologies that are used to fabricate the MEMS mirror. This is preferably deployed as a swept source in an optical coherence tomography (OCT) system.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2016Date of Patent: October 23, 2018Assignee: AXSUN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: Dale C. Flanders, Mark E. Kuznetsov, Walid A. Atia, Bartley C. Johnson