Patents by Inventor Robert Bernath

Robert Bernath 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: 12088054
    Abstract: A laser system may include one or more seed lasers to generate a pulsed seed beam. The system may further include a pulse pattern generator to generate an intermediate patterned burst-mode beam from at least one laser pulse from the pulsed seed beam, where the intermediate patterned burst-mode beam includes one or more pulse bursts, and where each of the one or more pulse bursts includes a series of laser pulses with a selected pattern of inter-pulse spacings. The system may further include two or more power amplifiers to amplify the intermediate patterned burst-mode beam to form an amplified patterned burst-mode beam, where at least two of the power amplifiers amplify different portions of the intermediate patterned burst-mode beam, and where the amplified patterned burst-mode beam includes a series of amplified pulse bursts including amplified laser pulses with the selected pattern of inter-pulse spacings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Martin Richardson, Robert Bernath, Nathan Bodnar, Haley Kerrigan, Danielle Reyes, Daniel Thul, Jessica Pena
  • Publication number: 20230261428
    Abstract: A laser system may include one or more seed lasers to generate a pulsed seed beam. The system may further include a pulse pattern generator to generate an intermediate patterned burst-mode beam from at least one laser pulse from the pulsed seed beam, where the intermediate patterned burst-mode beam includes one or more pulse bursts, and where each of the one or more pulse bursts includes a series of laser pulses with a selected pattern of inter-pulse spacings. The system may further include two or more power amplifiers to amplify the intermediate patterned burst-mode beam to form an amplified patterned burst-mode beam, where at least two of the power amplifiers amplify different portions of the intermediate patterned burst-mode beam, and where the amplified patterned burst-mode beam includes a series of amplified pulse bursts including amplified laser pulses with the selected pattern of inter-pulse spacings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2022
    Publication date: August 17, 2023
    Inventors: Martin Richardson, Robert Bernath, Nathan Bodnar, Haley Kerrigan, Danielle Reyes, Daniel Thul, Jessica Pena
  • Patent number: 11495934
    Abstract: A laser system may include one or more seed lasers to generate a pulsed seed beam including one or more laser pulses, a pulse pattern generator to generate an intermediate patterned burst-mode beam from at least one laser pulse from the pulsed seed beam, where the pulse pattern generator includes splits the at least one laser pulse from the pulsed seed beam along two or more delay paths and combines light along the two or more delay paths to a common optical path, and where the intermediate patterned burst-mode beam includes laser pulses with a selected pattern of inter-pulse spacings associated with the two or more delay paths. The laser system may further include power amplifiers to amplify the intermediate patterned burst-mode beam to form an amplified patterned burst-mode beam, where the amplified patterned burst-mode beam includes amplified laser pulses with the selected pattern of inter-pulse spacings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Martin Richardson, Robert Bernath, Nathan Bodnar, Haley Kerrigan, Danielle Reyes, Daniel Thul, Jessica Pena
  • Patent number: 11480847
    Abstract: A supercontinuum source may include a seed source providing seed light, where the seed source includes one or more seed lasers to generate the seed light and a seed controller to adjust at least one of a temporal pulse profile or a wavelength of the seed light. The supercontinuum source may further include an optical fiber to receive the seed light, where the seed source pumps the optical fiber to induce the generation of supercontinuum output light, and where a spectrum of the supercontinuum output light is controllable by adjusting at least one of the temporal pulse profile or the wavelength of the seed light with the seed controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Martin Richardson, Patrick Roumayah, Justin Cook, Soumya Sarang, Robert Bernath
  • Patent number: 8686371
    Abstract: This is a way interrogating an object using retro-reflection of non-visible light. It uses e.g. IR transmitted toward the object from a distance and covertly detects the retro-reflection. Highly reflective passive non-visible light retroreflectors on the object reflects and refracts light back toward the light transmitter, with the returned light being very nearly parallel to the light from a narrow beam light transmitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Tia Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Bernath, Richard Stoltz, Jeff Bullington
  • Patent number: 8585222
    Abstract: This describes an enhanced retro-reflector that is designed to be a retro-reflector of non-visible light, but not visible, and can be designed to resemble common dust or dirt in the visible spectra. As the beads retro-reflect very little visible light they are not easily seen in visible light; thus they are difficult to counterfeit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: TIA Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Bernath, Richard Stoltz, Jeff Bullington
  • Publication number: 20110284729
    Abstract: In one embodiment a system and method for harvesting optical energy employ an optical energy harvesting fiber including a core having active elements that absorb light at one wavelength of range of wavelengths and emit light at one or more different wavelengths, a guiding structure that guides the emitted light along a length of the fiber, and a cladding that surrounds the core.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2011
    Publication date: November 24, 2011
    Applicant: University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Ayman Abouraddy, Robert Bernath, Esmaeil Banaei
  • Patent number: 7718985
    Abstract: Methods, systems, apparatus, devices for tracking, controlling and providing feedback on droplets used in EUV source technology. The method and system track and correct positions of droplet targets and generated plasma including generating the droplet target or plasma, optically imaging the generated target, determining position coordinates, comparing the position coordinates to a set optimal position to determine if a deviation has occurred and moving the generated target back to the optimal position if the deviation has occurred. The optical imaging step includes activating a light source to image the generated target, the light source is strobed at approximately the same rate as the droplet production to provide illumination of the droplet for stroboscopic imaging. The step of moving is accomplished mechanically by moving the generated target back to the predefined position or electronically under computer control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Bernath, Christopher Brown, Joshua Duncan, Kazutoshi Takenoshita, Martin Richardson, Jose A. Cunado
  • Patent number: 7551267
    Abstract: Systems and methods for measuring a pulse length (?0) of an ultra-short light pulse (P0) based on processing a number of substantially similar light pulses. The system includes an autocorrelation optical system adapted to receive the light pulses P0 and create from each light pulse two beams having an associated optical path length difference ?OPL. Providing a different ?OPL for each light pulse creates an autocorrelation interference pattern representative of an autocorrelation of the light pulse P0. An LED detector detects the autocorrelation interference pattern and generates therefrom an autocorrelation signal. A signal-processing unit forms from the autocorrelation signal a digital count signal representative of a number of counted peaks in the autocorrelation signal above the full-width half maximum. Control electronics unit causes the varying ?OPL and provides a difference signal (S?) representative of the ?OPL to the signal-processing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Bernath, Martin Richardson, Joshua Duncan, Michael Hemmer, Timothy McComb, Etienne Puyoo
  • Publication number: 20080266543
    Abstract: Systems and methods for measuring a pulse length (?0) of an ultra-short light pulse (P0) based on processing a number of substantially similar light pulses. The system includes an autocorrelation optical system adapted to receive the light pulses P0 and create from each light pulse two beams having an associated optical path length difference ?OPL. Providing a different ?OPL for each light pulse creates an autocorrelation interference pattern representative of an autocorrelation of the light pulse P0. An LED detector detects the autocorrelation interference pattern and generates therefrom an autocorrelation signal. A signal-processing unit forms from the autocorrelation signal a digital count signal representative of a number of counted peaks in the autocorrelation signal above the full-width half maximum. Control electronics unit causes the varying ?OPL and provides a difference signal (S?) representative of the ?OPL to the signal-processing unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2007
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Inventors: Martin Richardson, Robert Bernath, Joshua Duncan, Michael Hemmer, Timothy McComb, Etienne Puyoo