Patents by Inventor Roger L. Farrow

Roger L. Farrow 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: 20180331488
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an optical gain fiber having a core, a cladding surrounding the core, the core and cladding defining an optical gain fiber numerical aperture, and a multimode fiber having a core with a larger radius than a radius of the optical gain fiber core, a cladding surrounding the core, the core and cladding of the multimode fiber defining a multimode fiber stable numerical aperture that is larger than the optical gain fiber numerical aperture, the multimode fiber being optically coupled to the optical gain fiber so as to receive an optical beam propagating in the optical gain fiber and to stably propagate the received optical beam in the multimode fiber core with low optical loss associated with the optical coupling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2018
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Applicant: nLIGHT, Inc.
    Inventors: Roger L. Farrow, Dahv A.V. Kliner
  • Publication number: 20180239154
    Abstract: An optical power control system includes a laser source to provide an optical beam, a variable beam characteristics (VBC) fiber, and a controller operatively coupled to the VBC fiber and configured to control, in response to information indicating change in optical power of the optical beam, different states of perturbation so as to control optical power density.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Publication date: August 23, 2018
    Inventors: Robert J. Martinsen, Jacob L. Bell, Dahv A.V. Kliner, Roger L. Farrow
  • Patent number: 10050404
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an optical gain fiber having a core, a cladding surrounding the core, the core and cladding defining an optical gain fiber numerical aperture, and a multimode fiber having a core with a larger radius than a radius of the optical gain fiber core, a cladding surrounding the core, the core and cladding of the multimode fiber defining a multimode fiber stable numerical aperture that is larger than the optical gain fiber numerical aperture, the multimode fiber being optically coupled to the optical gain fiber so as to receive an optical beam propagating in the optical gain fiber and to stably propagate the received optical beam in the multimode fiber core with low optical loss associated with the optical coupling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: nLIGHT, Inc.
    Inventors: Roger L. Farrow, Dahv A. V. Kliner
  • Publication number: 20180217324
    Abstract: Disclosed are an optical beam delivery device, systems, and methods for sequentially adjusting, with respect to members of a set of confinement regions, a propagation path for establishing a controllable, temporally apparent intensity distribution. The disclosed techniques entail applying to a variable beam characteristics (VBC) fiber different states perturbation to change the propagation path and the members of the set of confinement regions through which a confined portion of an adjusted optical beam propagates, thereby establishing at an output end of the VBC fiber the controllable, temporally apparent intensity distribution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Inventors: Aaron W. Brown, Dahv A.V. Kliner, Roger L. Farrow
  • Publication number: 20180217410
    Abstract: An optical beam delivery device is configured to generate, from an optical beam, selectable intensity profiles. The device has a first length of fiber having a first refractive index profile (RIP), and a second length of fiber having second RIP that is different from the first RIP. The second length of fiber includes coaxial confinement regions arranged to confine at least a portion of an adjusted optical beam. The confined portion corresponds to an intensity distribution of different intensity distributions. The intensity distribution is established by a corresponding state of different states of perturbation that is applied to the device such that the confined portion is configured to provide, at an output of the second length of fiber, a selected intensity profile of the selectable intensity profiles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Inventors: Robert J. Martinsen, Dahv A.V. Kliner, Roger L. Farrow
  • Publication number: 20180217407
    Abstract: An optical beam delivery device formed of optical fibers that are configured to produce an output exhibiting an intensity distribution profile having non-zero ellipticity includes a first length of fiber through which an incident optical beam having beam characteristics propagates and which has a first refractive index profile (RIP). The first RIP enables, in response to an applied perturbation, modification of the beam characteristics of the optical beam to form an adjusted beam having modified beam characteristics relative to the beam characteristics of the optical beam. A second length of fiber is coupled to the first length of fiber and formed with a set of one or more confinement regions that define a second RIP and confine at least a portion of the adjusted beam to generate, at an output of the second length of fiber, an intensity distribution profile having non-zero ellipticity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2018
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Inventors: Dahv A.V. Kliner, Roger L. Farrow
  • Publication number: 20180217386
    Abstract: An all-fiber optical beam switch mechanism includes a first length of fiber through which an incident optical beam having beam characteristics propagates along a first propagation path and which has a first refractive index profile (RIP). The first RIP enables, in response to an applied perturbation, modification of the optical beam to form an adjusted optical beam that is movable to propagate along a second propagation path. A second length of fiber is coupled to the first length of fiber and formed with multiple spaced-apart, non-coaxial confinement cores. A selected state of applied perturbation moves the second propagation path of the adjusted optical beam to a position of a selected corresponding one of the multiple confinement cores to confine and thereby direct the adjusted optical beam to a corresponding beam output location at the output of the second length of fiber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2018
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Inventors: Scott R. Karlsen, Brian M. Victor, Roger L. Farrow
  • Publication number: 20180217409
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods, apparatus, and systems for providing an optical beam delivery system, comprising an optical fiber including a first length of fiber comprising a first RIP formed to enable, at least in part, modification of one or more beam characteristics of an optical beam by a perturbation assembly arranged to modify the one or more beam characteristics, the perturbation assembly coupled to the first length of fiber or integral with the first length of fiber, or a combination thereof and a second length of fiber coupled to the first length of fiber and having a second RIP formed to preserve at least a portion of the one or more beam characteristics of the optical beam modified by the perturbation assembly within one or more first confinement regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Applicant: nLIGHT, Inc.
    Inventors: Dahv A.V. Kliner, Roger L. Farrow
  • Publication number: 20180214979
    Abstract: An optical beam delivery device is formed of optical fibers configured for beam divergence or mode coupling control. An incident optical beam propagates through a first length of fiber, which is coupled to a second length of fiber and has a first refractive index profile (RIP). The first RIP enables, in response to an applied perturbation, modification of the beam characteristics of the incident optical beam to form an adjusted optical beam having modified beam characteristics relative to beam characteristics of the incident optical beam. The second length of fiber is formed with one or more confinement regions defining a second RIP and arranged to confine at least a portion of the adjusted optical beam. The second and first lengths of fiber are tapered in the direction of light beam propagation to control output beam divergence or susceptibility to beam mode coupling in the first length of fiber, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Inventors: Joona Koponen, Roger L. Farrow, Dahv A.V. Kliner
  • Publication number: 20180217385
    Abstract: An optical beam delivery device establishes, from an optical beam, an optical trap that is moveable to different optical trap locations. The device has a first length of fiber through which the optical beam propagates along a propagation path and which has a first refractive index profile (RIP) enabling modification of the propagation path to form an adjusted optical beam movable to propagate along different propagation paths in response to different states of applied perturbation. The device also has a second length of fiber coupled to the first length of fiber and having confinement cores defining a second RIP. The confinement cores occupy different positions in, and correspond to the different optical trap locations at an output of, the second length of fiber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2018
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Inventors: Chris A. Rivera, Roger L. Farrow
  • Publication number: 20180203185
    Abstract: A method includes generating a multimode laser beam having an initial beam parameter product (bpp) and directing the multimode laser beam to an input end of a fiber so as to produce an output beam at an output of the fiber with a final bpp that is greater than the initial bpp. Another method includes measuring a base bpp associated with a multimode laser beam generated from a laser source and emitted from an output fiber output end, determining a bpp increase for the multimode laser beam, and selecting a bpp increasing optical fiber having an input end and an output end so that the multimode laser beam with the base bpp coupled to the input end has an output bpp at the output end of the bpp increasing optical fiber corresponding to the determined bpp increase.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2016
    Publication date: July 19, 2018
    Inventors: Roger L. FARROW, Chris A. RIVERA
  • Publication number: 20180175578
    Abstract: An optical apparatus includes one or more pump sources situated to provide laser pump light, and a gain fiber optically coupled to the one or more pump sources, the gain fiber including an actively doped core situated to produce an output beam, an inner cladding and outer cladding surrounding the doped core and situated to propagate pump light, and a polymer cladding surrounding the outer cladding and situated to guide a selected portion of the pump light coupled into the inner and outer claddings of the gain fiber. Methods of pumping a fiber sources include generating pump light from one or more pump sources, coupling the pump light into a glass inner cladding and a glass outer cladding of a gain fiber of the fiber source such that a portion of the pump light is guided by a polymer cladding surrounding the glass outer cladding, and generating a single-mode output beam from the gain fiber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2017
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Applicant: nLIGHT, Inc.
    Inventors: Dahv A.V. Kliner, Roger L. Farrow
  • Patent number: 9917410
    Abstract: Fiber amplifier and/or mode filter including a linearly birefringent LMA fiber coiled at a radius of curvature over a bend length to differentiate a fundamental optical mode from supported higher-order modes through bending losses. The LMA fiber may be a polarization-maintaining (PM) fiber having a variety of geometrical core shapes and cladding configurations. In some embodiments, the birefringent LMA fiber includes a radially asymmetric core that is angularly rotated over a length of the coiled fiber to ensure bending losses are experienced in orthogonally oriented higher-order modes associated with some orientation relative to the core orientation. In some embodiments, the fiber coiling is two-dimensional with bending occurring only about one axis. In some embodiments, an asymmetric core is pre-spun to a predetermined axial spin profile. In some embodiments, angular rotation of the core is achieved through mechanically twisting an un-spun fiber over a length of the coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: nLIGHT, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthieu Saracco, David N. Logan, Timothy S. McComb, Roger L. Farrow
  • Patent number: 9837783
    Abstract: An optical apparatus includes one or more pump sources situated to provide laser pump light, and a gain fiber optically coupled to the one or more pump sources, the gain fiber including an actively doped core situated to produce an output beam, an inner cladding and outer cladding surrounding the doped core and situated to propagate pump light, and a polymer cladding surrounding the outer cladding and situated to guide a selected portion of the pump light coupled into the inner and outer claddings of the gain fiber. Methods of pumping a fiber sources include generating pump light from one or more pump sources, coupling the pump light into a glass inner cladding and a glass outer cladding of a gain fiber of the fiber source such that a portion of the pump light is guided by a polymer cladding surrounding the glass outer cladding, and generating a single-mode output beam from the gain fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: nLIGHT, Inc.
    Inventors: Dahv A. V. Kliner, Roger L. Farrow
  • Publication number: 20170271837
    Abstract: A method of spectrally multiplexing diode pump modules to increase brightness includes generating one or more pump beams from respective diode lasers at a first wavelength in a diode laser package, generating one or more pump beams from respective diode lasers at a second wavelength different from the first wavelength in the diode laser package, wavelength combining at least one of the pump beams at the first wavelength with at least one of the pump beams at the second wavelength to form one or more combined pump beams, and receiving the combined pump beams in a pump fiber coupled to the diode laser package. Laser systems can include multi-wavelength pump modules and a gain fiber having a core actively doped so as to have an absorption spectrum corresponding to the multiple wavelength, the gain fiber situated to receive the pump light and to produce an output beam at an output wavelength.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2017
    Publication date: September 21, 2017
    Applicant: nLIGHT, Inc.
    Inventors: David Martin Hemenway, David C. Dawson, Wolfram Urbanek, Roger L. Farrow, Dahv A.V. Kliner
  • Publication number: 20170162999
    Abstract: Fiber amplifier and/or mode filter including a linearly birefringent LMA fiber coiled at a radius of curvature over a bend length to differentiate a fundamental optical mode from supported higher-order modes through bending losses. The LMA fiber may be a polarization-maintaining (PM) fiber having a variety of geometrical core shapes and cladding configurations. In some embodiments, the birefringent LMA fiber includes a radially asymmetric core that is angularly rotated over a length of the coiled fiber to ensure bending losses are experienced in orthogonally oriented higher-order modes associated with some orientation relative to the core orientation. In some embodiments, the fiber coiling is two-dimensional with bending occurring only about one axis. In some embodiments, an asymmetric core is pre-spun to a predetermined axial spin profile. In some embodiments, angular rotation of the core is achieved through mechanically twisting an un-spun fiber over a length of the coil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2016
    Publication date: June 8, 2017
    Inventors: Matthieu Saracco, David N. Logan, Timothy S. McComb, Roger L. Farrow
  • Publication number: 20160285227
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an optical gain fiber having a core, a cladding surrounding the core, the core and cladding defining an optical gain fiber numerical aperture, and a multimode fiber having a core with a larger radius than a radius of the optical gain fiber core, a cladding surrounding the core, the core and cladding of the multimode fiber defining a multimode fiber stable numerical aperture that is larger than the optical gain fiber numerical aperture, the multimode fiber being optically coupled to the optical gain fiber so as to receive an optical beam propagating in the optical gain fiber and to stably propagate the received optical beam in the multimode fiber core with low optical loss associated with the optical coupling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Publication date: September 29, 2016
    Applicant: nLIGHT, Inc.
    Inventors: Roger L. Farrow, Dahv A.V. Kliner
  • Publication number: 20160218476
    Abstract: An optical apparatus includes one or more pump sources situated to provide laser pump light, and a gain fiber optically coupled to the one or more pump sources, the gain fiber including an actively doped core situated to produce an output beam, an inner cladding and outer cladding surrounding the doped core and situated to propagate pump light, and a polymer cladding surrounding the outer cladding and situated to guide a selected portion of the pump light coupled into the inner and outer claddings of the gain fiber. Methods of pumping a fiber sources include generating pump light from one or more pump sources, coupling the pump light into a glass inner cladding and a glass outer cladding of a gain fiber of the fiber source such that a portion of the pump light is guided by a polymer cladding surrounding the glass outer cladding, and generating a single-mode output beam from the gain fiber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2016
    Publication date: July 28, 2016
    Applicant: nLIGHT Photonics Corporation
    Inventors: Dahv A.V. Kliner, Roger L. Farrow
  • Patent number: 9397466
    Abstract: An optical amplification system is disclosed which includes a seed source providing a seed beam, and a chirally coupled core fiber amplifier optically coupled to the seed beam and configured to convert the coupled seed beam into an amplifier output beam, wherein the polarization of the seed beam is controllably launched into the chirally coupled core fiber in order to reduce nonlinearities in the amplifier output beam. Peak output powers in excess of 500 kW can be realized for short-pulsed single-mode beams having mode field diameters greater than 30 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: nLIGHT, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy S. McComb, Roger L. Farrow
  • Publication number: 20160013607
    Abstract: An optical amplification system is disclosed which includes a seed source providing a seed beam, and a chirally coupled core fiber amplifier optically coupled to the seed beam and configured to convert the coupled seed beam into an amplifier output beam, wherein the polarization of the seed beam is controllably launched into the chirally coupled core fiber in order to reduce nonlinearities in the amplifier output beam. Peak output powers in excess of 500 kW can be realized for short-pulsed single-mode beams having mode field diameters greater than 30 ?m.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Publication date: January 14, 2016
    Inventors: Timothy S. McComb, Roger L. Farrow