Abstract: An apparatus for vaporizing and cracking chemical elements for use in a deposition process is provided. The apparatus includes a vaporization cell integrally connected with a thermal cracker cell. The vaporization cell has an inlet section in communication with a valve section defining a heating chamber capable of holding a liquid or solid chemical material to be vaporized. A heat source is positioned in the heating chamber and is capable of providing sufficient thermal energy to evaporate or sublimate the chemical material. The thermal cracker cell is communicatively connected to an outlet of the vaporization cell, and includes an elongated tapered tube with a heating element associated therewith. The heating element is capable of providing sufficient thermal energy to dissociate molecular clusters of vaporized chemical material. This provides monomeric or dimeric chemical elements for use in a deposition process such as during semiconductor device fabrication.

Abstract: A device for generating blue or green laser light by the use of a device comprising an infrared high power semiconductor laser or an infrared high power semiconductor laser bar or array, a diffractive optical device, and an optical device utilizing a non-linear crystal to generate the blue or green laser light. In one embodiment, the diffractive optical device comprises a volume holographic transmission grating and the optical device comprises a ring resonator. In another embodiment, the diffractive optical device comprises a reflective diffraction grating feedback mechanism and the optical device comprises a ring resonator. In another embodiment, the optical device comprises a parabolic or non-planar feedback mechanism and a ring resonator. In another embodiment, the diffractive optical feedback device, which can be in the form of digital/binary optics, is attached to the semiconductor laser source.

Abstract: An apparatus for providing improved high power laser beams. An elongated reflector with a highly-reflective surface is utilized with a laser beam emitter, such as a broad area diode laser, a diode laser bar, or a diode laser array. The laser beams reflect off of the highly-reflective surface which is curved substantially parabolically. The reflected beams are collimated or otherwise shaped and/or coupled by manipulation of the size and shape of the elongated reflector and the placement of the laser beam emitter in association therewith. A system of lenses or mirrors may be used in conjunction with the reflecting apparatus to achieve enhanced beam quality. One-dimensional and two-dimensional laser arrays can also be fabricated utilizing a substrate containing laser beam emitters in communication with one or more grooves formed in the substrate, with parabolic reflecting surfaces formed in the grooves or with optical reflector members placed in the grooves.

Abstract: A system and method for generating a laser beam from a semiconductor laser in order to eliminate or substantially reduce filamentation of the laser beam. The system and method utilizes an external optical member such as a reflector to improve or enhance the overall laser beam quality produced. The reflector has a Gaussian intensity profile promoting cavity such as a parabolic cavity, with the cavity having a focal length a preselected distance from the cavity surface. The semiconductor laser is positioned such that the facet of the semiconductor laser is at the focal length distance from the cavity surface. The cavity has a mode-selecting reflective surface such that the beam has a substantially Gaussian intensity profile. A beam splitter can be optionally employed between the semiconductor laser and the optical reflector for certain applications if desired.