Patents by Inventor Steffan Lewis
Steffan Lewis 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: 8213753Abstract: A termination for an optical fiber is disclosed, including an end cap optically connected to a delivery end of the fiber and tapering its towards its proximal end so as to expand the signal beam output by the fiber, a capillary having a bore mounted so that the end cap and an end portion of the delivery fiber are mounted within the bore, the capillary having an end which is angled so as to reflect undesired radiation within the capillary away from the fiber, and a cladding mode stripper arranged upstream of the delivery end.Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 2009Date of Patent: July 3, 2012Assignee: GSI Group Ltd.Inventors: Cheng Li, Iain Botheroyd, Steffan Lewis, Glyn Edwards, Stephen Keen
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Patent number: 8094370Abstract: An optical fibre laser or amplifier device is disclosed, comprising: a rare-earth-doped multi-clad optical fibre having at least three cladding layers, one or more multimode pump laser diodes, and a means of multiplexing a laser signal and the pumping radiation, adapted so that a fraction of the stray signal light originating within the device is captured by one of the intermediate cladding layers of the rare-earth-doped fibre and guided out of the laser structure through the multiplexing system resulting in a reduction in the amount of stray signal radiation impinging upon the pump laser diodes.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2009Date of Patent: January 10, 2012Assignee: GSI Group Ltd.Inventor: Steffan Lewis
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Patent number: 7839902Abstract: A fibre laser system is disclosed comprising an optical fibre, a part of which is doped with a rare earth to form an optical gain medium; at least one laser diode; means for applying pump radiation from the laser diode to the optical gain medium and for generating a laser beam and delivery fibre means for delivering a laser beam to a workpiece, wherein the fibre laser is provided with at least one means for protecting one or more components from damage caused by errant radiation. Several different means of protection are disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2008Date of Patent: November 23, 2010Assignee: GSI Group Ltd.Inventors: Cheng Li, Iain Botheroyd, Steffan Lewis, Glyn Edwards, Stephen Keen
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Publication number: 20100124393Abstract: A termination for an optical fibre is disclosed, including an end cap optically connected to a delivery end of the fibre and tapering its towards its proximal end so as to expand the signal beam output by the fibre, a capillary having a bore mounted so that the end cap and an end portion of the delivery fibre are mounted within the bore, the capillary having an end which is angled so as to reflect undesired radiation within the capillary away from the fibre, and a cladding mode stripper arranged upstream of the delivery end.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 8, 2009Publication date: May 20, 2010Applicant: GSI GROUP LIMITEDInventors: Cheng Li, Iain Botheroyd, Steffan Lewis, Glyn Edwards, Stephen Keen
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Patent number: 7720340Abstract: A device for coupling multimode pump light and a laser signal into or out of a cladding-pumped fibre laser is disclosed, comprising an output optical fibre, a substantially un-tapered feed-through optical fibre, an annular waveguide having a tapered section, and a plurality of multimode pump fibres such that: the signal feed-through fibre is located within the annular waveguide; the signal feed-through fibre is fused into the annular waveguide in the tapered section so that the annular waveguide becomes an additional cladding layer of the feed-through fibre; the end of the feed-through fibre that is fused into the annular waveguide is optically coupled to the output optical fibre; the multimode pump fibres are optically coupled to the annular waveguide in the un-tapered section. Methods of forming the device are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2008Date of Patent: May 18, 2010Assignee: GSI Group Ltd.Inventors: Steffan Lewis, Glyn Edwards
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Patent number: 7649914Abstract: A fiber laser is disclosed comprising a single mode or low-order-mode cladding pumped fiber laser oscillator or preamplifier, a cladding pumped fiber laser power amplifier to guide multiple transverse modes, wherein an output from the oscillator or preamplifier is applied through a mode mixing means to the power amplifier to provide that a laser signal of the cladding pumped fiber laser power amplifier is emitted from the fiber laser power amplifier in the multiple transverse modes.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2008Date of Patent: January 19, 2010Assignee: GSI Group Ltd.Inventor: Steffan Lewis
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Publication number: 20090251770Abstract: An optical fibre laser or amplifier device is disclosed, comprising: a rare-earth-doped multi-clad optical fibre having at least three cladding layers, one or more multimode pump laser diodes, and a means of multiplexing a laser signal and the pumping radiation, adapted so that a fraction of the stray signal light originating within the device is captured by one of the intermediate cladding layers of the rare-earth-doped fibre and guided out of the laser structure through the multiplexing system resulting in a reduction in the amount of stray signal radiation impinging upon the pump laser diodes.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 21, 2009Publication date: October 8, 2009Applicant: GSI GROUP LIMITEDInventor: Steffan Lewis
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Publication number: 20090175301Abstract: A fibre laser system is disclosed comprising an optical fibre, a part of which is doped with a rare earth to form an optical gain medium; at least one laser diode; means for applying pump radiation from the laser diode to the optical gain medium and for generating a laser beam and delivery fibre means for delivering a laser beam to a workpiece, wherein the fibre laser is provided with at least one means for protecting one or more components from damage caused by errant radiation. Several different means of protection are disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 22, 2008Publication date: July 9, 2009Applicant: GSI GROUP LIMITEDInventors: Cheng Li, Iain Botheroyd, Steffan Lewis, Glyn Edwards, Stephen Keen
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Publication number: 20090148098Abstract: A device for coupling multimode pump light and a laser signal into or out of a cladding-pumped fibre laser is disclosed, comprising an output optical fibre, a substantially un-tapered feed-through optical fibre, an annular waveguide having a tapered section, and a plurality of multimode pump fibres such that: the signal feed-through fibre is located within the annular waveguide; the signal feed-through fibre is fused into the annular waveguide in the tapered section so that the annular waveguide becomes an additional cladding layer of the feed-through fibre; the end of the feed-through fibre that is fused into the annular waveguide is optically coupled to the output optical fibre; the multimode pump fibres are optically coupled to the annular waveguide in the un-tapered section. Methods of forming the device are also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 22, 2008Publication date: June 11, 2009Applicant: GSI GROUP LIMITEDInventors: Steffan Lewis, Glyn Edwards
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Publication number: 20080219299Abstract: A fibre laser is disclosed comprising a single mode or low-order-mode cladding pumped fibre laser oscillator or preamplifier, a cladding pumped fibre laser power amplifier to guide multiple transverse modes, wherein an output from the oscillator or preamplifier is applied through a mode mixing means to the power amplifier. The laser power amplifier is of greater core and cladding diameter than the oscillator or preamplifier, thus enabling lower brightness pump sources to be employed.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 1, 2008Publication date: September 11, 2008Applicant: GSI GROUP LTD.Inventor: Steffan Lewis
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Publication number: 20080219622Abstract: An optical fibre coupling structure comprising an optical fibre having an elongate input surface and shaped so that the diameter of the core of the fibre reduces in one dimension away from the input while increasing in the other dimension away from the input to form respective convergent and divergent surfaces, towards an output which is more circular than the input.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 2, 2008Publication date: September 11, 2008Applicant: GSI GROUP LTD.Inventor: Steffan Lewis