Abstract: An illuminated bandage and method of disinfecting a wound. The illuminated bandage includes a power source, a light source coupled to the power source to generate light and a patch. The patch includes a supporting medium and at least one light diffusing element in the supporting medium and optically coupled to the light source. The light diffusing element outputs light to promote a photochemical reaction to disinfect a wound surface proximate thereto.

Abstract: A light delivery system and method are provided to promote a photochemical reaction for disinfecting a surface. The system includes a light source and a light diffusing element operatively coupled to the light source and further embedded within a surface to be disinfected. The light diffusing element outputs light to the surface to promote a photochemical reaction to disinfect the surface. A low scatter light transmission medium may further be coupled between the light source and the light diffusing element to transmit light from the light source remotely to the light diffusing element.

Abstract: A light-diffusing optical fiber that includes a core region in the fiber that comprises a core glass composition; and an inner cladding in the fiber that surrounds the core region and comprises a cladding glass composition that substantially differs from the core glass composition. The core glass composition comprises a doped, low-melting point silica glass having less than 90% by weight SiO2, and the numerical aperture of the fiber is greater than or equal to 0.4. Further, light-diffusing optical fiber bundles that include a jacket comprising a scattering element; and a plurality of the light-diffusing optical fibers arranged within the jacket. Also, light-diffusing optical fiber bundles that include a transparent jacket; and a plurality of the light-diffusing optical fibers arranged within the jacket, the fibers further configured with an outer cladding having a plurality of scattering elements.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing one or more components for a display system, particularly for producing diffused light.

Abstract: Light diffusing optical fibers for use in illumination applications and which have a uniform color gradient that is angularly independent are disclosed herein along with methods for making such fibers. The light diffusing fibers are composed of a silica-based glass core that is coated with a number of layers including both a scattering layer and a phosphor layer.

Abstract: Light diffusing optical fibers for use in ultraviolet illumination applications and which have a uniform color gradient that is angularly independent are disclosed herein along with methods for making such fibers. The light diffusing fibers are composed of a silica-based glass core that is coated with a number of layers including a scattering layer.

Abstract: Light diffusing optical fiber bundles, illumination systems including light diffusing optical fiber bundles, and methods of affixing light diffusing optical fiber bundles to polymer optical fibers are disclosed. A light diffusing optical fiber bundle includes an optically transmissive jacket and a plurality of light diffusing optical fibers disposed within the optically transmissive jacket. Each of the plurality of light diffusing optical fibers includes a glass core including a plurality of nano-sized voids. The plurality of light diffusing optical fibers extend along a length of the optically transmissive jacket such that the plurality of diffusing optical fibers are not interwoven.

Abstract: Light-coupling apparatus and methods for light-diffusing optical fibers are disclosed. The light-coupling apparatus includes a light-diffusing fiber bundle having an end section made up of tightly packed cores by removing the claddings. The spaces between the cores are filled with a material having a refractive index equal to or less than that of the cores. A light-emitting diode light source can be butt-coupled to the bundled-core end of the light-diffusing fiber bundle or can be coupled thereto via a reflective concentrator. A method of forming a flat and smooth end on a cleaved fiber that has a rough end is also disclosed.

Abstract: Vacuum-insulated glass (VIG) windows (10) that employ glass-bump spacers (50) and two or more glass panes (20) are disclosed. The glass-bump spacers are formed in the surface (24) of one of the glass panes (20) and consist of the glass material from the body portion (23) of the glass pane. Thus, the glass-bump spacers are integrally formed in the glass pane, as opposed to being discrete spacer elements that need to be added and fixed to the glass pane. Methods of forming VIG windows are also disclosed. The methods include forming the glass-bump spacers by irradiating a glass pane with a focused beam (112F) from a laser (110). Heating effects in the glass cause the glass to locally expand, thereby forming a glass-bump spacer. The process is repeated at different locations in the glass pane to form an array of glass-bump spacers. A second glass pane is brought into contact with the glass-bump spacers, and the edges (28F, 28B) sealed.

Abstract: An optical fiber cable assembly includes an optical tracer fiber, an optical data transmission fiber, and a cable jacket. The optical tracer fiber defines a tracer scattering profile having a scattering loss of >15 dB/km at a tracer wavelength or wavelength range ?T that lies in a visible spectrum. The optical tracer fiber is wound about a longitudinal axis of the optical fiber cable assembly and is either physically coupled to the cable jacket or contained within an inside diameter of the cable jacket. The cable jacket may be engineered to generate light at an optically visible shifted tracer wavelength or wavelength range ?T* from visible light at the tracer wavelength or wavelength range ?T. The cable jacket may include an optically reflective material such that a portion of dispersed visible light from the optical tracer is reflected by the optically reflective material of the cable jacket.

Abstract: A method of sealing a workpiece comprising forming an inorganic film over a surface of a first substrate, arranging a workpiece to be protected between the first substrate and a second substrate wherein the inorganic film is in contact with the second substrate; and sealing the workpiece between the first and second substrates as a function of the composition of impurities in the first or second substrates and as a function of the composition of the inorganic film by locally heating the inorganic film with a predetermined laser radiation wavelength. The inorganic film, the first substrate, or the second substrate can be transmissive at approximately 420 nm to approximately 750 nm.

Abstract: A light-diffusing element with high coupling efficiency to LED sources. The light-diffusing element may be a glass monolith that includes a plurality of internal voids. When light propagating through the monolith encounters the internal voids, it is scattered in a transverse direction and exits the lateral surface of the monolith to provide a broad-area illumination effect. The glass monolith has a diameter of at least 0.7 mm and features a numerical aperture of at least 0.6 to facilitate efficient coupling to LED sources. The internal voids have a cross-sectional dimension that ranges from about 100 nm to several microns and a length that ranges from about 1 ?m to a few millimeters. The light-diffusing element can be configured as a rod or as a bent or arbitrarily-shaped fixture.

Abstract: Light diffusing optical fibers for use in ultraviolet illumination applications and which have a uniform color gradient that is angularly independent are disclosed herein along with methods for making such fibers. The light diffusing fibers are composed of a silica-based glass core that is coated with a number of layers including a scattering layer.

Abstract: An optical fiber cable assembly is provided including a tracer light source and an optical tracer fiber physically coupled to or surrounded by the cable jacket and defining a tracer scattering profile comprising a relatively high scattering loss at a tracer wavelength or wavelength range ?T such that light is dispersed from the optical tracer fiber along at least a portion of its length. At a bend radius of less than approximately 25 mm, the scattering profile of the optical tracer fiber generates dispersed light of a luminance that is at least about twice light generated in a zero-bend portion. The optical intensity of the tracer light source is sufficient for the luminance of the dispersed light at ?T or ?T* to be at least approximately 80 cd/m2 at bend radii of 20 mm and below.

Abstract: An illumination device comprising: (i) a light diffusing optical fiber having a numerical aperture of NALDF, wherein said light diffusing optical fiber has an outer surface, two ends, and a core, the fiber comprising a region with a plurality of scattering structures within said core configured to scatter guided light via said scattering structures towards the outer surface providing scattering-induced attenuation greater than 50 dB/km at illumination wavelength, wherein said scatter guided light diffuses through said outer surface to provide illumination; (ii) a light source having a numerical aperture of NAS1, said light source being optically coupled to one end of said light diffusing optical fiber; NALDF?NAS1>0.05.

Abstract: Depth-sensitive fluorescent spectroscopy can be executed by directing UV radiation through a face of a laminated glass sheet to induce distinct fluorescence in respective target layers of the laminated glass sheet. The respective target layers define glass compositions and relative indices of refraction that permit formation of an externally-viewable fluorescent intensity profile across the target layers of the laminated glass sheet. In an alternative embodiment, non-UV laser radiation is directed from a non-UV laser radiation source through a face of the laminated glass sheet to define a series of multi-photon focal points in the laminated glass sheet and induce fluorescence in respective ones of the plurality of target layers of the laminated glass sheet at a UV excitation frequency that exceeds the frequency of the radiation source.

Abstract: Light-coupling systems and methods that employ light-diffusing optical fiber are disclosed. The systems include a light source and a light-diffusing optical fiber optically coupled thereto. The light-diffusing optical fiber has a core, a cladding and a length. At least a portion of the core comprises randomly arranged voids configured to provide substantially spatially continuous light emission from the core and out of the cladding along at least a portion of the length. A portion of the light-diffusing optical is embedded in an index-matching layer disposed adjacent a lower surface of a transparent sheet. Light emitted by the light-diffusing optical fiber is trapped within the transparent sheet and index-matching layer by total internal reflection and is scattered out of the upper surface of the transparent sheet by at least one scattering feature thereon.

Abstract: A light-diffusing element with high coupling efficiency to LED sources. The light-diffusing element may be a glass monolith that includes a plurality of internal voids. When light propagating through the monolith encounters the internal voids, it is scattered in a transverse direction and exits the lateral surface of the monolith to provide a broad-area illumination effect. The glass monolith has a diameter of at least 0.7 mm and features a numerical aperture of at least 0.6 to facilitate efficient coupling to LED sources. The internal voids have a cross-sectional dimension that ranges from about 100 nm to several microns and a length that ranges from about 1 ?m to a few millimeters. The light-diffusing element can be configured as a rod or as a bent or arbitrarily-shaped fixture.

Abstract: Vacuum-insulated glass (VIG) windows (10) that employ glass-bump spacers (50) and two or more glass panes (20) are disclosed. The glass-bump spacers are formed in the surface (24) of one of the glass panes (20) and consist of the glass material from the body portion (23) of the glass pane. Thus, the glass-bump spacers are integrally formed in the glass pane, as opposed to being discrete spacer elements that need to be added and fixed to the glass pane. Methods of forming VIG windows are also disclosed. The methods include forming the glass-bump spacers by irradiating a glass pane with a focused beam (112F) from a laser (110). Heating effects in the glass cause the glass to locally expand, thereby forming a glass-bump spacer. The process is repeated at different locations in the glass pane to form an array of glass-bump spacers. A second glass pane is brought into contact with the glass-bump spacers, and the edges (28F, 28B) sealed.

Abstract: A glass-coated gasket comprises a gasket main body defining an inner hole and having a first contact surface and a second contact surface opposite the first contact surface, and a glass layer formed over at least a portion of one of the first contact surface and the second contact surface. The glass layer comprises a low melting temperature glass. A vacuum insulated glass window comprises a substrate/glass-coated gasket/substrate structure that can be sealed using a thermo-compressive sealing step.