Patents by Inventor Steven T. Cundiff

Steven T. Cundiff 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: 11467031
    Abstract: A method is presented for determining path length fluctuations in an interferometer using a reference laser with an arbitrary frequency with respect to the measured light. The method includes: injecting reference light along signal paths of the interferometer; measuring interference between the reference light at an output of the interferometer; determining an optical phase difference between the reference light in the two signal paths of the interferometer by measuring intensity modulation of the interference between the reference light and subtracting an intended frequency modulation from the measured intensity modulation; accumulating an unwrapped phase difference between the reference light in the two signal paths of the interferometer, where the unwrapped phase difference is defined in relation to a reference; and determining path length fluctuation of light in the interferometer using the unwrapped phase difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
    Inventors: Steven T. Cundiff, Chris Smallwood, Eric Martin
  • Publication number: 20210231495
    Abstract: A method is presented for determining path length fluctuations in an interferometer using a reference laser with an arbitrary frequency with respect to the measured light. The method includes: injecting reference light along signal paths of the interferometer; measuring interference between the reference light at an output of the interferometer; determining an optical phase difference between the reference light in the two signal paths of the interferometer by measuring intensity modulation of the interference between the reference light and subtracting an intended frequency modulation from the measured intensity modulation; accumulating an unwrapped phase difference between the reference light in the two signal paths of the interferometer, where the unwrapped phase difference is defined in relation to a reference; and determining path length fluctuation of light in the interferometer using the unwrapped phase difference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2019
    Publication date: July 29, 2021
    Applicant: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
    Inventors: Steven T. CUNDIFF, Chris SMALLWOOD, Eric MARTIN
  • Patent number: 10931370
    Abstract: A method is presented for determining an offset frequency of a frequency comb. The method includes: generating a beam of light with a waveform that repeats regularly in the time domain and exhibits a frequency comb in the frequency domain; directing the beam of light towards a point of incidence on a material; and detecting oscillation of a photocurrent in the material that is caused by the beam of light. Of note, the beam of light has an optical bandwidth that includes light propagating at a first frequency and at a second frequency, where the first frequency is less than the second frequency and the ratio of the second frequency to the first frequency is n:m, where n=m+i, m is an integer greater than one, and n and i are positive integers. Additionally, the material has a band gap and the band gap is not more than n times the first frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
    Inventors: Steven T. Cundiff, John Sipe, Kai Wang, Rodrigo Muniz
  • Publication number: 20200112366
    Abstract: A method is presented for determining an offset frequency of a frequency comb. The method includes: generating a beam of light with a waveform that repeats regularly in the time domain and exhibits a frequency comb in the frequency domain; directing the beam of light towards a point of incidence on a material; and detecting oscillation of a photocurrent in the material that is caused by the beam of light. Of note, the beam of light has an optical bandwidth that includes light propagating at a first frequency and at a second frequency, where the first frequency is less than the second frequency and the ratio of the second frequency to the first frequency is n:m, where n=m+i, m is an integer greater than one, and n and i are positive integers. Additionally, the material has a band gap and the band gap is not more than n times the first frequency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2018
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Applicant: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
    Inventors: Steven T. CUNDIFF, John SIPE, Kai WANG, Rodrigo MUNIZ
  • Patent number: 10533836
    Abstract: Dual laser frequency combs can rapidly measure high resolution linear absorption spectra. However, one-dimensional linear techniques cannot distinguish the sources of resonances in a mixture of different analytes, nor separate inhomogeneous and homogeneous broadening. These limitations are overcome by acquiring high resolution multi-dimensional non-linear coherent spectra with frequency combs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
    Inventors: Steven T. Cundiff, Bachana Lomsadze
  • Publication number: 20180073856
    Abstract: Dual laser frequency combs can rapidly measure high resolution linear absorption spectra. However, one-dimensional linear techniques cannot distinguish the sources of resonances in a mixture of different analytes, nor separate inhomogeneous and homogeneous broadening. These limitations are overcome by acquiring high resolution multi-dimensional non-linear coherent spectra with frequency combs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2017
    Publication date: March 15, 2018
    Inventors: Steven T. CUNDIFF, Bachana LOMSADZE
  • Patent number: 6850543
    Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method for stabilizing the carrier-envelope phase of the pulses emitted by a femtosecond mode-locked laser by using the powerful tools of frequency-domain laser stabilization. Control of the pulse-to-pulse carrier-envelope phases was confirmed using temporal cross correlation. This phase stabilization locks the absolute frequencies emitted by the laser, which is used to perform absolute optical frequency measurements that were directly referenced to a stable microwave clock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Commerce
    Inventors: Steven T. Cundiff, John L. Hall, Scott A. Diddams, David J. Jones
  • Publication number: 20040017833
    Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method for stabilizing the carrier-envelope phase of the pulses emitted by a femtosecond mode-locked laser by using the powerful tools of frequency-domain laser stabilization. Control of the pulse-to-pulse carrier-envelope phases was confirmed using temporal cross correlation. This phase stabilization locks the absolute frequencies emitted by the laser, which is used to perform absolute optical frequency measurements that were directly referenced to a stable microwave clock.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2002
    Publication date: January 29, 2004
    Inventors: Steven T. Cundiff, John L. Hall, Scott A. Diddams, David J. Jones