Patents by Inventor Thomas M. Spinka

Thomas M. Spinka 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: 12031210
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for doping a quantity of powder particles. A container having a central chamber is initially charged with a quantity of powder particles. A quantity of precursor is sublimed to form a heated precursor. A quantity of carrier gas is mixed with the precursor to form a mixture of heated precursor/carrier gas. The central chamber is charged with the heated precursor/carrier gas and then moved to cause interaction of the powder particles with the heated precursor/carrier gas to form a first monolayer coating on the powder particles. The heated precursor/carrier gas is then removed from the central chamber and the central chamber is charged with a O2/O3 gas under a plasma. The central chamber is then further moved to produce interaction of the O2/O3 gas with the first monolayer coating on the powder particles to modify the first monolayer coating to create a different, single monolayer coating forming an oxide coating on the powder particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2024
    Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventors: John S. Miller, Selim Elhadj, Thomas M. Spinka
  • Patent number: 11962129
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a laser diode system. The system may have at least one laser diode emitter having a substrate, at least one laser diode supported on the substrate, and a facet which a laser beam generated by the laser diode is emitted. A cooling subsystem is included which is disposed in contact with the substrate of the laser diode emitter. The cooling subsystem includes a plurality of cooling fins forming a plurality of elongated channels for circulating a cooling fluid therethrough to cool the laser diode emitter. The cooling fluid also flows over the facet of the laser diode emitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignees: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, Colorado State University Research Foundation
    Inventors: Jack Kotovsky, Salmaan H. Baxamusa, Clint D. Frye, Ian Seth Ladner, Thomas M. Spinka, Devin Joseph Funaro, David Ryan Hobby, Caleb Del Anderson, Todd Bandhauer
  • Publication number: 20220329048
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a laser diode system. The system may have at least one laser diode emitter having a substrate, at least one laser diode supported on the substrate, and a facet which a laser beam generated by the laser diode is emitted. A cooling subsystem is included which is disposed in contact with the substrate of the laser diode emitter. The cooling subsystem includes a plurality of cooling fins forming a plurality of elongated channels for circulating a cooling fluid therethrough to cool the laser diode emitter. The cooling fluid also flows over the facet of the laser diode emitter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2021
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Inventors: Jack KOTOVSKY, Salmaan H. BAXAMUSA, Clint D. FRYE, Ian Seth LADNER, Thomas M. SPINKA, Devin Joseph FUNARO, David Ryan HOBBY, Caleb Del ANDERSON, Todd BANDHAUER
  • Patent number: 11296478
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for scaling the average power of high-energy solid-state lasers to high values of average output power while maintaining high efficiency. An exemplary technique combines a gas-cooled-slab amplifier architecture with a pattern of amplifier pumping and extraction in which pumping is continuous and in which only a small fraction of the energy stored in the amplifier is extracted on any one pulse. Efficient operation is achieved by propagating many pulses through the amplifier during each period equal to the fluorescence decay time of the gain medium, so that the preponderance of the energy cycled through the upper laser level decays through extraction by the amplified pulses rather than through fluorescence decay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC
    Inventors: Alvin C Erlandson, Andrew J Bayramian, Constantin L Haefner, Craig W Siders, Thomas C Galvin, Thomas M Spinka
  • Publication number: 20220042172
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for doping a quantity of powder particles. A container having a central chamber is initially charged with a quantity of powder particles. A quantity of precursor is sublimed to form a heated precursor. A quantity of carrier gas is mixed with the precursor to form a mixture of heated precursor/carrier gas. The central chamber is charged with the heated precursor/carrier gas and then moved to cause interaction of the powder particles with the heated precursor/carrier gas to form a first monolayer coating on the powder particles. The heated precursor/carrier gas is then removed from the central chamber and the central chamber is charged with a O2/O3 gas under a plasma. The central chamber is then further moved to produce interaction of the O2/O3 gas with the first monolayer coating on the powder particles to modify the first monolayer coating to create a different, single monolayer coating forming an oxide coating on the powder particles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2020
    Publication date: February 10, 2022
    Inventors: John S. MILLER, Selim ELHADJ, Thomas M. SPINKA
  • Patent number: 11222734
    Abstract: A method for increasing the MeV hot electron yield and secondary radiation produced by short-pulse laser-target interactions with an appropriately high or low atomic number (Z) target. Secondary radiation, such as MeV x-rays, gamma-rays, protons, ions, neutrons, positrons and electromagnetic radiation in the microwave to sub-mm region, can be used, e.g., for the flash radiography of dense objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC
    Inventors: Jeffrey D. Bude, David A. Alessi, Maurice B. Aufderheide, John E. Heebner, Andreas J. Kemp, Otto L. Landen, Andrew J. Mackinnon, Raluca A. Negres, Craig W. Siders, Scott C. Wilks, Wade H. Williams, Steven T. Yang, Thomas M. Spinka
  • Publication number: 20200076150
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for scaling the average power of high-energy solid-state lasers to high values of average output power while maintaining high efficiency. An exemplary technique combines a gas-cooled-slab amplifier architecture with a pattern of amplifier pumping and extraction in which pumping is continuous and in which only a small fraction of the energy stored in the amplifier is extracted on any one pulse. Efficient operation is achieved by propagating many pulses through the amplifier during each period equal to the fluorescence decay time of the gain medium, so that the preponderance of the energy cycled through the upper laser level decays through extraction by the amplified pulses rather than through fluorescence decay.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2019
    Publication date: March 5, 2020
    Applicant: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventors: Alvin C. Erlandson, Andrew J. Bayramian, Constantin L. Haefner, Craig W. Siders, Thomas C. Galvin, Thomas M. Spinka
  • Publication number: 20200020459
    Abstract: A method for increasing the MeV hot electron yield and secondary radiation produced by short-pulse laser-target interactions with an appropriately high or low atomic number (Z) target. Secondary radiation, such as MeV x-rays, gamma-rays, protons, ions, neutrons, positrons and electromagnetic radiation in the microwave to sub-mm region, can be used, e.g., for the flash radiography of dense objects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2019
    Publication date: January 16, 2020
    Applicant: LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC
    Inventors: Jeffrey D. Bude, David A. Alessi, Maurice B. Aufderheide, John E. Heebner, Andreas J. Kemp, Otto L. Landen, Andrew J. Mackinnon, Raluca A. Negres, Craig W. Siders, Scott C. Wilks, Wade H, Williams, Steven T. Yang, Thomas M. Spinka
  • Patent number: 8442091
    Abstract: The invention provides microchannel lasers having a microplasma gain medium. Lasers of the invention can be formed in semiconductor materials, and can also be formed in polymer materials. In a microlaser of the invention, high density plasmas are produced in microchannels. The microplasma acts as a gain medium with the electrodes sustaining the plasma in the microchannel. Reflectors are used with the microchannel for obtaining optical feedback to obtain lasing in the microplasma gain medium in devices of the invention for a wide range of atomic and molecular species. Several atomic and molecular gain media will produce sufficiently high gain coefficients that reflectors (mirrors) are not necessary. Microlasers of the invention are based on microplasma generation in channels of various geometries. Preferred embodiment microlaser designs can be fabricated in semiconductor materials, such as Si wafers, by standard photolithographic techniques, or in polymers by replica molding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
    Inventors: Sung-Jin Park, J. Gary Eden, Paoyei Chen, Paul A. Tchertchian, Thomas M. Spinka
  • Publication number: 20100296978
    Abstract: The invention provides microchannel lasers having a microplasma gain medium. Lasers of the invention can be formed in semiconductor materials, and can also be formed in polymer materials. In a microlaser of the invention, high density plasmas are produced in microchannels. The microplasma acts as a gain medium with the electrodes sustaining the plasma in the microchannel. Reflectors are used with the microchannel for obtaining optical feedback to obtain lasing in the microplasma gain medium in devices of the invention for a wide range of atomic and molecular species. Several atomic and molecular gain media will produce sufficiently high gain coefficients that reflectors (mirrors) are not necessary. Microlasers of the invention are based on microplasma generation in channels of various geometries. Preferred embodiment microlaser designs can be fabricated in semiconductor materials, such as Si wafers, by standard photolithographic techniques, or in polymers by replica molding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2008
    Publication date: November 25, 2010
    Inventors: Sung-Jin Park, J. Gary Eden, Paoyei Chen, Paul A. Tchertchian, Thomas M. Spinka