Patents by Inventor Timothy McComb
Timothy McComb 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: 9276375Abstract: A system for generating a shaped optical pulse is disclosed. The system includes a master oscillator for generating an initial optical pulse, which is then directed to a semiconductor optical amplifier to amplify a portion of the initial optical pulse. The amplified pulse is reflected from a fiber Bragg grating to spectrally clean the amplified pulse and the reflected portion is returned back through the semiconductor optical amplifier. The semiconductor optical amplifier is activated a second time to amplify the reflected portion of the pulse. The time delay between the two activations of the semiconductor optical amplifier is selected to generate an output pulse with desired duration and/or amplitude profile over time.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2014Date of Patent: March 1, 2016Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corp.Inventors: Timothy McComb, Fabio Di Teodoro
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Publication number: 20150092807Abstract: A system for generating a shaped optical pulse is disclosed. The system includes a master oscillator for generating an initial optical pulse, which is then directed to a semiconductor optical amplifier to amplify a portion of the initial optical pulse. The amplified pulse is reflected from a fiber Bragg grating to spectrally clean the amplified pulse and the reflected portion is returned back through the semiconductor optical amplifier. The semiconductor optical amplifier is activated a second time to amplify the reflected portion of the pulse. The time delay between the two activations of the semiconductor optical amplifier is selected to generate an output pulse with desired duration and/or amplitude profile over time.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 10, 2014Publication date: April 2, 2015Inventors: Timothy McComb, Fabio Di Teodoro
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Patent number: 8937976Abstract: A system for generating a shaped optical pulse is disclosed. The system includes a master oscillator for generating an initial optical pulse, which is then directed to a semiconductor optical amplifier to amplify a portion of the initial optical pulse. The amplified pulse is reflected from a fiber Bragg grating to spectrally clean the amplified pulse and the reflected portion is returned back through the semiconductor optical amplifier. The semiconductor optical amplifier is activated a second time to amplify the reflected portion of the pulse. The time delay between the two activations of the semiconductor optical amplifier is selected to generate an output pulse with desired duration and/or amplitude profile over time.Type: GrantFiled: August 15, 2012Date of Patent: January 20, 2015Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corp.Inventors: Timothy McComb, Fabio Di Teodoro
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Patent number: 8928863Abstract: A system for providing a sliced optical pulse is disclosed. The system can comprise a master oscillator (MO) configured to generate an optical pulse at a first spectral bandwidth. The system can also comprise a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) configured to slice the optical pulse to generate a sliced optical pulse that has a second spectral bandwidth. The second spectral bandwidth can be smaller than the first spectral bandwidth.Type: GrantFiled: May 6, 2011Date of Patent: January 6, 2015Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems CorporationInventors: Peter A. Thielen, Eric Cheung, Timothy McComb
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Publication number: 20140049810Abstract: A system for generating a shaped optical pulse is disclosed. The system includes a master oscillator for generating an initial optical pulse, which is then directed to a semiconductor optical amplifier to amplify a portion of the initial optical pulse. The amplified pulse is reflected from a fiber Bragg grating to spectrally clean the amplified pulse and the reflected portion is returned back through the semiconductor optical amplifier. The semiconductor optical amplifier is activated a second time to amplify the reflected portion of the pulse. The time delay between the two activations of the semiconductor optical amplifier is selected to generate an output pulse with desired duration and/or amplitude profile over time.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 15, 2012Publication date: February 20, 2014Applicant: Northrop Grumman Systems Corp.Inventors: Timothy McComb, Fabio Di Teodoro
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Publication number: 20120281199Abstract: A system for providing a sliced optical pulse is disclosed. The system can comprise a master oscillator (MO) configured to generate an optical pulse at a first spectral bandwidth. The system can also comprise a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) configured to slice the optical pulse to generate a sliced optical pulse that has a second spectral bandwidth. The second spectral bandwidth can be smaller than the first spectral bandwidth.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 6, 2011Publication date: November 8, 2012Applicant: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATIONInventors: Peter A. Thielen, Eric Cheung, Timothy McComb
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Patent number: 7881347Abstract: Methods and systems for hybrid gain guiding in laser resonators that combines the features of gain guiding and fiber or other types of lasers into a single system. Hybrid gain guiding in laser resonators is not limited to conventional fiber lasers. Any type of gain guided fiber, index guided or anti-guided, is used as an intracavity element to induce loss on high order modes in an otherwise multimode laser system. The gain guided element contributes little gain to the laser oscillator but allows only the lowest order mode to transmit without loss. When the gain guiding fiber length is selected so the loss for a particular cavity mode is greater than the gain, the cavity mode does not lase. Since the gain guiding fiber induces loss for all laser modes other than the lowest order mode it makes sure that the mode one higher than the lowest order mode does not lase and as a result, no other cavity modes lase.Type: GrantFiled: February 15, 2008Date of Patent: February 1, 2011Assignee: University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.Inventors: Timothy McComb, Martin Richardson, Vikas Sudesh
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Patent number: 7668211Abstract: Methods, systems and devices for a waveguide pumping gain guided index antiguided fiber laser having a fiber selected for a refractive index crossover at a wavelength between a pump wavelength and a laser emission wavelength. A waveguide pumping system pumps a light having a pump wavelength into the fiber allowing a laser light to be captured by a gain guided process in the core while the pump light, propagating in the cladding is coupled to the core. The fiber selection includes selecting a fiber with a cladding material having a refractive index less than a core material refractive index for a pump wavelength and a core refractive index at the laser emission wavelength is less than the cladding refractive index at the same laser emission wavelength to allow the pump light to propagate through the cladding as a conventional wave guided fiber laser, white the laser emission is captured within the core as an index antiguided, gain guided wave.Type: GrantFiled: November 9, 2007Date of Patent: February 23, 2010Assignees: University of Central Florida, Research Foundation, Inc., Clomson UniversityInventors: Vikas Sudesh, Timothy McComb, Martin Richardson, William Hagemann, Michael Bass, John Ballato, Anthony Siegman
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Patent number: 7551267Abstract: Systems and methods for measuring a pulse length (?0) of an ultra-short light pulse (P0) based on processing a number of substantially similar light pulses. The system includes an autocorrelation optical system adapted to receive the light pulses P0 and create from each light pulse two beams having an associated optical path length difference ?OPL. Providing a different ?OPL for each light pulse creates an autocorrelation interference pattern representative of an autocorrelation of the light pulse P0. An LED detector detects the autocorrelation interference pattern and generates therefrom an autocorrelation signal. A signal-processing unit forms from the autocorrelation signal a digital count signal representative of a number of counted peaks in the autocorrelation signal above the full-width half maximum. Control electronics unit causes the varying ?OPL and provides a difference signal (S?) representative of the ?OPL to the signal-processing unit.Type: GrantFiled: April 24, 2007Date of Patent: June 23, 2009Assignee: University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.Inventors: Robert Bernath, Martin Richardson, Joshua Duncan, Michael Hemmer, Timothy McComb, Etienne Puyoo
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Publication number: 20080266543Abstract: Systems and methods for measuring a pulse length (?0) of an ultra-short light pulse (P0) based on processing a number of substantially similar light pulses. The system includes an autocorrelation optical system adapted to receive the light pulses P0 and create from each light pulse two beams having an associated optical path length difference ?OPL. Providing a different ?OPL for each light pulse creates an autocorrelation interference pattern representative of an autocorrelation of the light pulse P0. An LED detector detects the autocorrelation interference pattern and generates therefrom an autocorrelation signal. A signal-processing unit forms from the autocorrelation signal a digital count signal representative of a number of counted peaks in the autocorrelation signal above the full-width half maximum. Control electronics unit causes the varying ?OPL and provides a difference signal (S?) representative of the ?OPL to the signal-processing unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 24, 2007Publication date: October 30, 2008Inventors: Martin Richardson, Robert Bernath, Joshua Duncan, Michael Hemmer, Timothy McComb, Etienne Puyoo
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Publication number: 20080198879Abstract: Methods and systems for hybrid gain guiding in laser resonators that combines the features of gain guiding and fiber or other types of lasers into a single system. Hybrid gain guiding in laser resonators is not limited to conventional fiber lasers. Any type of gain guided fiber, index guided or anti-guided, is used as an intracavity element to induce loss on high order modes in an otherwise multimode laser system. The gain guided element contributes little gain to the laser oscillator but allows only the lowest order mode to transmit without loss. When the gain guiding fiber length is selected so the loss for a particular cavity mode is greater than the gain, the cavity mode does not lase. Since the gain guiding fiber induces loss for all laser modes other than the lowest order mode it makes sure that the mode one higher than the lowest order mode does not lase and as a result, no other cavity modes lase.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 15, 2008Publication date: August 21, 2008Applicant: University Of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.Inventors: Timothy McComb, Martin Richardson, Vikas Sudesh