Patents by Inventor William A. Molander

William A. Molander 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).

  • Publication number: 20230283036
    Abstract: An optical amplifier comprises a gain medium having an input surface and an output surface wherein the output surface is larger than the input surface. The gain medium may be frustum shaped. The optical amplifier includes a negative diverging lens to receive an extraction laser beam and to cause the laser beam to expand as the beam passes through the gain medium. The amplifier further comprises a positive collimating lens configured to receive the expanding amplified beam and reduce the divergence. The gain medium can be pumped by counter-propagating radiation. The fluence of the laser beam within the gain medium is configured to be near constant along the length of the gain medium and may be within 1.5-2.0 FSAT. The gain medium may be doped with dopant to provide gain, with larger concentration of dopants proximal the input surface and smaller concentration proximal the output surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2022
    Publication date: September 7, 2023
    Inventors: Stephen Anthony Payne, Raymond Beach, Jean-Michel Di Nicola, Alvin Erlandson, John Heebner, Jeremy Lusk, William A. Molander, Samuel Edward Schrauth, Jen Nan Wong
  • Publication number: 20160094016
    Abstract: Techniques for increasing the spatial and spectral brightness of laser arrays such as laser diode arrays are provided. Passive cavity designs are described that produce wavefront phase locking across the face of large arrays. These designs enable both spatial and spectral selectivity in order to coherently link the individual emitters that make up the diode array. Arrays of customized micro-optics correct aberrations of the individual apertures of the arrays while highly spectrally selective partial reflectors overcome the deleterious effects of inhomogeneities in local thermal environments of the individual emitters that are being phase locked together. Using these two technologies, along with intracavity diffractive beam coupling, solves two long standing problems that have prevented effective and robust phase locking of laser diode arrays.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Publication date: March 31, 2016
    Applicant: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventors: Raymond J. Beach, Robert J. Deri, Michael A. Johnson, Jeffrey L. Klingmann, William A. Molander, Mark D. Rotter, Michael Runkel, Craig Siders, Sheldon S. Wu
  • Patent number: 8780440
    Abstract: A chirped pulse amplification system includes a laser source providing an input laser pulse along an optical path. The input laser pulse is characterized by a first temporal duration. The system also includes a multi-pass pulse stretcher disposed along the optical path. The multi-pass pulse stretcher includes a first set of mirrors operable to receive input light in a first plane and output light in a second plane parallel to the first plane and a first diffraction grating. The pulse stretcher also includes a second set of mirrors operable to receive light diffracted from the first diffraction grating and a second diffraction grating. The pulse stretcher further includes a reflective element operable to reflect light diffracted from the second diffraction grating. The system further includes an amplifier, a pulse compressor, and a passive dispersion compensator disposed along the optical path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventors: Andrew James Bayramian, William A. Molander
  • Patent number: 8271120
    Abstract: A method of finishing an optical element includes mounting the optical element in an optical mount having a plurality of fiducials overlapping with the optical element and obtaining a first metrology map for the optical element and the plurality of fiducials. The method also includes obtaining a second metrology map for the optical element without the plurality of fiducials, forming a difference map between the first metrology map and the second metrology map, and aligning the first metrology map and the second metrology map. The method further includes placing mathematical fiducials onto the second metrology map using the difference map to form a third metrology map and associating the third metrology map to the optical element. Moreover, the method includes mounting the optical element in the fixture in an MRF tool, positioning the optical element in the fixture; removing the plurality of fiducials, and finishing the optical element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph Arthur Menapace, Kathleen Irene Schaffers, Andrew James Bayramian, William A. Molander
  • Publication number: 20110026105
    Abstract: A chirped pulse amplification system includes a laser source providing an input laser pulse along an optical path. The input laser pulse is characterized by a first temporal duration. The system also includes a multi-pass pulse stretcher disposed along the optical path. The multi-pass pulse stretcher includes a first set of mirrors operable to receive input light in a first plane and output light in a second plane parallel to the first plane and a first diffraction grating. The pulse stretcher also includes a second set of mirrors operable to receive light diffracted from the first diffraction grating and a second diffraction grating. The pulse stretcher further includes a reflective element operable to reflect light diffracted from the second diffraction grating. The system further includes an amplifier, a pulse compressor, and a passive dispersion compensator disposed along the optical path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2010
    Publication date: February 3, 2011
    Applicant: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventors: Andrew James Bayramian, William A. Molander
  • Publication number: 20110028071
    Abstract: A method of finishing an optical element includes mounting the optical element in an optical mount having a plurality of fiducials overlapping with the optical element and obtaining a first metrology map for the optical element and the plurality of fiducials. The method also includes obtaining a second metrology map for the optical element without the plurality of fiducials, forming a difference map between the first metrology map and the second metrology map, and aligning the first metrology map and the second metrology map. The method further includes placing mathematical fiducials onto the second metrology map using the difference map to form a third metrology map and associating the third metrology map to the optical element. Moreover, the method includes mounting the optical element in the fixture in an MRF tool, positioning the optical element in the fixture; removing the plurality of fiducials, and finishing the optical element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2010
    Publication date: February 3, 2011
    Applicant: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph Arthur Menapace, Kathleen Irene Schaffers, Andrew James Bayramian, William A. Molander