Optical Frequency Converter Patents (Class 359/326)
  • Publication number: 20130125985
    Abstract: A wavelength conversion type photovoltaic cell sealing material according to the present invention includes a first sealing layer that contains no fluorescent substance and a second sealing layer that contains a fluorescent substance. This wavelength conversion type photovoltaic cell sealing material is used as one of the light transmissive layers of a photovoltaic cell module and is disposed at a light receiving surface side of a solar cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2011
    Publication date: May 23, 2013
    Inventors: Taku Sawaki, Kaoru Okaniwa, Takeshi Yamashita
  • Patent number: 8445875
    Abstract: An optical crystal includes a first non-linear optical crystal that generates terahertz waves corresponding to a difference frequency component in incident light with two different wavelengths by a difference frequency generation, and a second non-linear optical crystal that generates terahertz waves corresponding to a difference frequency component in incident light with two different wavelengths by a difference frequency generation, the second non-linear optical crystal being different in material from the first non-linear optical crystal, and the first non-linear optical crystal and the second non-linear optical crystal being disposed in contact or close together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: ARKRAY, Inc.
    Inventor: Hirohisa Uchida
  • Patent number: 8441720
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for non-collinear optical parametric ampliffication (NOPA) are provided. Broadband phase matching is achieved with a non-collinear geometry and a divergent signal seed to provide bandwidth gain. A chirp may be introduced into the pump pulse such that the white light seed is amplified in a broad spectral region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Temple University of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education
    Inventors: Eric Borguet, Oleksandr Isaienko
  • Patent number: 8441718
    Abstract: Fiber-laser light is Raman shifted to eye-safer wavelengths prior to spectral beam combination, enabling a high-power, eye-safer wavelength directed-energy (DE) system. The output of Ytterbium fiber lasers is not used directly for spectral beam combining. Rather, the power from the Yb fiber lasers is Raman-shifted to longer wavelengths, and these wavelengths are then spectrally beam combined. Raman shifting is most readily accomplished with a “cascaded Raman converter,” in which a series of nested fiber cavities is formed using fiber Bragg gratings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventor: Roy D. Mead
  • Patent number: 8441719
    Abstract: In a photon pair generating apparatus for generating a pair of correlated photons by hyper-parametric scattering, a light-shaping section irradiates an optical resonator with two beams of light of equal wavelength from different directions, and the optical resonator is configured to emit two correlated photons of different wavelengths in one direction as a pair of correlated photons. This makes it possible to provide a photon pair generating apparatus capable of achieving generation of a pair of correlated photons by a simpler configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Osaka Prefecture University Public Corporation
    Inventors: Goro Oohata, Hisaki Oka, Hajime Ishihara
  • Publication number: 20130107573
    Abstract: Provided is a wavelength conversion element that can prevent damage to the wavelength conversion element during the use of the light source and reduce the decrease in intensity of light emitted from the light source equipped with the wavelength conversion element during the use of the light source. The wavelength conversion element 20 includes a wavelength conversion substrate 21 and a reflective layer 24. The wavelength conversion substrate 21, upon incidence of excitation light L0, absorbs part of the excitation light L0 to emit light of different wavelength from the excitation light L0. The reflective layer 24 is disposed on one surface 21b of the wavelength conversion substrate 21. The reflective layer 24 is made of a metal or an alloy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: NIPPON ELECTRIC GLASS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaaki Kadomi, Yoshimasa Yamaguchi, Takahumi Nishimiya
  • Publication number: 20130093362
    Abstract: A tunable light emitting device includes a plurality of solid-state light sources, a dimmer switch configured to generate a range of output powers for the light emitting device, a control circuit configured to translate an output power generated by the dimmer switch into an on/off arrangement of the plurality of light sources, and a wavelength conversion component comprising two or more regions with different photo-luminescent materials located remotely to the plurality of solid-state light sources and operable to convert at least a portion of the light generated by the plurality of solid-state light sources to light of a different wavelength, wherein the emission product of the device comprises combined light generated by the plurality of light sources and the two or more regions of the wavelength conversion component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2011
    Publication date: April 18, 2013
    Applicant: INTEMATIX CORPORATION
    Inventor: Charles Edwards
  • Publication number: 20130094214
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a wavelength conversion element can control a formation process of a polarization inversion structure with single crystalline magnesium-doped lithium niobate having a congruent composition, and can stably manufacture wavelength conversion elements having high conversion efficiency. The method involves forming periodic electrodes on the +z face of an MgLN substrate and forming an opposite electrode on the ?z face of the MgLN substrate; heat-treating the substrate after forming the periodic electrodes and the opposite electrode; and applying a pulsed electric field between the periodic electrodes and the opposite electrode while holding the MgLN substrate at a temperature of 100° C. or higher. The wavelength conversion element has a polarization inversion structure formed by applying an electric field to a heat-treated MgLN substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2012
    Publication date: April 18, 2013
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventor: PANASONIC CORPORATION
  • Patent number: 8422119
    Abstract: A nonlinear optical system may include optics, a non-linear optical crystal, and a uni-axial focusing element. The non-linear optical crystal is configured to generate an output beam from a non-linear optical interaction with an input beam. The optics are configured to image the input beam to an original input beam waist within the non-linear optical crystal, whereby the output beam has an original output beam waist. The uni-axial focusing element is optically coupled to the non-linear optical crystal. The uni-axial focusing element is configured so that the output beam has a new output beam waist at approximately the same location as the original output beam waist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Disco Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory L. Keaton, Manuel J. Leonardo, Mark A. Arbore
  • Patent number: 8422120
    Abstract: A wavelength conversion element is provided as one including a monocrystalline nonlinear optical crystal. The nonlinear optical crystal has: a plurality of first regions having a polarity direction along a predetermined direction; a plurality of second regions having a polarity direction opposite to the predetermined direction; an entrance face into which a fundamental incident wave having a wavelength ? and a frequency ? is incident in a direction substantially perpendicular to the predetermined direction; and an exit face from which a second harmonic with a frequency 2? generated in the crystal emerges. The plurality of first and second regions are formed as alternately arranged in a period substantially equal to d expressed by a predetermined expression, between the entrance face and the exit face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignees: Nikon Corporation, National Institute for Materials Science
    Inventors: Kenichi Muramatsu, Sunao Kurimura
  • Patent number: 8419189
    Abstract: Methods and systems for an emissive fiber capable of being used for making emissive fabric by providing an optical fiber having a core and and embedding up conversion particles into at least one of the cladding and core to produce an emissive fiber that emits visible light when excited by light from near infrared light source that excites the up conversion particles. The optical fiber can have a core index of refraction that is greater than or less than the refractive index of the cladding for near infrared light or an index difference between the core and cladding of zero. Plural optical fibers are intertwined to produce an emissive fabric, wherein coupling a light source with the emissive fibers transmits a light beam through the fiber to excite the up conversion particles to emit visible light. The up conversion material can be embedded into the core, the cladding, or both.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Dennis G. Deppe, Michael Bass
  • Publication number: 20130088770
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for narrowing a spectral width that can also be adapted to an ultrashort optical pulse emitted from a wavelength tunable light source, and that can provide an output optical pulse with a narrow spectral width and a low noise component, and an optical element and a light source device that use the method for narrowing a spectral width. The method includes using an optical waveguide member (2) to cause a soliton effect in an input optical pulse (1) within the optical waveguide member (2), thereby narrowing a spectral width of the input optical pulse (1) to provide an output optical pulse (3), the optical waveguide member (2) having dispersion characteristics such that the average of a second-order dispersion value (?2) with respect to the input optical pulse (1) is negative, and the absolute value of the second-order dispersion value (?2) increases in a propagation direction of the input optical pulse (1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2011
    Publication date: April 11, 2013
    Applicant: OSAKA UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Norihiko Nishizawa, Yasuyuki Ozeki, Kazuyoshi Itoh
  • Patent number: 8416489
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a white light source, and particularly to a white light source with crystal fiber and a method for color temperature tuning thereof. The white light source of the present invention comprises a pumping source for providing a first-color light, and a gradient index lens for coupling the first-color light into a crystal fiber. The crystal fiber absorbs a portion of the first-color light and generates a second-color light and a third-color light, and a white light with high color rendering index can be obtained. The crystal fiber is made of a first rare earth element oxide and a second rare earth element oxide co-doped yttrium aluminum garnet. The color temperature of the white light can be tuned by adjusting the position of the focus of the pumping light on the end section of the crystal fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: National Taiwan University
    Inventors: Yen-Sheng Lin, Chien-Chung Tsai, Tzu-Chieh Cheng, Kuang-Yu Hsu, Dong-Yo Jheng, Sheng-Lung Huang
  • Patent number: 8411353
    Abstract: There is provided an optical frequency converter comprising: an optical guiding structure having an input and an output, and comprising: a first grating portion adjacent to the input; a second grating portion adjacent to output, and a third grating between the first and second grating portion to form an apodized step-chirped grating extending between the input and the output. Each grating portion comprises a plurality of sections each comprising a plurality of segments. Each segment has a segment width and comprises a poled region having a poled width at least equal to one micron and a reversely poled region. The segment width for all of the grating portions and a duty ratio of the poled width to the segment width are constant within each section. The duty ratio increases within the first grating portion, decreases within the second grating portion, and is constant within the third grating portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Polyvalor, Limited Partnerhsip
    Inventors: Raman Kashyap, Amirhossein Tehranchi
  • Patent number: 8411352
    Abstract: Master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) apparatus includes two seed-pulse sources coupled to a single fiber amplifier including one or more stages of amplification. One of the seed-pulse sources is a single-mode source generating pulses having a duration selectively variable between about 0.1 ns and 10 ns. The other seed-pulse source is a multi-mode source generating pulses having a duration selectively variable between about 1 ns and 10 ?s. Selectively operating one or the other of the seed-pulse sources provides that the apparatus can deliver pulses selectively variable in a range between about 0.1 ns and 10 ?s.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Coherent, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrei Starodoumov, Norman Hodgson
  • Patent number: 8400707
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a medium for photon energy up-conversion, a photon-energy up-conversion device comprising said medium and to uses of said medium. The present invention also relates to a method of photon energy up-conversion using said medium or said device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tzenka Miteva, Gerda Fuhrmann, Gabriele Nelles, Stanislav Balouchev, Vladimir Yakutkin
  • Publication number: 20130063807
    Abstract: Prior art techniques for converting the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation by non-linear interactions such as sum frequency generation SFG produces blurred images when applied to polychromatic images. The invention provides an improved arrangement (15) for up-converting incoming electromagnetic radiation with dissimilar first wavelengths (?,) distributed in a first wavelength interval (??,) into up-converted electromagnetic radiation comprising corresponding dissimilar up-converted wavelengths (?3), smaller than the first wavelengths (?1). The arrangement applies a nonlinear crystal (5) and a laser (16) for providing a laser beam (10) of second wavelength, different from the first wavelengths (?1) inside the nonlinear crystal, and a Fresnel zone plate (17) for focusing or converging the incoming radiation inside the nonlinear crystal in spatial overlap with the laser beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2011
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Applicant: Danmarks Tekniske Universitet
    Inventor: Jeppe Seidelin Dam
  • Patent number: 8390920
    Abstract: A laser device, includes: a fundamental wave generating portion configured to generate a plurality of fundamental waves having wavelengths which are different from each other in at least one set thereof, the fundamental wave generating portion having a semiconductor laser having a plurality of luminous points, and a Bragg reflection structure; and a nonlinear optical element in which a poling structure adapted to pseudophase matching for the wavelengths of the plurality of fundamental waves emitted from the fundamental wave generating portion, respectively, is formed variatively along a propagating direction of the plurality of fundamental waves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kaoru Kimura, Akio Furukawa, Michio Oka
  • Patent number: 8385377
    Abstract: A semiconductor laser device includes a semiconductor laser element configured to emit a fundamental wave; a transducer configured to receive the fundamental wave incident thereon and convert a wavelength of the fundamental wave to emit wavelength converted light; a filter configured to selectively transmit wavelength range light having a desired wavelength range of the wavelength converted light; a sealing member including a light-transmitting member and configured to enclose the semiconductor laser element, the light-transmitting member being configured to receive the wavelength range light transmitted through the filter and incident on the light-transmitting member, specularly reflect part of the wavelength range light, and substantially transmit the remaining part of the wavelength range light; and a photoreceptor configured to receive the specularly reflected light from the light-transmitting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Soejima, Takuya Nagai, Toru Yoshida
  • Patent number: 8384989
    Abstract: A device of oscillating an electromagnetic wave having a frequency of 0.1 THz to 3 THz from pump and idler waves by parametric effect. The device includes a supporting body, an oscillating substrate of a non-linear optical crystal, an adhesive layer adhering the supporting body and the oscillating substrate, and a film for reflecting the electromagnetic wave formed on a surface of the supporting body on the side of the adhesive layer. The oscillating substrate has an upper face, a bottom face and an incident face on which the pump wave is made incident, with the adhesive layer having a refractive index with respect to the pump wave lower than that of the oscillating substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jungo Kondo, Kenji Aoki, Yuichi Iwata, Tetsuya Ejiri
  • Patent number: 8379296
    Abstract: CdSiP2 crystals with sizes and optical quality suitable for use as nonlinear optical devices are disclosed, as well as NLO devices based thereupon. A method of growing the crystals by directional solidification from a stoichiometric melt is also disclosed. The disclosed NLO crystals have a higher nonlinear coefficient than prior art crystals that can be pumped by solid state lasers, and are particularly useful for frequency shifting 1.06 ?m, 1.55 ?m, and 2 ?m lasers to wavelengths between 2 ?m and 10 ?m. Due to the high thermal conductivity and low losses of the claimed CdSiP2 crystals, average output power can exceed 10 W without severe thermal lensing. A 6.45 ?m laser source for use as a medical laser scalpel is also disclosed, in which a CdSiP2 crystal is configured for non-critical phase matching, pumped by a 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser, and temperature-tuned to produce output at 6.45 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
    Inventors: Peter G Schunemann, Kevin T Zawilski
  • Patent number: 8379301
    Abstract: An optical circuit is described which may include an SOA-MZI circuit providing an output signal; and a polarization filtering device (PFD) configured to receive the output signal of the SOA-MZI and to provide at least one signal at the output of the PFD.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Alphion Corporation
    Inventor: Hongsheng Wang
  • Publication number: 20130037721
    Abstract: A terahertz wave generation element is provided, which includes: an optical waveguide including a core of electro-optic crystal; an optical coupler for extracting a terahertz wave generated from the optical waveguide when light propagates in the optical waveguide to a space; and a reflecting layer disposed on the opposite side to the optical coupler with respect to the core of the optical waveguide, so as to reflect the generated terahertz wave. According to the element, it is possible to provide a generation element that can generate a relatively high intensity terahertz wave efficiently by photoexcitation or generate a terahertz wave having a relatively narrow pulse width, so as to flexibly control waveform shaping of the generated terahertz wave.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2011
    Publication date: February 14, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshihiko Ouchi
  • Patent number: 8369002
    Abstract: First and second laser beams are incident on a difference frequency mixing unit, and the two laser beams overlap in the difference frequency mixing unit, thereby generating a terahertz wave whose frequency is a frequency difference between the two laser beams. Each laser beam has a spatial spread in a frequency gradient direction, and a spatial frequency distribution of each laser beam is a distribution in which a magnitude of a frequency gradually increases in the frequency gradient direction. A frequency difference between the two laser beams is equal in each position in an overlapping region of the two laser beams. A terahertz wave of a single frequency is generated from this overlapping region. By spatially shifting the first laser beam and the second laser beam with respect to each other in the frequency gradient direction, the frequency difference in the overlapping region is changed, which changes the single frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Riken
    Inventors: Ken-ichiro Maki, Chiko Otani
  • Patent number: 8369001
    Abstract: A device for generating terahertz radiation using a phase matched optical rectification technique. The device converts laser radiation to terahertz radiation via a particular type of photonic downconversion. The device includes a crystalline material suitable for photonic downconversion of laser radiation, a first coupling component for coupling the laser radiation to the crystalline material and a second coupling component for coupling the generated terahertz radiation from the crystalline material to the environment. By sustaining the phase matching condition over a significant distance, the device is capable of providing terahertz radiation with high peak and average power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Daniel F Gordon, Antonio C Ting, Phillip A Sprangle
  • Patent number: 8363307
    Abstract: A multicolor light emitting optical device is a programmable, multifunctional, general-purpose, solid-state light source. The device can use any of several light sources, including LEDs. The device couples a light source and a tunable optical converter composed of a quantum confinement device to produce a tunable, monochromatic light emission. The output wavelength of the optical device can be selected from within a tunable range of the optical (visible, near infrared, or near ultraviolet) spectrum on demand, in real time. The optical device is capable of serving as a tunable light source, a “true color” pixel, and a replacement for bi-color, tri-color, and multi-color light-emitting diodes. The optical device has particular, but not exclusive, application as an indicator light, in room lighting, and as a picture element in video displays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Ravenbrick, LLC
    Inventors: Wil McCarthy, Richard M. Powers
  • Publication number: 20130021602
    Abstract: A mode-locked laser system operable at low temperature can include an annealed, frequency-conversion crystal and a housing to maintain an annealed condition of the crystal during standard operation at the low temperature. In one embodiment, the crystal can have an increased length. First beam shaping optics can be configured to focus a beam from a light source to an elliptical cross section at a beam waist located in or proximate to the crystal. A harmonic separation block can divide an output from the crystal into beams of different frequencies separated in space. In one embodiment, the mode-locked laser system can further include second beam shaping optics configured to convert an elliptical cross section of the desired frequency beam into a beam with a desired aspect ratio, such as a circular cross section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2012
    Publication date: January 24, 2013
    Applicant: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Vladimir Dribinski, Yung-Ho Alex Chuang, J. Joseph Armstrong, John Fielden
  • Patent number: 8349222
    Abstract: Unconventional twisted ?-electron system electro-optic (EO) chromophores/compounds, compositions and related device structures. Crystallographic analysis of several non-limiting chromophores reveals, for instance, large ring-ring dihedral twist angles and a highly charge-separated zwitterionic structure in the ground state, in both solution phase and solid-state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Northwestern University
    Inventors: Tobin J. Marks, Hu Kang
  • Patent number: 8351109
    Abstract: A nonlinear optic article for difference frequency generation is provided. The article comprises a wave mixer configured to generate a difference frequency mixing signal, the wave mixer comprising a compound made from one or more noncentrosymmetric crystal-glass phase-change materials comprising one or more chalcogenide compounds that are structurally one dimensional and comprise a polymeric 1?[PSe6?] chain or a polymeric 1?[P2Se62?] chain, wherein the one or more chalcogenide compounds are capable of difference frequency generation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Northwestern University
    Inventors: Mercouri G. Kanatzidis, In Chung
  • Publication number: 20130000698
    Abstract: A light convergence device, a manufacturing method thereof and a solar battery system are provided. The light convergence device (10) includes a light convergence substrate (100). The light convergence substrate (100) includes a rotating paraboloid (101). A photonic crystal layer (300) is formed on the rotating paraboloid (101). The photonic crystal layer (300) is used to reflect a light with a special frequency, and totally reflect all the visible light, such that photoelectric conversion efficiency of a solar battery system is greatly increased. An up-conversion layer (200) is formed on the photonic crystal layer (300). The up-conversion layer (200) includes up-conversion material with up-conversion function for spectrum. The up-conversion material is used to increase absorbing efficiency of the light convergence device (10) for solar energy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2010
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Inventors: Mingjie Zhou, Jie Huang, Lei Wang
  • Patent number: 8339697
    Abstract: A wavelength conversion laser light source includes a fundamental wave laser light source (1) to generate a fundamental wave; a first mirror and a second mirror (4, 5), arranged so as to oppose each other; a wavelength conversion element (3) which is arranged between the first mirror and the second mirror and converts the wavelength of the fundamental wave; and a temperature control portion (8) to control the temperature of the wavelength conversion element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Horikawa, Hiroyuki Furuya, Tetsuro Mizushima, Koichi Kusukame, Tomoya Sugita, Kazuhisa Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8331017
    Abstract: An efficient broadband crystal for wavelength conversion, the crystal being a quasi-phase matched non-linear crystal, having an aperiodic poled structure, each period being tuned, and wherein said tuning varies adiabatically along a length of said crystal from a first end wherein said tuning is a strong negative mismatch to a second end wherein said tuning is a strong positive mismatch or vice versa. The crystal is able to provide efficient wavelength conversion over a range of frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Yeda Research and Development Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Haim Suchowski, Yaron Silberberg
  • Patent number: 8325412
    Abstract: A light source apparatus includes an excitation-light source, a first light guiding member and a second light guiding member which guide excitation light emitted from the excitation-light source, a wavelength converting member which is installed near an emitting end of excitation light from the excitation-light source of the first light guiding member and the second light guiding member, and which receives excitation light which has been guided by one of the first light guiding member and the second light guiding member, and emits a wavelength-converted light of a wavelength different from a wavelength of the excitation light, a first light receiving element which is installed near the wavelength converting member, and which directly or indirectly receives the wavelength-converted light of which, the wavelength is converted by the wavelength converting member, and an optical path switching section which guides the excitation light to one of the first light guiding member and the second light guiding member ac
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Ryo Tojo, Takeshi Ito
  • Publication number: 20120293854
    Abstract: A non-linear optical device comprising a non-linear element made of a plasmonic material with a periodic structure having a period smaller than the wavelength of a non-linear process intrinsic to the plasmonic material. The plasmonic material is implemented as a gold film which is structured with a periodic array of asymmetric split ring slits. The metamaterial framework of the plasmonic material itself is used as the source of a strong and fast non-linearity. The cubic non-linear response is resonantly enhanced through the effect of the metamaterial structuring by more than two orders of magnitude and its sign and magnitude can be controlled by varying the metamaterial pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2012
    Publication date: November 22, 2012
    Inventors: Nikolay Ivanovich Zheludev, Eric Plum, Jun-Yu Ou, Kevin Macdonald, Andrey Nikolaenko, Jianfa Zhang, Mengxin Ren, Baohua Jia
  • Patent number: 8306432
    Abstract: The invention relates to an optical regenerator for a differential phase modulated data signal which comprises, in addition to a unit for bit-by-bit gauge leveling, a unit for the regeneration of the phase of individual symbols of the differential phase modulated data signal. After the bit-by-bit gauge leveling, the data signal that is preset in amplitude is divided into a first and a second data signal. Phase errors of individual signals are detected for the first data signal in a phase error detection unit, are transformed into a correction signal, and are conveyed to a phase error correction unit. The second data signal is corrected in the phase error correction unit, depending on the correction signal conveyed thereto in the phase of said data signal, in such a way that a differential phase modulated data signal, regenerated in amplitude and in phase, is delivered at the output of the correction unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Nokia Siemens Networks GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Erich Gottwald, Beate Oster
  • Patent number: 8305680
    Abstract: A nonlinear optical crystal can be mounted to a mounting block configured to receive the crystal. The crystal can be mounted to the mounting block with a face of the crystal abutting a surface of the mounting block. An adhesive secures the crystal to the mounting block by adhering to the bottom and/or sidewall of the channel and to at least corresponding a portion of the bottom and/or side face of the crystal proximate an edge of the crystal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Disco Corporation
    Inventors: Manuel Martinez, Mark W. Byer, Derek J. Richard
  • Patent number: 8305681
    Abstract: The invention is directed to the provision of a wavelength conversion-type ultraviolet light source apparatus that can obtain a stable output. A light source apparatus according to one mode of the invention includes: a laser light source 1 which produces fundamental light L1; at least one nonlinear optical crystal 3 which takes the fundamental light L1 or a harmonic thereof as incident light and outputs wavelength-converted light L2; and polarization adjusting means 2 which is placed in an optical path of the incident light and causes an output of the wavelength-converted light L2 to change by changing its refractive index for a polarized component of the incident light. The polarization adjusting means 2 changes the amount of change of the refractive index in accordance with an electrical signal output from a photodetector 7.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Lasertec Corporation
    Inventors: Jun Sakuma, Haruhiko Kusunose
  • Patent number: 8305682
    Abstract: An apparatus and methods for generating a substantially supercontinuum-free widely-tunable multimilliwatt source of radiation characterized by a narrowband line profile. The apparatus and methods employ nonlinear optical mechanisms in a nonlinear photonic crystal fiber (PCF) by detuning the wavelength of a pump laser to a significant extent relative to the zero-dispersion wavelength (ZDW) of the PCF. Optical phenomena employed for the selective up-conversion in the PCF include, but are not limited to, four-wave mixing and Cherenkov radiation. Tunability is achieved by varying pump wavelength and power and by substituting different types of PCFs characterized by specified dispersion properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
    Inventors: Haohua Tu, Stephen A. Boppart
  • Patent number: 8304796
    Abstract: Provided is a light-emitting apparatus in which light extraction efficiency of a light-emitting device is improved and viewing angle dependency of an emission color is reduced. The light-emitting apparatus includes a cavity structure and a periodic structure. When guided-wave light is diffracted by the periodic structure in a direction that forms an angle which is larger than 90° and smaller than 180° relative to a guided-wave direction of an optical waveguide in the cavity structure, a wavelength of the diffracted light becomes longer as the diffraction angle increases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Koichi Fukuda
  • Patent number: 8305679
    Abstract: A device for oscillating an electromagnetic wave having a frequency of 0.1 THz to 3 THz from pump and idler waves by a parametric effect. The device includes a supporting body, an oscillating substrate made of a non-linear optical crystal, and an adhesive layer adhering the supporting body and oscillating substrate. The oscillating substrate includes an upper face, a bottom face and an incident face on which the pump wave is made incident. The oscillating substrate provides cut-off with respect to the electromagnetic wave oscillated by the parametric effect when the pump and idler waves propagate in parallel with the bottom face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jungo Kondo, Kenji Aoki, Yuichi Iwata, Tetsuya Ejiri
  • Publication number: 20120268807
    Abstract: A system for generating polychromatic light, which includes: an optical pumping device suitable for continuously or quasi-continuously emitting a monochromatic or quasi-monochromatic radiation according to a pumping wavelength; a device for guiding light arranged such as to emit polychromatic radiation continuously or quasi continuously, at the output thereof, and a device for coupling between the pumping and coupling device. In the system, the guiding device, includes a microstructured optical fiber in which the core is at least partially doped with a material having a high intrinsic non-linear response, and the geometry of the optical fiber and the doping rate of the core thereof are predetermined such as to adapt the zero dispersion length of the optical fiber to the pumping wavelength.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2010
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Applicant: CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE - CNRS
    Inventors: Alexandre Kudlinski, Arnaud Mussot, Geraud Pierre Bouwmans, Gilles Rene Melin
  • Patent number: 8293543
    Abstract: A method for forming a ferroelectric spontaneous polarization reversal includes the steps of forming a convexo-concave structure on a top face of a ferroelectric substrate firstly, and then forming a ferroelectric spontaneous polarization region on the substrate including one portion of a convex portion, with a concave portion being formed on the bottom face of the substrate within a region where a ferroelectric spontaneous polarization reversal is to be formed and the convex portion is formed, and then applying an electric field into the substrate. The depth of the concave portion on the bottom face of the substrate may be greater than the height of the convex portion on the top face of the substrate. The width of the concave portion on the bottom face of the substrate may be wider than width of said convex portion on the top face of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignees: Sumitomo Osaka Cement Co., Ltd., National Institute for Materials Science
    Inventors: Futoshi Yamamoto, Junichiro Ichikawa, Satoshi Oikawa, Sunao Kurimura, Kenji Kitamura
  • Patent number: 8294978
    Abstract: A wavelength conversion device has a supporting body, a wavelength conversion substrate, a lower side buffer layer provided on the side of a bottom face of the substrate, a upper side buffer layer provided on the side of a upper face of the substrate, and an adhesive layer adhering the supporting body 8 and the lower side buffer layer. The wavelength conversion substrate is made of a Z-plate of a ferroelectric single crystal and a periodic polarization inversion structure formed therein. The supporting body has a volume resistivity lower than that of the ferroelectric single crystal of the wavelength conversion substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takashi Yoshino
  • Patent number: 8294979
    Abstract: A wavelength conversion device includes a laser light source that emits a fundamental wave; a wavelength conversion element that converts the fundamental wave into a second harmonic wave; and an optical system including a wavelength selective mirror that reflects the fundamental wave transmitted through the wavelength conversion element without being converted into the second harmonic wave, while transmitting therethrough the second harmonic wave generated by wavelength conversion, wherein the optical system makes the fundamental wave transmitted through the wavelength conversion element without being converted into the second harmonic wave enter the wavelength conversion element again to be subjected to wavelength conversion once or more than once, while being focused by the wavelength selective mirror, and the conversion efficiency in at least one of the second stage and stages subsequent to the second stage is higher than the conversion efficiency in the first stage, where the conversion efficiency in each
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichi Shikii, Kiminori Mizuuchi, Tetsuro Mizushima, Kazuhisa Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8294980
    Abstract: A delay line interferometer is configured with a liquid-crystal (LC) tuning element as a phase modulator for demodulating a phase-modulated input signal. The LC tuning element allows for quickly tuning the phase difference between two optical signals separated from the phase-modulated input signal, so that the two optical signals can be coherently recombined to interfere with each other and produce one or more intensity-modulated optical signals. In some embodiments, the LC tuning element is configured to reduce polarization-dependent frequency shift without the use of additional high-precision optical elements and/or coatings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Oclaro Technology Limited
    Inventors: Ruibo Wang, Ruipeng Sun
  • Publication number: 20120261704
    Abstract: The invention relates to a lighting (1) device comprising a light source (2) and a wavelength converting element (7), which comprises a phosphor compounded with a polymer. The phosphor contains a metal-ion activator which is excitable via a partially forbidden electronic transition. The phosphor and the polymer being chosen such that the difference in their refractive index is smaller than 0.1. Due to this choice, scattering in the wavelength converting element (7) remains at minimum. Interesting wavelength converting elements (7) are obtained when using phosphors comprising specific Mn(IV)-activated fluoride compounds and specific fluorine-containing polymers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2010
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Applicant: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONICS N.V.
    Inventors: Joerg Meyer, Volker Weiler, Peter Josef Schmidt
  • Patent number: 8279517
    Abstract: The invention applies to doubly resonant optical parametric oscillators comprising a non-linear crystal (4) through which pass a pump laser beam (fp), a signal beam (fs), and a complementary beam (fc), and a device (5) that totally or partially reflects said beams emanating from the crystal such that, after reflection, they generate between them a relative phase-shifting value ??ar for a given functioning mode independent of the signal frequency or complementary frequency, and is characterized in that the reflecting device (5) is a metallic minor, or a combination of two scattering mirrors and a multilayer dielectric mirror placed downstream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Office National d'etudes et de Recherches Aerospatiales (Onera)
    Inventors: Michel Lefebvre, Ajmal Mohamed, Antoine Godard
  • Patent number: 8280199
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device, system, and method for optimizing and altering electromagnetic frequency using Doppler shifts of electromagnetic radiation, and, in particular, optimizing frequency for application to photovoltaic devices and the like. The device comprises a crystal positioned in a channel undergoing a vibration, wherein an interaction between an incoming electromagnetic radiation and the vibration of the crystal optimizes a frequency of electromagnetic radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Inventor: Richard J. Herrmann, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8280211
    Abstract: An all-optical sampling device using four-wave mixing in third-order optically nonlinear materials is described. The four-wave mixing based sampler comprises a waveguide combiner, which adds a gate optical signal to a signal of interest to be sampled. In a four-wave mixing region, a sampled signal at the output optical frequency is produced. All of the optical signals are sent to a passive optical filter, which preferentially discards the gate and signal optical frequencies, but preserves the sampled signal at the output optical frequency. The sampled signal at the output optical frequency can be observed, displayed, recorded or otherwise manipulated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventors: Tom Baehr-Jones, Michael J. Hochberg
  • Patent number: 8279516
    Abstract: A first wavelength converter of a wavelength-conversion device includes: an optical amplifier amplifying an incident light beam; a first dispersion flat fiber spreading the wavelength spectrum width of the amplified beam; and a first wavelength filter transmitting a predetermined wavelength bandwidth of the first fiber output beam. A center wavelength of the first wavelength converted beam is shifted by ??1 from that of the incident light beam. A second wavelength converter of the device does not include an optical amplifier and includes: a second dispersion flat fiber spreading the wavelength spectrum width of the first wavelength converted beam; and a second wavelength filter transmitting a predetermined wavelength bandwidth of the second fiber output beam. A center wavelength of the second wavelength converted beam is shifted by ??2 from that of the first wavelength converted beam. The ??1 and ??2 satisfy ??1+??2=??, ??1×??2<0, and |??1|<|??2|.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hitoshi Murai