Prism Patents (Class 372/100)
  • Patent number: 12242076
    Abstract: A light-emitting device, having a laser light device that is designed to emit a multiplicity of laser light beams. Ellipticities of beam cross-sections of the laser light beams differ at least partly from one another. The light-emitting device includes a beamforming device that is introduced into the beam path of at least one of the laser light beams and that is designed to adapt the ellipticities of the beam cross-sections of the laser light beams to one another, and a beam-combining device that is designed to combine the laser light beams to form an overall light beam, after the adapting of the ellipticities of the beam cross-sections by the beamforming device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2025
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Gael Pilard, Hendrik Specht, Martin Edel, Sebastian Reiss, Simon Pick
  • Patent number: 12237640
    Abstract: A line narrowing device includes a first prism; first and second gratings arranged on the optical path of the light beam having passed through the first prism at positions different in a direction of grooves of either the first grating or the second grating; a beam adjustment optical system arranged on the optical path of the light beam between the first prism and at least one grating of the first and second gratings, and causing a first portion of the light beam to be incident on the first grating and causing a second portion of the light beam to be incident on the second grating; a first actuator adjusting an incident angle of the first portion on the first grating; a second actuator adjusting an incident angle of the second portion on the second grating; and a third actuator adjusting an energy ratio of the first and second portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2025
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Koichi Fujii, Osamu Wakabayashi
  • Patent number: 12210175
    Abstract: An imaging element may include volume Bragg grating (VBG) within a material, where the material has an input face, and where the VBG is formed as a periodic distribution of curved surfaces of refractive index variation with chirped periodicity in a volume of the material. The periodic distribution of curved surfaces of refractive index variation forming the VBG may be selected to image different object planes oriented parallel to the input face onto different lateral locations of a single image plane with different wavelengths via the Bragg diffraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2024
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2025
    Assignee: University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Lam Mach, Ivan Divliansky, Leonid Glebov
  • Patent number: 12210171
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to optical systems and vehicles, which may incorporate lidar sensors. An example optical system includes a light-emitter device configured to emit emission light. The optical system also includes an optical element including a first surface and an opposing second surface. The first surface includes a diffusing surface configured to diffuse the emission light to form diffused light. The second surface includes a focusing surface. A combination of the first surface and the second surface are configured to provide an intensity profile of light emitted within a field of view of the optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2025
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Michael Brickner, Hui Son, Chandra Kakani, Erin Eppard
  • Patent number: 12124060
    Abstract: A prism module for enabling a large field of view high resolution sampling of incoming rays, the prism module including a plurality of elongated prisms disposed about a central axis, each of the prisms including a fore surface; an aft surface; and a reflecting surface connected on a first edge to the fore surface and connected on a second edge to the aft surface, wherein the fore surface is configured to receive the incoming light rays orthogonally disposed with respect to the fore surface, the reflecting surface configured to reflect the incoming light rays to cause outgoing light rays to exit at a right angle through the aft surface to form an image with a maximum distortion not recognizable by a human eye.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: MLOptic Corp.
    Inventors: Pengfei Wu, Wei Zhou, Jiang He, Siyuan Liang
  • Patent number: 11927770
    Abstract: A tunable filter includes: an optical input/output unit; a first mirror having a first reflective surface disposed to reflect input light from the optical input/output unit; a transmissive diffraction grating disposed on a propagation path of the input light reflected by the first mirror; and a second mirror having a second reflective surface disposed to reflect transmitted diffracted light from the transmissive diffraction grating corresponding to the input light. The first reflective surface is a variable-angle reflective surface. The second reflective surface has a fixed orientation relative to the transmissive diffraction grating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: santec Holdings Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuki Sakurai
  • Patent number: 11906753
    Abstract: An optical system, in particular for microlithography, includes a beam splitter, which has at least one light entry surface. The beam splitter is arranged in the optical system so that the angles of incidence with respect to the surface normal which occur at the light entry surface during operation of the optical system lie in the range of 45°±5°. The beam splitter is produced in [110] the crystal cut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventor: Johannes Kraus
  • Patent number: 11822127
    Abstract: An optical fiber filter has an ultra-wide tuning range and includes a two-dimensional mechanical rotating mirror, a collimating and beam expanding system, and two grating. An input fiber emits a multi-wavelength optical signal into the rotating mirror, which reflects the signal to the system to form collimated beams. In turn, the collimated beams are incident on the gratings that disperse the light of different wavelengths to different angles. Lights of different diffraction angles are input into an output fiber by adjusting the rotating mirror. The rotating mirror can be used to switch between gratings of different wavebands to tune optical wavelengths in an ultra-wide range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: II-VI DELAWARE, INC.
    Inventors: Yongkang Hu, Ketang Tan
  • Patent number: 11815604
    Abstract: The present application discloses a passive nano-antenna array receiver and a three-dimensional imaging system. The passive nano-antenna array receiver includes a receiving lens, a passive nano-antenna array at a receiving end, a focusing lens assembly, and an optical receiver; the receiving lens is configured to receive incident light and focus the incident light to the passive nano-antenna array at the receiving end; the passive nano-antenna array at the receiving end is configured to deflect an angle of a light beam output by the receiving lens, so that an optical axis of the outgoing light is perpendicular to the passive nano-antenna array at the receiving end; the focusing lens assembly is configured to focus the outgoing light output by the passive nano-antenna array at the receiving end to the optical receiver; the optical receiver is configured to convert a received optical signal into an electrical signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: SHENZHEN LITRA TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Zhongxiang Zhang
  • Patent number: 11799263
    Abstract: An electro-optic modulator (EOM) for altering an optical path length of an optical field is described. The EOM comprises first and second Brewster-angle cut nonlinear crystals having a first and second optical axis. The optical axes are orientated relative to each other such that when an optical field propagates through the nonlinear crystals it experiences no overall deviation. The nonlinear crystals are also arranged to be opposite handed relative to the optical field. The EOM has the advantage that its optical losses are lower when compared with those EOMs known in the art. In addition, the EOM can be inserted into, or removed from, an optical system without any deviation being imparted onto the optical field. This reduces the levels of skill and effort required on the part of an operator. The described method and apparatus for mounting the nonlinear crystals also suppresses problematic piezo-electric resonances within the nonlinear crystals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: M Squared Lasers Limited
    Inventors: Gareth Thomas Maker, Graeme Peter Alexander Malcolm, Simon Munro
  • Patent number: 11658466
    Abstract: Apparatus, systems and methods to spectrally beam combine a group of diode lasers in an external cavity arrangement. A dichroic beam combiner or volume Bragg grating beam combiner is placed in an external cavity to force each of the diode lasers or groups of diode lasers to oscillate at a wavelength determined by the passband of the beam combiner. In embodiments the combination of a large number of laser diodes in a sufficiently narrow bandwidth to produce a high brightness laser source that has many applications including as to pump a Raman laser or Raman amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Nuburu, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark S. Zediker, Robert Stegeman
  • Patent number: 11619709
    Abstract: A LADAR system includes a transmitter configured to emit a directed optical signal. The LADAR system includes a shared optical aperture through which the directed optical signal is emitted. The shared optical aperture includes a first pupil plane. The shared optical aperture receives a return optical signal that is based on the directed optical signal. The system includes a mirror with a hole through which the directed optical signal passes. The mirror also reflects the return optical signal towards an imager. The imager receives the return optical signal and generates an image. The image is based on a portion of the return optical signal. The system also includes a partial aperture obscuration at a second pupil plane. The partial aperture obscuration may block a portion of internal backscatter in the return optical signal. The system also includes a focal plane to record the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: RAYTHEON COMPANY
    Inventors: Timothy P. Johnson, Matthew J. Klotz, Ian S. Robinson, Lacy G. Cook
  • Patent number: 11513342
    Abstract: In accordance with an example embodiment, a laser arrangement is provided, the laser arrangement comprising a light source for generating light output; a collimator assembly for collimating the light output from the light source into a pump beam; an optical resonator assembly for generating pulsed output beam based on the pump beam directed thereat; and a beam displacement assembly for laterally shifting the pump beam to adjust the position at which the pump beam meets a surface of the optical resonator assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science Finland Oy
    Inventor: Esa Räikkönen
  • Patent number: 11482399
    Abstract: A system and method for advanced charge control of a light beam is provided. The system comprising a laser source comprising a laser diode for emitting a beam and a beam homogenizer to homogenize the emitted beam. The system and methods further comprise a beam shaper configured to shape the emitted beam using an anamorphic prism group and a driver configured to direct the shaped beam to a specified position on a wafer, wherein the laser source, the beam shaper, and the driver are coaxially aligned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Jian Zhang, Qing Jiu Chen, Yixiang Wang
  • Patent number: 11435646
    Abstract: A laser device includes a light source configured to emit a laser light, a first mirror and a second mirror constituting a resonator where a laser light emitted from the light source enters, a nonlinear optical medium located between the first mirror and the second mirror, and a dispersive medium of adjustable effective optical thickness located between the nonlinear optical medium and at least one of the first mirror and the second mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: NICHIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hisashi Ogawa, Masayuki Katsuragawa
  • Patent number: 11431150
    Abstract: A vertical external cavity surface emitting laser (VECSEL) based system in a linear single cavity configuration is configured to deliver light in higher-order Hermite-Gaussian transverse modes with Watt-level output power. Simultaneous and independent lasing of spatially-restructurable multiple high-order transverse modes that are collinearly-propagating at the output of such laser cavity is facilitated with the use of an optical pumping scheme devised to control positions of location at which the gain medium of the system is pumped (e.g., locations of focal spots of multiple pump beams on the gain-medium chip). An external astigmatic mode converter is utilized to convert such high-order Hermite-Gaussian modes into corresponding Laguerre-Gaussian modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona
    Inventors: Chris Hessenius, Mahmoud Fallahi, Michal L. Lukowski
  • Patent number: 11417999
    Abstract: An optical assembly provides dispersion control, modelocking, spectral filtering, and/or the like in a laser cavity. For example, the optical assembly may comprise a diffraction grating pair arranged to temporally and spatially disperse a beam on a forward pass through the optical assembly, a reflective device at an end of the optical assembly, and a focusing optic arranged to create a beam waist at the reflective device. The beam waist created at the reflective device may cause the beam to be inverted on a reverse pass through the optical assembly, and a temporal dispersion and a spatial dispersion of the beam may be doubled on the reverse pass through the optical assembly to form a temporally and spatially dispersed output from the optical assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Lumentum Operations LLC
    Inventors: Simonette Pierrot, Martin H. Muendel
  • Patent number: 11271355
    Abstract: A system for generating an energy beam based laser includes an apparatus for receiving an energy beam and for generating an energy beam based laser. The apparatus is configurable or controllable for tuning an output wavelength of the laser generated by the apparatus using the energy beam. The apparatus includes a first component for producing a first magnetic field oriented in a first direction and a second component for producing a second magnetic field oriented in a second direction substantially opposite to the first direction. A channel through the apparatus is defined by the first component and the second component through which the energy beam passes to generate the laser at an output of the apparatus. The apparatus is configurable or controllable for modifying at least one of the first magnetic field and the second magnetic field for tuning the output wavelength of the laser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Mark Joseph Clemen, Jr., John R. Hull
  • Patent number: 11239624
    Abstract: A laser device may include a chamber accommodating a pair of discharge electrodes, a grating provided outside the chamber, first beam-expanding optics provided between the chamber and the grating and configured to expand a beam width of light outputted from the chamber at least in a first direction perpendicular to a direction of discharge between the pair of discharge electrodes, and second beam-expanding optics having a plurality of prisms provided between the chamber and the grating, the second beam-expanding optics being configured to expand a beam width of light outputted from the chamber at least in a second direction parallel to the direction of discharge between the pair of discharge electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventor: Hirotaka Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 11193640
    Abstract: An illumination device (10) includes: laser light sources (20) having different radiant fluxes; and diffractive optical elements (40) provided correspondingly to the respective laser light sources. A planar dimension of the diffractive optical element, which corresponds to the laser light source that emits a laser light having a minimum radiant flux, is smaller than a planar dimension of the diffractive optical element, which corresponds to the laser light source that emits a laser light having a maximum radiant flux.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shumpei Nishio, Makio Kurashige
  • Patent number: 11177635
    Abstract: The light source device includes an external resonator type semiconductor laser light source that includes a wavelength conversion element and emits light having a wavelength converted by the wavelength conversion element from a first light emission region and a second light emission region different from the first light emission region, a first optical waveguide and a second optical waveguide that each include an incident surface having a circular shape and emit light from light emission surfaces to a same irradiation surface, a first condensing optical system that condenses a plurality of first light bundle of rays emitted from the first light emission region on the incident surface of the first optical waveguide; and a second condensing optical system that condenses a plurality of second light bundle of rays emitted from the second light emission region on the incident surface of the second optical waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Ushio Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuichi Miura
  • Patent number: 10931078
    Abstract: A method for generating stabilized, pulsed laser radiation is disclosed, the method including at least the steps of generating pulsed laser radiation at a repetition frequency, wherein the spectrum of the pulsed laser radiation is a frequency comb having a number of equidistant spectral lines; deriving a first controlled variable from the pulsed laser radiation by means of phase comparison with a high-frequency reference signal; generating narrow-band continuous-wave laser radiation at a reference wavelength; setting the reference wavelength in accordance with a first manipulated variable derived from the first controlled variable; deriving a second controlled variable by means of superposition of the pulsed laser radiation and the continuous-wave laser radiation; and setting the repetition frequency in accordance with a second manipulated variable derived from the second controlled variable. A device for generating stabilized, pulsed laser radiation compatible with the method is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: TOPTICA Photonics AG
    Inventors: Russell Keith Kliese, Thomas A. Puppe, Rafal Wilk, Matthias Hohenleutner, Ali Seer
  • Patent number: 10845610
    Abstract: A spectral feature selection apparatus includes a dispersive optical element arranged to interact with a pulsed light beam; three or more refractive optical elements arranged in a path of the pulsed light beam between the dispersive optical element and a pulsed optical source; and one or more actuation systems, each actuation system associated with a refractive optical element and configured to rotate the associated refractive optical element to thereby adjust a spectral feature of the pulsed light beam. At least one of the actuation systems is a rapid actuation system that includes a rapid actuator configured to rotate its associated refractive optical element about a rotation axis. The rapid actuator includes a rotary stepper motor having a rotation shaft that rotates about a shaft axis that is parallel with the rotation axis of the associated refractive optical element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Cymer, LLC
    Inventor: Eric Anders Mason
  • Patent number: 10845711
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for processing an image of a beam generated by an optical system to extract information indicative of an extent of damage to optical elements in the optical system. Also disclosed is a beam image and analysis tool capable of acquiring an image of a beam at any one of a number of locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Cymer, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Frederick Allen Bibby, Jr., Omar Zurita, Abhishek Subramanian, Thomas Patrick Duffey
  • Patent number: 10840670
    Abstract: A laser oscillator includes: an external resonator configured to include laser media to emit laser beams having different wavelengths; and a partially reflective mirror to transmit part of the laser beams and reflect and return a remainder toward the laser media. The external resonator includes therein: a diffraction grating to perform wavelength coupling on the laser beams having different wavelengths emitted from the laser media so as to superimpose the laser beams into one laser beam and to emit, to the partially reflective mirror, the one laser beam; and a prism that is placed between the laser media and the diffraction grating and that superimposes the laser beams into one laser beam on the diffraction grating, the prism including two surfaces forming an apex angle, one of the two surfaces being an incident surface and another of the two surfaces being an exit surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Junichi Nishimae, Tomotaka Katsura, Daiji Morita, Hiroaki Kurokawa
  • Patent number: 10826273
    Abstract: A narrow linewidth external cavity semiconductor laser comprises semiconductor optical amplifier chip, comb-shaped optical filter, bandpass optical filter, partial reflection sheet, and collimated light beam coupling output assembly Collimated light beam coupling output assembly is composed of isolator, coupling lens, and output optical fiber. Laser resonant cavity is formed by partial reflection sheet and rear end face of semiconductor optical amplifier chip. Comb-shaped optical filter and bandpass optical filter form single-channel narrowband optical filtering assembly. Bandwidth enables laser to perform single-mode lasing and effectively restrain any other mode lasing. Longitudinal mode's relative position over whole filtering band may be controlled by adjusting laser temperature. Output wavelength and laser power are controlled and in best working state. Etalon is used as comb-shaped optical filter to easily realize narrow linewidth output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Accelink Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yi Tang, Yujia Zhai, We Ke, Yizong Chen
  • Patent number: 10826271
    Abstract: A limited range source of electromagnetic radiation and a radiation method, includes a tunable source of electromagnetic radiation; and a control element configured to tune the wavelength of the source of electromagnetic radiation to a desired wavelength corresponding to an absorption line of an atom or a molecule or other species present in the medium through which the electromagnetic radiation is to propagate; wherein the control element is configured to receive data relating to the desired wavelength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OY
    Inventors: Santeri Jeremias Seppä, Thomas Fordell
  • Patent number: 10804680
    Abstract: Apparatus, systems and methods to spectrally beam combine a group of diode lasers in an external cavity arrangement. A dichroic beam combiner or volume Bragg grating beam combiner is placed in an external cavity to force each of the diode lasers or groups of diode lasers to oscillate at a wavelength determined by the passband of the beam combiner. In embodiments the combination of a large number of laser diodes in a sufficiently narrow bandwidth to produce a high brightness laser source that has many applications including as to pump a Raman laser or Raman amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: Nuburu, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark S. Zediker, Robert Stegeman
  • Patent number: 10797465
    Abstract: A laser apparatus includes first and second wavelength dispersion elements, an optical element, first and second actuators, and a control unit. The first wavelength dispersion element generates wavelength dispersion in a direction orthogonal to an electric discharge direction between a pair of electric discharge electrodes. The second wavelength dispersion element generates wavelength dispersion in a direction parallel to the electric discharge direction. The optical element corrects wavelength dispersion generated by the second wavelength dispersion element. The first actuator drives the first wavelength dispersion element. The second actuator drives the optical element. The control unit controls the first actuator so that the center wavelength of the laser light approaches to a target wavelength and controls the second actuator so as to correct the wavelength dispersion generated by the second wavelength dispersion element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Hirotaka Miyamoto, Osamu Wakabayashi
  • Patent number: 10680400
    Abstract: A system for generating an energy beam based laser includes an apparatus for receiving an energy beam and for generating an energy beam based laser. The apparatus is configurable or controllable for tuning an output wavelength of the laser generated by the apparatus using the energy beam. The apparatus includes a first component for producing a first magnetic field oriented in a first direction and a second component for producing a second magnetic field oriented in a second direction substantially opposite to the first direction. A channel through the apparatus is defined by the first component and the second component through which the energy beam passes to generate the laser at an output of the apparatus. The apparatus is configurable or controllable for modifying at least one of the first magnetic field and the second magnetic field for tuning the output wavelength of the laser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Mark Joseph Clemen, Jr., John R. Hull
  • Patent number: 10634608
    Abstract: The present invention provides a system for measuring concentrations of trace gases in gas mixtures using an absorption spectroscopy method. The system comprising: a resonant optical cavity containing a gas mixture, a continuous-wave external cavity laser, a detector system for measuring an absorption of laser light by the gas in the resonant optical cavity, wherein the ratio of the round-trip length of the external cavity laser to the round-trip length of the resonant optical cavity or its inverse value is between N?0.2 and N+0.2, where N is a positive integer number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Inventor: Serguei Koulikov
  • Patent number: 10615569
    Abstract: A semiconductor laser device with external resonator with stable longitudinal mode regardless of variation of drive current is disclosed. The device includes: a semiconductor light-emitting element having a pair of end faces with a light emitting section disposed therebetween, and an external resonator configured to oscillate light emitted from the semiconductor light-emitting element, the external resonator being formed by a resonator mirror disposed outside the semiconductor light-emitting element and one of the pair of end faces that is farther from the resonator mirror, wherein, as the semiconductor light-emitting element, a semiconductor light-emitting element having a structure which does not oscillate light emitted therefrom by itself is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: SHOWA OPTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masami Hatori, Kenji Ohara, Takuya Arichi
  • Patent number: 10522966
    Abstract: A laser apparatus includes: a laser chamber in which a pair of discharge electrodes is provided; a first beam expander configured to expand a beam width of a beam outputted from the laser chamber at least in a first direction substantially parallel to a direction of electric discharge between the discharge electrodes; and a line narrow optical system including: a second beam expander configured to expand a beam width of the beam outputted from the laser chamber at least in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction, the second beam expander including at least one optical element; and a grating configured to perform wavelength dispersion of the beam expanded by the first and second beam expanders, the wavelength dispersion being performed in a plane substantially parallel to the second direction, wherein at least one of the grating and the at least one optical element is arranged so as to compensate for wavelength dispersion caused by the first beam expander.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventor: Hirotaka Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 10508996
    Abstract: An apparatus for inspecting an integrated circuit is an apparatus for inspecting an integrated circuit having a semiconductor substrate and a circuit portion formed on a front face a side of the semiconductor substrate. The apparatus comprises a light generation unit for generating light L for irradiating the integrated circuit, a wavelength width adjustment unit, for adjusting the wavelength width of the light irradiating the integrated circuit, an irradiation position adjustment unit for adjusting the irradiation position of the light irradiating the integrated circuit, and a light detection unit for detecting the light from the integrated circuit when the light from the light generation unit irradiates the circuit portion through a rear face of the semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS K.K.
    Inventors: Tomonori Nakamura, Nobuyuki Hirai
  • Patent number: 10451559
    Abstract: Disclosed is an inspection apparatus and associated method for measuring a target structure on a substrate. The inspection apparatus comprises an illumination source for generating measurement radiation; an optical arrangement for focusing the measurement radiation onto said target structure; and a compensatory optical device. The compensatory optical device may comprise an SLM operable to spatially modulate the wavefront of the measurement radiation so as to compensate for a non-uniform manufacturing defect in said optical arrangement. In alternative embodiments, the compensatory optical device may be located in the beam of measurement radiation, or in the beam of pump radiation used to generate high harmonic radiation in a HHG source. Where located in the beam of pump radiation, the compensatory optical device may be used to correct pointing errors, or impart a desired profile or varying illumination pattern in a beam of the measurement radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Peter Danny Van Voorst, Nan Lin, Sander Bas Roobol, Simon Gijsbert Josephus Mathijssen, Sietse Thijmen Van Der Post
  • Patent number: 10401546
    Abstract: The invention provides an optical component for transferring light between an opto-electronic device and a light transmissive panel which defines two opposing boundary surfaces, the optical component having a shape formed from a geometric shape having a base surface, a lateral front surface and an axis, wherein the geometric shape is truncated by a plane intersecting the front surface, the base surface, and the axis, forming a back surface. The base surface is configured for mounting the optical component to the light transmissive panel and for coupling light into the light transmissive panel. The front surface being configured for coupling light from the front surface, through the base surface, and into the light transmissive panel for the light to propagate by total internal reflection within the light transmissive panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: FlatFrog Laboratories AB
    Inventors: Thomas Craven-Bartle, Håkan Bergström
  • Patent number: 10394016
    Abstract: The invention concerns, in one aspect, an actuator for generating a bidirectional force intended for being integrated into a deformable mirror comprising a deformable reflective substrate. Said actuator comprises a stationary body (10); a drive device; a drive rod (20) able to be driven in a translatory movement with respect to the stationary body (10), along an axis of translation (xx?), by means of the drive device; a floating head (30) designed to be attached to the deformable reflective substrate, and mounted in floating manner with respect to the drive rod via first and second elastic means (33, 35). The first and second elastic means (33, 35) are each mounted between the drive rod (20) and the floating head (30) and are designed to apply forces to the floating head, whose projections on the translation axis (xx?) are of opposite directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: IMAGE OPTIC
    Inventors: Xavier Levecq, Nicolas Lefaudeux
  • Patent number: 10333266
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an optical sub-system for a passive, mode-locked laser optical system. The optical sub-system may include a graphene-based saturable absorber and an optical device configured to control dispersion properties of the laser optical system. The graphene-based saturable absorber may be supported by the optical device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: ALTA LASERS AS
    Inventor: Irina T. Sorokina
  • Patent number: 10295831
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a light-conducting device. The light-conducting device includes k>1 first deflection devices that are parallel to one another and arranged along a first direction (X), and k second deflection devices that are parallel to one another and arranged along a second direction (Y) perpendicular to the first direction. A third direction (Z) is perpendicular to the first and second direction (X, Y). Each of the second deflection devices is arranged in a same fourth direction (P) with respect to one of the first deflection devices. The first deflection devices comprise optical axes directed in a fifth direction, and the second deflection devices comprise optical axes directed opposite to the fifth direction. The fifth direction is an angle bisector of an angle between the third and the fourth direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: FORSCHUNGSVERBUND BERLIN E.V.
    Inventor: Bernd Eppich
  • Patent number: 10203593
    Abstract: A light source device according to the present disclosure includes: a plurality of solid-state light source units; a polarization combination mirror for combining polarized lights incident from the plurality of the solid-state light source units; a half-wavelength plate having a strip shape, for converting a polarization azimuth of one of polarized lights coming from the polarization combination mirror; another half-wavelength plate for controlling proportions of intensities of polarization components of the polarized lights incident from the former half-wavelength plate; a dichroic mirror for separating the polarized lights incident from the latter half-wavelength plate; a phosphor plate for emitting light, upon being excited by the polarized light having been separated by the dichroic mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takaaki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 10186836
    Abstract: A broad area semiconductor diode laser device includes a multiple flared oscillator waveguide including a plurality of component flared oscillator waveguides, each component flared oscillator waveguide including a multimode high reflector facet, a partial reflector facet spaced apart from the high reflector facet, and a flared current injection region extending and widening between the multimode high reflector facet and the partial reflector facet, wherein the ratio of a partial reflector facet width to a high reflector facet width is n:1, where n>1, and wherein the component flared oscillator waveguides of the multiple flared oscillator waveguide are arranged in a row such that portions of the flared current injection regions of adjacently situated component flared oscillator waveguides overlap each other or are in proximity to each other on the order of the wavelength of light emitted by the component flared oscillator waveguides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: nLIGHT, Inc.
    Inventor: Manoj Kanskar
  • Patent number: 10170892
    Abstract: The light-concentration density or laser power of a combined laser beam bundle, obtained by combining individual laser beams that are caused to oscillate by and are output from a plurality of single-emitter LDs, is increased efficiently, with high quality. On a bottom plate or a unit base 22 of the laser unit 10, there are disposed: a pair of stacked laser beam creation units 24L, 24R which are arranged with left-right symmetry with respect to a center line N; a single wavelength stabilizing element (VBG) 26 of which an incidence plane vertically intersects the center line N; a pair of primary anamorphic prisms 28L, 28R which are arranged separately on the right and left of the center line N; a mirror-type beam rotation element 30 disposed on the center line N; and a secondary anamorphic prism 32 disposed offset from the beam rotation element 30 in a direction (X-direction) perpendicular to the center line N.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: AMADA MIYACHI CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Atsushi Yanase
  • Patent number: 9819136
    Abstract: A gas discharge light source includes a gas discharge system that includes one or more gas discharge chambers. Each of the gas discharge chambers in the gas discharge system is filled with a respective gas mixture. For each gas discharge chamber, a pulsed energy is supplied to the respective gas mixture by activating its associated energy source to thereby produce a pulsed amplified light beam from the gas discharge chamber. One or more properties of the gas discharge system are determined. A gas maintenance scheme is selected from among a plurality of possible schemes based on the determined one or more properties of the gas discharge system. The selected gas maintenance scheme is applied to the gas discharge system. A gas maintenance scheme includes one or more parameters related to adding one or more supplemental gas mixtures to the gas discharge chambers of the gas discharge system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Cymer, LLC
    Inventors: Rahul Ahlawat, Tanuj Aggarwal
  • Patent number: 9819154
    Abstract: A light source system and a laser light source (300). The laser light source includes two groups of laser groups (20a, 20b), wherein at least one group of laser groups includes at least two lasers (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d), and the light beams (L1) generated by the two groups of laser groups are in the same direction and parallel to each other. The first projections of the two groups of laser groups on the cross section of the light beams formed by the respective emergent light rays thereof are partially overlapped with the second projections in a first direction, which first direction is the connection direction of at least two laser centers of a group of laser groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: APPOTRONICS CORPORATION LIMITED
    Inventors: Fei Hu, Jiayi Yang
  • Patent number: 9748644
    Abstract: Described embodiments include an electromagnetic beam steering apparatus. The apparatus includes a first blazed transmission diffraction grating component configured to angularly deflect an electromagnetic beam at a first blaze angle. The apparatus includes a second blazed transmission diffraction grating component configured to angularly deflect an electromagnetic beam at a second blaze angle. The apparatus includes an electromagnetic beam steering structure configured to independently rotate the first blazed transmission diffraction grating component and the second blazed transmission diffraction grating component about a coaxial axis such that an electromagnetic beam incident on the first blazed transmission diffraction grating component exits the second blazed transmission diffraction grating component as a steered electromagnetic beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Inventors: Tom Driscoll, Roderick A. Hyde, Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Jordin T. Kare, Nathan P. Myhrvold, Tony S. Pan, Clarence T. Tegreene, Yaroslav A. Urzhumov, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., Victoria Y. H. Wood
  • Patent number: 9720250
    Abstract: A tunable optical filter utilizes a pair of diffraction gratings and a rotating mirror to achieve a broad filter passband or wavelength bandwidth. By adjusting a small angle between the two diffraction gratings, such as less than approximately 15 degrees, the wavelength bandwidth of the tunable optical filter's passband may be arbitrarily adjusted or set. The two-grating system results in a narrower angular dispersion coefficient than could be achieved through the use of a single grating with similar properties. The narrower angular dispersion in turn results in a broader filter passband or wavelength bandwidth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: DICON FIBEROBTICS, INC.
    Inventors: Alexander Jacob Birman, Ying-Yu Su, Ho-Shang Lee
  • Patent number: 9620927
    Abstract: A high-order harmonic wave generation apparatus using a diode-pumped solid state laser includes a pump head for generating a fundamental wave, Porro prisms disposed on the left and right sides of the pump head, nonlinear crystals for sequentially generating a second-order harmonic wave, a fourth-order harmonic wave, and a fifth-order harmonic wave from the fundamental wave, and a final emission unit for reflecting and transmitting any one of the second-order harmonic wave, the fourth-order harmonic wave, and the fifth-order harmonic wave and for emitting the harmonic wave without changing the optical path. Accordingly, the apparatus is insensitive to changes in the external environment through a resonator having a structure comprising Porro prisms, and enables the final emission unit to selectively output the fourth-order harmonic wave or the fifth-order harmonic wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: AGENCY FOR DEFENSE DEVELOPMENT
    Inventors: Yeon-Chul Ha, Jae-Hwan Lee, Young-Il Kang, Ki-Ho Cho, Jae-Ihn Kim, Joon-Young Cho
  • Patent number: 9548585
    Abstract: A multi-point laser device comprising a plurality of optical pumping sources. Each optical pumping source is configured to create pumping excitation energy along a corresponding optical path directed through a high-reflectivity mirror and into substantially different locations within the laser media thereby producing atomic optical emissions at substantially different locations within the laser media and directed along a corresponding optical path of the optical pumping source. An output coupler and one or more output lenses are configured to produce a plurality of lasing events at substantially different times, locations or a combination thereof from the multiple atomic optical emissions produced at substantially different locations within the laser media. The laser media is a single continuous media, preferably grown on a single substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: U.S. Department of Energy
    Inventors: Dustin L. McIntyre, Steven D. Woodruff
  • Patent number: 9548584
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and an arrangement to generate a coherent electromagnetic radiation containing at most a few optical cycles in the extreme ultraviolet/vacuum ultraviolet domain. The inventive method comprises the steps of providing an electron package (15) of relativistic velocity; modulating said electron package (15) with high intensity laser light (17) in an undulator (20) having an undulator period smaller than the undulator period (?u) satisfying the resonance condition, producing thereby an electron package formed of electron microbunches; and passing the electron package (15) of electron microbunches leaving said undulator (20) through a static magnetic field, and generating thereby a coherent electromagnetic radiation, wherein said static magnetic field is generated in conformity with the coherent electromagnetic radiation to be achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignees: University of Pécs, Magyar Tudományos Akadémia Támogatott Kutatócsoportok
    Inventors: Gábor Almási, János Hebling, Mátyás Mechler, György Tóth, Zoltán Tibai
  • Patent number: 9525263
    Abstract: A side pumped laser comprises an elongated gain medium (10) provided between an output coupler (20) and a counter reflector (15) and a pump source (65) configured to provide radiation to the gain medium (10) along a side axis of the gain medium, wherein the laser is configured such that radiation from the pump source is directly incident on the gain medium; and the pump source is provided proximate, adjacent or in contact with the gain medium. The laser material and compositions, geometries and dimensions are designed to both maximize laser performance and to permit the use of construction techniques commonplace in the production of equipment designed for optical telecoms systems to facilitate low cost high volume and miniaturization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: THALES HOLDINGS UK PLC
    Inventors: Trevor Cook, Stephen Lee, Mark Silver