Birefringent Material Patents (Class 372/105)
  • Patent number: 11888283
    Abstract: A laser device for skin treatment includes: a laser generating unit including a diode laser for generating a pulse capable of being varied to a pulse width of 100 picoseconds (ps) to 2000 ps by a dedicated driver having a rising time of 100 ps or less and a pulse width adjustment unit for adjusting a width of the pulse generated by the diode laser, the laser generating unit configured to generate a single or a plurality of pulses; and a laser amplifying unit including a pumping lamp and a single or a plurality of amplification mediums having a rod structure for absorbing light energy from the pumping lamp, wherein, in the laser amplifying unit, a pulse supplied from the laser generating unit passes through at least one of the single or a plurality of amplification mediums a plurality of times inward from the outside and is gradually amplified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: JEISYS MEDICAL INC.
    Inventors: Won Ju Yi, Min Young Kim, Joo Hee Cho, Myeong Wook Gu, Byoung Jin Ko, Seong Jun Kim, Dong Hwan Kang
  • Patent number: 10530115
    Abstract: An apparatus for emitting pulsed electromagnetic laser radiation includes a laser gain element; an optical arrangement defining a laser resonator and arranged to re-direct radiation emitted by the gain element along a beam path back onto the gain element, the optical arrangement comprising an output coupler configured to couple a portion of the radiation in the laser resonator out of the laser resonator; and, a pump arrangement configured to pump the laser gain element. The optical arrangement includes a mode locker placed in the laser resonator in the beam path, and a birefringent element placed in the laser resonator in the beam path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: ETH ZÜRICH
    Inventors: Sandro Michael Link, Bonifatius Wilhelmus Tilma, Mario Mangold, Christian Anton Zaugg, Alexander Klenner, Ursula Keller
  • Patent number: 10374380
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a thermally conductive housing including a reflective chamber, the reflective chamber including a reflective surface on a first side of the reflective chamber and an orifice on a second side of the reflective chamber. The reflective surface includes a converging surface annularly surrounding a central recirculating surface. The apparatus includes a phosphor converter at the orifice of the reflective chamber. The apparatus further includes a plurality of laser diodes arranged annularly around the orifice, the plurality of laser diodes configured to emit laser beams towards the converging surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Inventor: Brant C. McLellan
  • Patent number: 10274744
    Abstract: The birefringent filter unit includes a planar birefringent plate arranged such that the light enters the birefringent plate at an approximate Brewster's angle, a first reflecting member arranged substantially parallel to the birefringent plate to allow the light having passed through the birefringent plate to enter the birefringent plate at the approximate Brewster's angle, and a second reflecting member arranged opposite to the first reflecting member and substantially parallel to the birefringent plate, which allows the light having passed through the birefringent plate after being reflected by the first regulating member to enter the birefringent plate at the approximate Brewster's angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Minoru Ohkoba
  • Patent number: 10177524
    Abstract: An intra-cavity frequency-tripled OPS laser has a laser-resonator including two optically nonlinear crystals arranged for type-I frequency conversion. One of the crystals generates horizontally polarized second-harmonic radiation from vertically plane-polarized fundamental-wavelength radiation circulating in the laser-resonator. A birefringent filter is located between the optically nonlinear crystals. The birefringent filter selects the fundamental-wavelength, establishes the vertical polarization-orientation, and selectively rotates the polarization-orientation of the second-harmonic radiation from horizontal to vertical. The vertically polarized fundamental and second-harmonic radiations are type-I sum-frequency mixed by the other optically nonlinear crystal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: Coherent, Inc.
    Inventor: Matthias Roth
  • Patent number: 9548819
    Abstract: A method to control an optical receiver implemented with a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) is disclosed. The SOA has a p-n junction operable in a PD mode when it is supplied with a zero or reverse bias. The SOA detects the magnitude of the incoming light and the driving current supplied thereto is adjusted based on thus detected magnitude of the incoming light such that the outgoing light provided to the PD has a magnitude within a preset range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC DEVICE INNOVATIONS, INC.
    Inventor: Ryota Teranishi
  • Patent number: 9531152
    Abstract: A laser includes a wavelength selecting element 14 that selectively reflects laser beams with wavelengths ?=?0, ?1, ?2, . . . , ?n (n?1) of different laser oscillation modes from among fundamental oscillation wavelengths of laser beams passing through a wavelength conversion element 13, and the wavelength conversion element 13 that converts the laser beams with the wavelengths ?=?0, ?1, ?2, . . . , ?n (n?1) of different laser oscillation modes reflected by the wavelength selecting element 14 to harmonics. When using a material with a wide gain band as a laser medium 121 of a solid-state laser element 12, a waveguide laser is implemented capable of carrying out high-efficiency wavelength conversion at a plurality of wavelengths within the gain band.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Fumio Shohda, Takayuki Yanagisawa, Kyosuke Kuramoto, Yosuke Akino, Kohei Sakai
  • Patent number: 9239237
    Abstract: A system for quickly aligning a test optic with various components of an optical metrology tool. A collimated target is presented to a beamsplitting reference surface located on a positioning system for holding and manipulating the test optic. Video images of the target and its reflection from the reference surface are displayed for analysis and visualization so that any tilt between the reference surface and the optical axis of the collimated beam can be removed to align the test optic. After alignment, the video based system is used to quickly measure and display in real-time a variety of performance characteristics of optical components such as lenses. The metrology system is under the control of a computer which uses a windowing software program to provide the user with a graphical user interface by which the various components of the system and test lenses may be aligned and characterized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: OPTIKOS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Daniel Orband
  • Patent number: 9054490
    Abstract: A tunable laser includes a resonator including a highly reflecting mirror and a partially reflecting mirror; a gain medium disposed in the resonator; a birefringence filter disposed in the resonator; and an excitation device that excites the gain medium. In the tunable laser, light that passes through the birefringence filter oscillates between the highly reflecting mirror and the partially reflecting mirror. An oscillation wavelength is switched by rotating the birefringence filter. The birefringence filter includes a first birefringent plate and a second birefringent plate, which have principal dielectric axes parallel to optical surfaces thereof. An absolute value of an angle formed by the principal dielectric axis of the first birefringent plate and the principal dielectric axis of the second birefringent plate is larger than zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hideo Iwase
  • Patent number: 9001861
    Abstract: A device for producing a coherent bi-color light source, including: an array substrate, a first laser tube driven by a first direct current signal, a second laser tube driven by a modulation signal coupled by a microwave signal and a second DC signal, a half wave plate, a birefringent crystal, a first quarter wave plate, a partially reflecting plane mirror, and a second quarter wave plate. The first laser tube and the second laser tube are fixed on the array substrate. The half wave plate, the birefringent crystal, the first quarter wave plate, the partially reflecting plane mirror, and the second quarter wave plate are disposed in sequence in an emission direction of a laser beam emitted by the first laser tube. The second laser tube is disposed opposite to the birefringent crystal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
    Inventors: Enxue Yun, Bozhong Tan, Sihong Gu
  • Patent number: 8982922
    Abstract: An aspect of the disclosed subject matter includes a method of reducing the laser absorption of a beam reverser prism consisting of at least one of the following: increasing a first distance between a first incident point and a chamfered corner, wherein the first incident point is on a first reflective surface of the prism and the chamfered corner is formed between the first reflective surface and a second reflective surface of the prism, wherein the chamfered corner has a chamfered surface; increasing a second distance between a second incident point and the chamfered corner, wherein the second incident point is on the second reflective surface of the prism; and increasing a reflectivity of the chamfered surface of the chamfered corner of the prism. A method of determining a prime cut for an optical component is also disclosed. A laser including at least one prime cut optical component is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Cymer, LLC
    Inventors: Hong Ye, Alex Ershov, Rajasekhar Rao, Daniel Brown, Slava Rokitski, Rong (Lauren) Liu, Ray Cybulski, James J. Ferrell, Robert Bergstedt, John Viatella, Thomas Duffey
  • Patent number: 8885247
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for controlling optical frequency (F1, F2) about a central working frequency (F0). This device comprises a vertical cavity (2) formed of two parallel and partially reflecting walls (3a, 3b), and a membrane (6) comprising at least one layer (7a, 7b) structured in the form of a photonic crystal. In this device, the two walls (3a, 3b) are separated by an optical distance substantially proportional to half the wavelength (?0) corresponding to the central working frequency (F0). The membrane (6) is integrated between the walls (3a, 3b) of the cavity (2) and devised in such a way as to exhibit a mode of optical resonance at this central working wavelength (?0). At least one layer of the device is made up of at least one portion of a material exhibiting nonlinear optical properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Centre National de la Recherche Scientific—CNRS
    Inventors: Xavier Letartre, Pierre Viktorovitch, Jean-Louis Leclercq, Christian Seassal
  • Patent number: 8855167
    Abstract: A gas discharge chamber that uses a calcium fluoride crystal which reduces a breakage due to mechanical stress (window holder and laser gas pressure), thermal stress from light absorption, and the like, increases the degree of linear polarization of output laser, and suppresses degradation due to strong ultraviolet (ArF, in particular) laser light irradiation. A first window (2) and a second window (3) of the gas discharge chamber have an incident plane and an emitting plane in parallel with a (111) crystal plane of their calcium fluoride crystal. With respect to an arrangement where laser light entering the calcium fluoride crystal passes through a plane including a <111> axis and a <001> axis of each of the first window (2) and the second window (3) as seen from inside the chamber (1), the first window (2) and the second window (3) are arranged in positions rotated in the same direction by the same angle about their <111> axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Shinji Nagai, Fumika Yoshida, Osamu Wakabayashi, Kouji Kakizaki
  • Patent number: 8804777
    Abstract: Mid-IR supercontinuum laser source in the 3-12 micron region generating at least tens of watts of optical power and based on non-silica optical fiber pumped by a ZBLAN fiber laser generating light at about 2.7 microns. The zero-dispersion wavelength of the non-silica fiber substantially coincides with the lasing wavelength. The proportion of the SC output above 3 microns exceeds 40 percent of the overall power output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of The University of Arizona
    Inventors: Xiushan Zhu, Nasser N. Peyghambarian, Robert A. Norwood
  • Patent number: 8743453
    Abstract: An apparatus for producing coherent, pulsed ultraviolet light with pulse durations that range between 1 ps and 1 ?s includes one or more source lasers in the visible or near-infrared frequency range. The apparatus also includes one or more FC stages, at least one of the one or more FC stages including a nonlinear FC device and one or more optical elements. The optical elements include a reflector, a focusing element, a polarization-controlling optic, a wavelength separator, or a fiber optic component. The FC device includes a huntite-type aluminum double borate nonlinear optical material configured to produce FC light having a wavelength between 190 and 350 nm and a composition given by RAl3B4O12, where R comprises one or a plurality of elements {Sc, La, Y, Lu}. The nonlinear optical material is characterized by an optical transmission greater than 70% over the wavelength range of 190 to 350 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Deep Photonics Corporation
    Inventors: Theodore Alekel, David A. Dutton, David H. Foster, Joseph G. LaChapelle, Michael J. Munroe
  • Patent number: 8675709
    Abstract: A hybrid CW MOPA includes an OPS-laser resonator delivering radiation in a plurality of longitudinal lasing-modes or wavelengths. The multiple longitudinal mode output is amplified in a fiber-amplifier. Amplified lasing-modes from the fiber-amplifier are frequency-converted by an optically nonlinear crystal in a ring-resonator having the same length as the laser resonator, such that the ring-resonator is resonant for all of the amplified lasing-modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Coherent, Inc.
    Inventors: Sergei Govorkov, Andrei Starodoumov, Arnaud Lepert
  • Patent number: 8559477
    Abstract: A planar waveguide laser device forms a waveguide by a plate-like laser medium (1) having birefringence and clad (2a, 2b) attached to at least one of the surfaces of the laser medium (1) perpendicular to its thickness direction, amplifies laser light by a gain produced by excitation light incident on the laser medium (1), and performs laser oscillation. The laser medium (1) is formed of a material having an optic axis on a cross section perpendicular to the light axis, which is the laser travelling direction. The clad (2a, 2b) is formed of a material having a refractive index in a range between refractive indexes of two polarized lights that travel along the light axis in the laser medium (1) and have oscillation surfaces that are orthogonal to each other. The planar waveguide laser device readily oscillates linearly polarized laser light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takayuki Yanagisawa, Yoshihito Hirano, Shuhei Yamamoto, Yasuharu Koyata
  • Patent number: 8503499
    Abstract: A gas discharge chamber that uses a calcium fluoride crystal which reduces a breakage due to mechanical stress (window holder and laser gas pressure), thermal stress from light absorption, and the like, increases the degree of linear polarization of output laser, and suppresses degradation due to strong ultraviolet (ArF, in particular) laser light irradiation. A first window (2) and a second window (3) of the gas discharge chamber have an incident plane and an emitting plane in parallel with a (111) crystal plane of their calcium fluoride crystal. With respect to an arrangement where laser light entering the calcium fluoride crystal passes through a plane including a <111> axis and a <001> axis of each of the first window (2) and the second window (3) as seen from inside the chamber (1), the first window (2) and the second window (3) are arranged in positions rotated in the same direction by the same angle about their <111> axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Shinji Nagai, Fumika Yoshida, Osamu Wakabayashi, Kouji Kakizaki
  • Patent number: 8396092
    Abstract: An optically pumped semiconductor apparatus having a surface-emitting semiconductor body (1) which has a radiation passage area (1a) which faces away from a mounting plane of the semiconductor body (1), and an optical element (7) which is suitable for directing pump radiation (17) onto the radiation passage area (1a) of the semiconductor body (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH
    Inventors: Ulrich Steegmüller, Frank Singer, Thomas Schwarz, Michael Kühnelt
  • Patent number: 8390921
    Abstract: Seed light pulses and pump light pulses are generated; the seed light pulses are preferably chirped; and both are directed into an enhancement cavity at a full repetition rate. The enhancement cavity defines a closed optical path that contains a nonlinear medium that provides phase matching at a wavelength different from both the central seed wavelength and the central pump wavelength. The generation of the pump light pulses and the seed light pulses are synchronized to pass the seed light pulses through the nonlinear medium simultaneously with the pump light pulses to parametrically amplify the seed light pulses in the nonlinear medium to produce an amplified signal pulse and idler pulse. Increased conversion with low average pump power can be achieved, as well as gain bandwidth enhancement approaching octave-spanning levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Franz X. Kaertner, Aleem M. Siddiqui, Jeffrey Moses, Kyung-Han Hong
  • Patent number: 8284815
    Abstract: An aspect of the disclosed subject matter includes a method of reducing the laser absorption of a beam reverser prism consisting of at least one of the following: increasing a first distance between a first incident point and a chamfered corner, wherein the first incident point is on a first reflective surface of the prism and the chamfered corner is formed between the first reflective surface and a second reflective surface of the prism, wherein the chamfered corner has a chamfered surface; increasing a second distance between a second incident point and the chamfered corner, wherein the second incident point is on the second reflective surface of the prism; and increasing a reflectivity of the chamfered surface of the chamfered corner of the prism. A method of determining a prime cut for an optical component is also disclosed. A laser including at least one prime cut optical component is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Cymer, Inc.
    Inventors: Hong Ye, Alex Ershov, Rajasekhar Rao, Daniel Brown, Slava Rokitski, Rong (Lauren) Liu, Ray Cybulski, James J. Ferrell, Robert Bergstedt, John Viatella, Thomas Duffey
  • Patent number: 8248687
    Abstract: There is provided a wide-band optical amplifier (10) that is capable of amplifying a wide-band signal. The wide-band optical amplifier (10) includes a first amplifier (NOPA1) that emits, based on a to-be-amplified light beam having a predetermined range of wavelengths and a first pump beam (L2) having a first wavelength, the to-be-amplified light beam having a first range of amplified wavelengths, where the first range is a part of the predetermined range, and a second amplifier (NOPA2) that emits, based on the to-be-amplified light beam having the first range of amplified wavelengths and a second pump beam (L3) having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength, the to-be-amplified light beam having a second range of amplified wavelengths, where the second range is different from the first range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Kumiko Nishimura
  • Patent number: 8218588
    Abstract: A diode-pumped solid state pulsed laser includes an intracavity nonlinear crystal for wavelength conversion by difference frequency mixing and a secondary resonant cavity containing an additional nonlinear crystal for parametric amplification. Primary and secondary cavities are capable of injection seeding and wavelength stabilization resulting in a very narrow, stable, and well defined spectral output. The combination of pump diode pulsing, the implementation of the intracavity parametric oscillator and parametric amplifier results in very efficient operation. Optical fiber coupled parametric oscillator byproduct light allows simple and non-invasive wavelength diagnostics and monitoring upon connection to an optical spectrum analyzer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Exelis, Inc.
    Inventors: Jarett Levi Bartholomew, Mark Steven Janosky
  • Patent number: 8149887
    Abstract: A planar waveguide laser device forms a waveguide by a plate-like laser medium having birefringence and clad attached to at least one of the surfaces of the laser medium perpendicular to its thickness direction, amplifies laser light by a gain produced by excitation light incident on the laser medium, and performs laser oscillation. The laser medium is formed of a material having an optic axis on a cross section perpendicular to the light axis, which is the laser travelling direction. The clad is formed of a material having a refractive index in a range between refractive indexes of two polarized lights that travel along the light axis in the laser medium and have oscillation surfaces that are orthogonal to each other. The planar waveguide laser device readily oscillates linearly polarized laser light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takayuki Yanagisawa, Yoshihito Hirano, Shuhei Yamamoto, Yasuharu Koyata
  • Patent number: 8121156
    Abstract: A semiconductor laser light source emits a laser beam for pumping. An optical resonator includes a solid laser crystal to be excited by the incident of a laser beam to oscillate a fundamental wave and a pair of fundamental wave reflective coats arranged at the opposite sides of the solid laser crystal. A wavelength conversion element converts the fundamental wave into a plurality of harmonics. The wavelength conversion element is so arranged in the optical resonator that the optical axis of at least one of the plurality of harmonics, generated in the optical resonator is made different from that of the fundamental wave and the at least one harmonic whose optical axis is made different is output substantially in the same direction as the other harmonic. By this construction, it is possible to stabilize a harmonic output and utilize a plurality of harmonics without increasing the number of parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Toshifumi Yokoyama, Kiminori Mizuuchi, Tetsuro Mizushima, Tatsuo Itoh
  • Patent number: 8094368
    Abstract: A synchronously-pumped optical parametric oscillator (OPO 10) driven by the second harmonic output of a Kerr-lens-mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser (12) generates femtosecond pulses with wide tunability in the visible and ultraviolet spectrum. The OPO uses bismuth triborate, BiB3O6 (or BIBO) or a substituted form thereof, in collinear critical phase-matching as the nonlinear gain crystal (24). Using simple crystal rotation at room temperature, a continuous tuning range from 480 nm to 710 nm is achieved with a single BIBO crystal (24) and a single set of mirrors (26, 28, 30) for the OPO cavity. The OPO (10) generates up to 27 OmW of average power across the available tuning range and can deliver femtosecond pulses at a repetition rate of 76 MHz.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignees: Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, Fundacio Privada, Institucio Catalana de Recerca I Estudis Avancats
    Inventors: Majid Ebrahim-Zadeh, Masood Ghotbi
  • Patent number: 8073025
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a laser light source having a structure for narrowing a wavelength bandwidth of output light. The laser light source comprises, at least, a laser resonator, a pumping light source, an optical path switch device, a diffraction grating, and a total reflection mirror. The laser resonator has a light amplifying fiber for output of emission light arranged on a resonance optical path thereof. The optical path switch device has a first port and a second port on the resonance optical path of the laser resonator. The diffraction grating spectrally separates the emission light outputted from the second port. The total reflection mirror reflects a specific wavelength component out of wavelength components spectrally separated by the diffraction grating, so as to feed the specific wavelength component back to the second port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Nakamae, Motoki Kakui, Shinobu Tamaoki, Yasuomi Kaneuchi
  • Patent number: 8029141
    Abstract: The image display apparatus includes a two-dimensional light modulation device for modulating light emitted from a laser light source, a display surface for displaying the modulated light, an optical pixel aperture enlarging member for distributing the luminance of the laser light while introducing the laser light to apertures of pixels of the modulation device; and a display pixel aperture enlarging portion for optically enlarging the modulated light by the apertures of the pixels of the modulation device corresponding to pixels of an image to be displayed. The luminance of a partial area of each pixel of the image displayed on the display surface is controlled to be below the threefold of an average value of the luminance in the area of the entire pixel by the optical pixel aperture enlarging member and the display pixel aperture enlarging portion, accomplishing speckle noise reduction and improved light utilization efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuro Mizushima, Tatsuo Itoh, Kenichi Kasazumi, Kazuhisa Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7907332
    Abstract: A wide-band ultrashort-pulse optical oscillator includes: an optical amplification medium 1 that optically amplifies an incident light having a wide band or a plurality of bands so as to be converted into an oscillation light emitted from an optical resonator; an energy injection element 2 that either injects energy into the optical amplification medium so that light energy is generated, or injects light energy into the optical amplification medium; a negative dispersion element 4 that imparts a negative dispersion to a pulse light of the oscillation light; a mode locker 9 that produces a mode-locking with respect to the pulse light; a positive dispersion element 11 that imparts a positive dispersion to the pulse light; and an optical system formed so that the pulse light passes through a loop-like optical path from the optical amplification medium via the negative dispersion element, the mode locker, and the positive dispersion element, back to the optical amplification medium in at least one of the stated d
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignees: Osaka University, National University Corporation Chiba University
    Inventors: Kiminori Kondo, Takashige Omatsu
  • Publication number: 20110058578
    Abstract: A laser comprising: a resonator cavity defined by at least two reflectors, wherein the at least two reflectors are highly reflective at a plurality of fundamental wavelengths; a laser medium disposed in the resonator cavity capable of generating plurality of fundamental wavelengths; an optical pump source for energizing the laser medium, thereby causing laser light at the plurality of fundamental wavelengths to resonate in the resonator cavity simultaneously; and a nonlinear material located in said resonator cavity capable of simultaneously converting each of the plurality of wavelengths of laser light to generate converted laser light having a plurality of converted wavelengths, said converted wavelengths being derived from but different to the fundamental wavelengths; wherein the non-linear material is at least partially phase matched to nonlinearly convert the frequencies of each of the fundamental wavelengths simultaneously such that a plurality of converted wavelengths are able to be simultaneously gene
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2007
    Publication date: March 10, 2011
    Applicant: LIGHTHOUSE TECHNOLOGIES PTY LTD
    Inventors: Hamish Ogilvy, Richard Paul Mildren
  • Patent number: 7903325
    Abstract: Since the absorption of a fundamental wave by a fiber increases if it is tried to obtain a wavelength conversion light of watt-class high output, the fiber length needs to be shortened. However, since oscillation efficiency conversely decreases if the fiber length is shortened, it is difficult to obtain a high-output fundamental wave. Thus, by reflecting an excitation light incident on the fiber in the fiber, the excitation light is efficiently absorbed to amplify the fundamental wave with a high gain. Further, by shortening the fiber length, the absorption of the fundamental wave is also reduced to improve a fundamental wave output. Consequently, a wavelength converter capable of ensuring a stable high output up to watt-class is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Furuya, Kiminori Mizuuchi, Kazuhisa Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7894126
    Abstract: The invention relates to a broadband Terahertz (THz) radiation generation and detection system and method. THz radiation is generated by optical rectification of an ultrashort pump pulse of a first wavelength having a duration in the picosecond- or sub-picosecond range in a first nonlinear optical crystal. The THz radiation is detected by electro-optic sampling or another appropriate method of a probe beam having a second wavelength in a second nonlinear optical crystal. According to the invention, at least one of the following conditions is fulfilled: a) the first wavelength is different from the second wavelength; b) the material of the first nonlinear optical crystal is different from the material of the second nonlinear optical crystal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: ETH Zurich
    Inventors: Peter Gunter, Arno Schneider
  • Patent number: 7881349
    Abstract: An optically pumped semiconductor-laser (OPS-laser) resonator includes an arrangement for delivering optical pump radiation on an OPS-chip to cause fundamental radiation to circulate in the resonator. The resonator includes second and third-harmonic generating crystals and is arranged deliver third-harmonic radiation. The resonator also includes a stop positioned and configured to stabilize the laser output. The pump radiation arrangement delivers the pump radiation at an angle to the resonator axis and includes wedged GRIN lens arranged such that the pump radiation forms a circular spot on the OPS chip. The third harmonic generating crystal acts as a polarizer for the fundamental radiation and angularly separates fundamental and third harmonic beams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Coherent, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Ihli, Qi-Ze Shu, Andrea Caprara, Juan L. Chilla
  • Patent number: 7859744
    Abstract: A robust, quickly tunable narrow-linewidth entangled photon source system based on Spontaneous Parametric Down Conversion (SPDC) of the pump light in periodically polled LiNbO3 (PPLN) waveguides. The photon source provides narrow-linewidth, entangled output photons having a wavelength in the telecom C-Band wavelength. To tailor the output spectrum of the output photons, the PPLN waveguide is arranged between two end waveguides having LiNbO3-embedded Bragg gratings, thereby forming a tunable Fabry-Perot cavity. The resulting narrow output linewidth of the output photons makes the system desirable for use in a long-distance quantum key distribution (QKD) system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: MagiQ Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Alexel Trifonov
  • Patent number: 7852549
    Abstract: An apparatus for producing coherent, pulsed ultraviolet light with pulse durations that range between 1 ps and 1 ?s includes one or more source lasers in the visible or near-infrared frequency range. The apparatus also includes one or more FC stages, at least one of the one or more FC stages including a nonlinear FC device and one or more optical elements. The optical elements include a reflector, a focusing element, a polarization-controlling optic, a wavelength separator, or a fiber optic component. The FC device includes a huntite-type aluminum double borate nonlinear optical material configured to produce FC light having a wavelength between 190 and 350 nm and a composition given by RAl3B4O12, where R comprises one or a plurality of elements {Sc, La, Y, Lu}. The nonlinear optical material is characterized by an optical transmission greater than 70% over the wavelength range of 190 to 350 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Deep Photonics Corporation
    Inventors: Theodore Alekel, David A. Dutton, David H. Foster, Joseph G. LaChapelle, Michael J. Munroe
  • Patent number: 7848012
    Abstract: An apparatus for producing coherent, continuous wave, ultraviolet light, includes one or more source lasers in the visible or near-infrared frequency range. The apparatus also includes one or more frequency conversion stages. Each of the one or more frequency conversion stages includes one or more reflectors, an optical resonator, one or more waveguide components, or one or more fiber optic components. At least one of the one or more frequency conversion stages includes a huntite-type aluminum double borate nonlinear optical material to produce light having a wavelength between 190 and 350 nm. The huntite-type aluminum double borate material has a composition given by MAl3B4O12, where M is one or a plural combination of elements {Sc, La, Y, or Lu}.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Deep Photonics Corporation
    Inventors: David H Foster, Theodore Alekel, David A Dutton, Joseph G. LaChapelle, Michael J. Munroe
  • Patent number: 7751117
    Abstract: The invention relates to the field of optical parametric oscillators (OPO), especially to an essentially vertical monolithic system (S) for parametric conversion from a pump wave with a pump wavelength, said system comprising at least two resonant cavities (6, 7). Said cavities are coupled by at least one coupling mirror (3), at least one of the cavities comprising an active non-linear medium, and the at least one coupling mirror being arranged in such a way that the parametric frequencies associated with the pump wavelength are located in the stop line of the at least one mirror for an injection direction of the pump wave essentially according to the axis of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignees: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (corp.), Universite Paris 7-Denis Diderot (university)
    Inventors: Jerome Tignon, Cristiano Ciuti, Gregor Dasbach, Carole Diederichs
  • Patent number: 7668212
    Abstract: An improvement in a method of controlling lasing in a semiconductor laser fabricated in a photonic crystal laser having a plurality of holes into which a birefringent material with low refractive losses and low optical loses with controllable spatial refractive index orientation has been infiltrated comprises the step of rotating the molecular orientation or changing the physical orientation of the birefringent material infiltrated into the holes of the photonic crystal laser to switch cavity modes. The liquid crystal is aligned by use of an alignable photo addressable polymer layer adjacent to the liquid crystal. The cavity modes are optically switched within the laser without any requirement of external energy to maintain the lasing state of the laser, which allows its use as a memory element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventor: Brett Maune
  • Patent number: 7653317
    Abstract: A first light feedback element is arranged at an optical distance L1 from a front facet of a semiconductor laser from which an output light is emitted on an optical path of the output light. An i-th light feedback element is arranged at an optical distance Li from the front facet on the optical path of the output light, where i=2 to n, n is a positive integer not less than 2, and Li>L1. L1 and Li satisfies ((M?1)+0.01)<(Li/L1)<(M?0.01), where M is a positive integer not less than 2, satisfying (M?1)<(Li/L1)?M.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: The Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yutaka Ohki, Naoki Tsukiji, Hidehiro Taniguchi
  • Publication number: 20100014543
    Abstract: A laser comprising: a resonator cavity defined by at least two reflectors, wherein the at least two reflectors are highly reflective at a plurality of fundamental wavelengths; a laser medium disposed in the resonator cavity capable of generating plurality of fundamental wavelengths; an optical pump source for energizing the laser medium, thereby causing laser light at the plurality of fundamental wavelengths to resonate in the resonator cavity simultaneously; and a nonlinear material located in said resonator cavity capable of simultaneously converting each of the plurality of wavelengths of laser light to generate converted laser light having a plurality of converted wavelengths, said converted wavelengths being derived from but different to the fundamental wavelengths; wherein the non-linear material is at least partially phase matched to nonlinearly convert the frequencies of each of the fundamental wavelengths simultaneously such that a plurality of converted wavelengths are able to be simultaneously gene
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2004
    Publication date: January 21, 2010
    Applicant: LIGHTHOUSE TECHNOLOGIES PTY LTD
    Inventors: Hamish Ogilvy, Richard Paul Mildren
  • Patent number: 7633978
    Abstract: A laser arrangement is provided, in which a Lyot filter arrangement is operative to effect single mode operation. The birefringent element of the Lyot filter arrangement has a cavity folding mirror on one side thereof and a polarizing element on another side thereof, such that the free spectral range of the Lyot filter is improved. Preferably, the Lyot filter arrangement and the laser gain material are located in different branches of the folded cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Cobolt AB
    Inventors: Jonas Hellström, Gunnar Karlsson, Håkan Karlsson
  • Publication number: 20090190623
    Abstract: An optically pumped semiconductor-laser (OPS-laser) resonator includes an arrangement for delivering optical pump radiation on an OPS-chip to cause fundamental radiation to circulate in the resonator. The resonator includes second and third-harmonic generating crystals and is arranged deliver third-harmonic radiation. The resonator also includes a stop positioned and configured to stabilize the laser output. The pump radiation arrangement delivers the pump radiation at an angle to the resonator axis and includes wedged GRIN lens arranged such that the pump radiation forms a circular spot on the OPS chip. The third harmonic generating crystal acts as a polarizer for the fundamental radiation and angularly separates fundamental and third harmonic beams.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2008
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Inventors: CHRISTOPHER IHLI, Qi-Ze Shu, Andrea Caprara, Juan L. Chilla
  • Patent number: 7541600
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for accurately retrieving the position of an optical feature. The method uses the optical properties of biaxial crystals to conically refract the optical feature and transform the image of the optical feature to a circular ring structure. The position of the optical feature is then calculated by locating a center point associated with the circular ring structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Daniel Neuhauser, Gabriel Y. Sirat
  • Patent number: 7535937
    Abstract: A method for producing low-noise laser output at various wavelengths and/or in various operation modes in a monolithic microchip laser comprises schemes of generating two fundamental beams in separate cavities, precise intracavity beam combination based on the walk-off effect in birefringent crystal, and wavelength conversion in nonlinear optical crystals. The fundamental beams are produced from light sources selected upon the desired wavelengths, polarizations, and other features related to the laser output. Low-noise laser devices operated in SLM or with spectra of flat-top or desired bandwidths are constructed according to the method. High-volume fabrication is feasible. Apparatus of compact size and efficient frequency conversion is demonstrated with various configurations including those for generating low-noise 491 nm laser, as a replacement of Argon ion laser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignee: Pavilion Integration Corporation
    Inventors: Ningyi Luo, Sheng-Bai Zhu, Shaoping Lu
  • Patent number: 7518784
    Abstract: A single cavity may be used to produce up-converted, quantum-entangled beams relying on the common field of the pumping energy stimulating to up-converting material to produce the quantum entanglement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Mark E. Saffman, Oo-Kaw Lim
  • Patent number: 7486435
    Abstract: An optical parametric oscillator includes a source of coherent energetic pump optical signals and an optical resonator cavity which includes a set of optical parametric amplifying (OPA) crystals and a set of optical elements such as mirrors disposed along an optical path. The optical elements are configured (1) to direct an oscillation optical signal generated by the OPA crystals along the optical path, (2) to provide input coupling of the energetic pump optical signals such that each energetic pump optical signal travels through only one of the OPA crystals to result in a corresponding depleted pump optical signal, and (3) to provide output coupling of the depleted pump optical signals to prevent each depleted pump optical signal from traveling through more than one of the OPA crystals. Resonator cavities have multiple-leg configurations, including “L” and “U” shapes, and either linear (or standing-wave) or ring architectures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Textron Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Richard Craig Slater
  • Patent number: 7471707
    Abstract: A low-noise micro-chip laser includes a diode pump, a gain medium, a nonlinear crystal, and a birefringent material. The gain medium can receive the energy from the diode pump and generate a laser beam at a fundamental wavelength. The nonlinear crystal can generate a frequency-doubled laser beam in response to the laser beam at the fundamental wavelength. To reduce noise in the frequency-doubled laser beam, the birefringent material and the nonlinear crystal in combination are designed to function as a quarter wave plate at the fundamental wavelength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Photop Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Shaofeng Zhang, Yanping Chen, Deng Peng
  • Patent number: 7352505
    Abstract: To optimise the transformation rate (efficiency) in the optical frequency conversion of laser beams of ultra-short light pulses in optically non-linear media such as a crystal (56), a double refracting crystal (54) is arranged in the beam path before the optically non-linear medium (56). The length of the double refracting crystal (54) is selected and the orientation of its optical crystal axis in relation to the propagation direction of the laser beams involved in the frequency conversion is set such that the change caused by the double refracting crystal (54) in the location, time and direction of incidence of the laser pulses (14) and (16) on the optically non-linear medium (56) and the resulting change in the spatial and temporal overlap of the laser pulses in the optically non-linear medium (56) for optical frequency conversion in the crystal (56) give a conversion efficiency which is higher than the conversion efficiency which would be achieved without the double refracting crystal (54).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Lumera Laser GmbH
    Inventors: Achim Nebel, Bernhard Henrich, Thomas Herrmann
  • Patent number: 7301974
    Abstract: An optical signal emitted from a semiconductor laser is converged by a lens and then received by a single uniaxial birefringent crystal having a C axis that is inclined at an angle other than 90 degrees against a laser optical axis to output an optical signal having a polarized wave component of constant intensity corresponding to the wavelength of the optical signal regardless of temperature changes. The optical signal has an ordinary ray vibrating in a direction perpendicular to a plane including both the C axis and the laser optical axis, and an extraordinary ray vibrating in a direction perpendicular to both the ordinary ray and the laser optical axis. A first main photo detector detects the intensity of a p-polarized component of the optical signal that has passed through a polarizer and a second photo detector directly receives the optical signal converged by the lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masao Imaki, Yoshihito Hirano, Makoto Satou, Kenji Masuda, Akihiro Adachi, Shinichi Takagi, Yasunori Nishimura
  • Patent number: 7085303
    Abstract: A laser includes a chamber having a front mirror and a back mirror defining a optical propagation path. An optical gain medium such as a solid state disk, rod or slab is located between the front and back mirrors within the chamber to produce a laser light along the optical propagation path. A birefringent lens formed from an optically active material is located within the chamber to simultaneously focus the laser light and to affect the polarity of the laser light as the light passes through the birefringent lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey H. Hunt, Vytas T. Gylys, Bruce Cameron