Particular Active Media Patents (Class 372/39)
  • Patent number: 9048628
    Abstract: The challenge of providing a long-life solid-state dye laser medium is tackled. This challenge is solved by a solid-state dye laser medium comprising a polydimethylsiloxane, and a dye dissolved in the polydimethylsiloxane. The dye is preferably a pyrromethene dye.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: KYUSHU UNIVERSITY, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroaki Yoshioka, Yuji Oki, Yu Yang
  • Patent number: 8995490
    Abstract: An edge-emitting semiconductor laser diode includes an epitactic semiconductor layer stack and a planarization layer. The semiconductor layer stack includes a main body and a ridge waveguide. The main body includes an active layer for generating electromagnetic radiation. The planarization layer embeds the ridge waveguide such that a surface of the ridge waveguide and a surface of the planarization layer form a flat main surface. A method for producing such a semiconductor laser diode is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH
    Inventors: Alfred Lell, Christoph Nelz, Christian Rumbolz, Stefan Hartauer
  • Patent number: 8971373
    Abstract: Nanolaser for generating coherent electromagnetic radiation, comprising at least one nanoparticle of metal, preferably silver, or semiconductor, at least one exciting element, preferably a quantum dot, for exciting plasmon resonance of the at least one nanoparticle, wherein the at least one nanoparticle and the at least one exciting element are embedded in a matrix of Photonic or Polaritonic Band-gap (PGB)-material, preferably Silica Carbide (SiC).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: King Saud University
    Inventor: Talal Ghannam
  • Patent number: 8955987
    Abstract: A light emitting device includes a substrate, a laminated body formed by stacking a first cladding layer, a first active layer, a second cladding layer, a third cladding layer, a second active layer, and a fourth cladding layer on the substrate in this order, a first electrode connected to the first cladding layer, a second electrode connected to the second cladding layer and the third cladding layer, and a third electrode connected to the fourth cladding layer, the first active layer generates first light using the first electrode and the second electrode, the second active layer generates second light using the second electrode and the third electrode, and a side surface of the first active layer is provided with an emitting section for emitting the first light, and a side surface of the second active layer is provided with an emitting section for emitting the second light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masamitsu Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 8929415
    Abstract: Photonic crystal cavities and related devices and methods are described. The described cavities can be used as lasers, photovoltaic sources, and single photon sources. The cavities can be both optically and electrically pumped. A fabrication process of the cavities is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Seheon Kim, Axel Scherer
  • Patent number: 8929417
    Abstract: A semiconductor interband laser that includes a first cladding layer formed using a first high-doped semiconductor material having a first refractive index/permittivity and a second cladding layer formed using a second high-doped semiconductor material having a second refractive index/permittivity. The laser also includes a waveguide core having a waveguide core refractive index/permittivity, the waveguide core is positioned between the first and the second cladding layers. The waveguide core including an active region adapted to generate light based on interband transitions. The light being generated defines the lasing wavelength or the lasing frequency. The first refractive index and the second refractive index are lower than the waveguide core refractive index. The first cladding layer and/or the second cladding layers can also be formed using a metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: The Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma
    Inventors: Rui Q. Yang, Tetsuya Mishima, Michael B. Santos, Zhaobing Tian, Matthew B. Johnson, Robert T. Hinkey
  • Publication number: 20140371106
    Abstract: The invention provides light-emitting compositions, including lasing and fluorescent compositions. The invention particularly relates to programmable biological substrates, which fluoresce and/or lase, and which have a wide variety of different applications. The invention extends to use of the fluorescent compositions and lasing compositions comprising programmable biological substrates in fabricating lasers, and in various biological imaging applications, such as in assays.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Publication date: December 18, 2014
    Applicant: UCL BUSINESS PLC
    Inventors: John Edward Hales, John Ward, Gabriel Aeppli, Tim Dafforn
  • Patent number: 8848751
    Abstract: A master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system includes an oscillator having a neodymium-doped gadolinium vanadate gain-medium and delivering seed-pulses. A length of single mode fiber is used to broaden the spectrum of the seed pulse. An amplifier having a neodymium-doped yttrium vanadate gain-medium amplifies the spectrally broadened seed-pulses. The gain-spectrum of the amplifier partially overlaps the broadened pulse-spectrum, providing spectral selection of the seed-pulses in addition to amplification. This provides amplified output-pulses having a duration about one-third that of the corresponding seed-pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Coherent GmbH
    Inventor: Stefan Spiekermann
  • Patent number: 8837541
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the instant invention is an optical structure that includes: an optical active medium of a solid state laser, where the optical active medium has a first coefficient of thermal expansion; and a protective structure that is directly cladded a portion of the optical active medium, where the protective structure has a second coefficient of thermal expansion which matches the first coefficient of thermal expansion of the optical active medium, and where the protective structure is transparent to a wavelength that is within an absorption band of the optical active medium so that the optical structure has: the optical active medium that is protected from a physical damage, and the optical active medium that is capable of generating a laser beam having a first energy that is larger than a second energy generated by a control optical structure having the optical active medium without the protective structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Light Age, Inc.
    Inventors: Burton E. Sarnoff, Donald Heller, Jerzy Krasinski
  • Patent number: 8831060
    Abstract: The invention relates to a laser (1) for emitting laser light in the visible spectral range. A rare earth doped anisotropic crystal (2) comprising a 5d-4f transition is arranged within a laser resonator (7, 8), and a pumping light source (3) pumps the crystal (2) for generating laser light in the visible spectral range by using the 5d-4f transition. The 5d-4f transition of the rare earth doped anisotropic crystal comprises an absorption band extending over several nm. Thus, pump light having a wavelength within a relatively broad wavelength range can be used. This reduces the requirements with respect to the wavelength accuracy of the pumping light source and, thus, more pumping light sources of an amount of produced pumping light sources can be used for assembling the laser, thereby reducing the amount of rejects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
    Inventors: Ulrich Weichmann, Matthias Alexander Wilhelm Fechner, Fabian Reichert, Herbert Walter Klaus Petermann, Gunter Huber
  • Patent number: 8817834
    Abstract: Methods and systems for I/Q mismatch calibration and compensation for wideband communication receivers may comprise receiving a plurality of radio frequency (RF) channels, downconverting the received plurality of received RF channels to baseband frequencies, determining and removing average in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) gain and phase mismatch of the downconverted channels, determining a residual phase and amplitude tilt of the downconverted channels with removed average I and Q gain and phase mismatch, and compensating for said residual phase and amplitude tilt I and Q gain and phase mismatch of the downconverted channels. The determined phase tilt may be compensated utilizing a phase tilt correction filter, which may comprise one or more all-pass filters. The average I and Q gain and phase mismatch may be determined utilizing a blind source separation (BSS) estimation algorithm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Maxlinear, Inc.
    Inventors: Yongtao Wang, Curtis Ling, Tim Gallagher
  • Patent number: 8787416
    Abstract: Provided are a laser diode using zinc oxide nanorods and a manufacturing method thereof. The laser diode using zinc oxide nanorods according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a wafer; an electrode layer formed on the wafer; a nanorod layer including a plurality of n-doped zinc oxide nanorods grown on the electrode layer; and a p-doped single crystal semiconductor layer that is physically in contact with the ends of the zinc oxide nanorods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Dongguk University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation
    Inventors: Sang Wuk Lee, Tae Won Kang, Gennady Panin, Hak Dong Cho
  • Publication number: 20140198317
    Abstract: A laser apparatus comprises a pump laser device, and a polarizing optical fiber having a proximal end and a distal end, with the polarizing optical fiber coupled to the pump laser device at the proximal end. At least one output reflector is written on the polarizing optical fiber toward the distal end. Only one polarization mode is supported when a laser beam is transmitted through the polarizing optical fiber from the pump laser device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2013
    Publication date: July 17, 2014
    Applicant: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Tiequn Qiu, Steven J. Sanders
  • Patent number: 8761212
    Abstract: A method for operating a laser device, which has a laser-active solid-state body including a preferably passive Q switch, in which pumped light is applied to the laser device in order to generate a laser pulse. The laser device and/or an optical link between the laser device and a pumped light source supplying the pumped light is at least partially acted upon by an optical test pulse in order to check the integrity of a/the optical link between the laser device and a pumped light source supplying the pumped light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Martin Weinrotter, Pascal Woerner, Manfred Vogel, Juergen Raimann, Bernd Schmidtke, Heiko Ridderbusch
  • Publication number: 20140133513
    Abstract: A laser device including a laser crystal, a first lens, an induced light source, a third light source and a second lens and a method for generating a laser light are disclosed. The laser crystal includes a gain medium, a first cross section and a second cross section. The first lens is located on the first cross section of the laser crystal. The induced light source is adapted to generate an induced light entering into the laser crystal through the first lens. The third light source is adapted to generate a third light which is adapted for emitting the laser crystal. The third light and the induced light are adapted to induce the liquid crystal to make the liquid crystal generate a first light and a second light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Shih-Ting LIN, Chih-Lin WANG, Yao-Wun JHANG, Chieh HU, Hong-Xi TSAU
  • Patent number: 8705586
    Abstract: To suppress the amplification of spontaneous emission light in a principal plane width direction to thereby suppress a gain in directions other than a beam axis direction and output a high-power laser, in a solid-state laser element of a plane waveguide type that causes a fundamental wave laser beam to oscillate in a beam axis direction in a laser medium of a flat shape and forms a waveguide structure in a thickness direction as a direction perpendicular to a principal plane of the flat shape in the laser medium, inclined sections 12 are provided on both sides of the laser medium, the inclined sections 12 inclining a predetermined angle to reflect spontaneous emission light in the laser medium to a principal plane side of the flat shape, the spontaneous emission light traveling in the beam axis direction and a principal plane width direction as a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Shuhei Yamamoto, Takayuki Yanagisawa, Yasuharu Koyata, Yoshihito Hirano
  • Publication number: 20140079084
    Abstract: A system, apparatus and method employing a laser with a split-head, V-assembly gain material configuration. Additionally, the present invention is directed to techniques to better dissipate or remove unwanted energies in laser operations. The present invention is also directed to techniques for better collimated laser beams, with single spatial mode quality (TEM00), with improved efficiency, in extreme environments, such as in outer space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2012
    Publication date: March 20, 2014
    Inventors: Donald B. Coyle, Paul R. Stysley, Demetrios Poulios
  • Publication number: 20140056321
    Abstract: An optical amplifier receives a seed laser having a wavelength of 1064 nm. Amplification occurs in a segmented Nd:YVO4 gain medium pumped with a pump source. Each segment of the gain medium has a length and dopant concentration and together the segments enhance power absorption in the gain medium enabling use of a higher power end pump which increases pulse energy and average power of the laser. The first end of the gain medium includes a wedge surface which arranges a quad-pass optical amplifier to achieve high extraction efficiency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Publication date: February 27, 2014
    Inventor: XIAOYUAN PENG
  • Patent number: 8660163
    Abstract: An optical amplifier suitable for coherently amplifying surface plasmon-polariton waves with high gain and low noise over visible and infrared wavelengths. The optical amplifier is comprised of a thin strip of material having a complex permittivity with a negative real part, in contact on at least one side with an optical gain medium, where the strip has finite width and thickness such that optical radiation couples to the strip and propagates along its length as a surface plasmon-polariton wave. The surface plasmon-polariton amplifier can also be incorporated into a resonant cavity to form a plasmon-polariton laser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: University of Ottawa
    Inventors: Israel DeLeon, Pierre Berini
  • Patent number: 8654806
    Abstract: A first device is provided. The device includes an organic semiconductor laser. The organic semiconductor laser further includes an optical cavity and an organic layer disposed within the optical cavity. The organic layer includes: an organic host compound; an organic emitting compound capable of fluorescent emission; and an organic dopant compound. The organic dopant compound may also be referred to herein as a “triplet manager.” The triplet energy of the organic dopant compound is lower than or equal to the triplet energy of the organic host compound. The triplet energy of the organic dopant compound is lower than or equal to the triplet energy of the organic emitting compound. The singlet energy of the organic emitting compound is lower than or equal to the singlet energy of the organic host compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of Michigan
    Inventors: Stephen R. Forrest, Yifan Zhang
  • Patent number: 8620164
    Abstract: Described herein is a hybrid III-V Silicon laser comprising a first semiconductor region including layers of semiconductor materials from group III, group IV, or group V semiconductor to form an active region; and a second semiconductor region having a silicon waveguide and bonded to the first semiconductor region via direct bonding at room temperature of a layer of the first semiconductor region to a layer of the second semiconductor region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: John Heck, Hanan Bar, Richard Jones, Hyundai Park
  • Publication number: 20130336345
    Abstract: There is disclosed a femtosecond laser apparatus including a first laser material comprising Ng, Np and Nm axes spatially perpendicular to each other; a second laser material comprising Np axis, Nm axis and Ng axis; and a first laser diode and second laser diodes, wherein the traveling direction of laser beams generated from the first and second laser materials is substantially parallel to Ng axis of the first laser material and the polarizing direction of laser beams generated from the first and second laser materials is substantially parallel to Np axis of the first laser material, and the traveling direction of laser beams generated from the first and second laser materials is substantially parallel to Np axis of the second material and the polarizing direction of laser beams generated from the first and second laser materials is substantially parallel to Nm axis of the second laser material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2013
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Applicant: Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute
    Inventors: Guang Hoon Kim, Uk Kang, Ju Hee Yang, Dae Sik Lee, Elena Sall, Sergey Chizhov, Andrey Kulik, Vladimir Yashin
  • Publication number: 20130287052
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the instant invention is an optical structure that includes: an optical active medium of a solid state laser, where the optical active medium has a first coefficient of thermal expansion; and a protective structure that is directly cladded a portion of the optical active medium, where the protective structure has a second coefficient of thermal expansion which matches the first coefficient of thermal expansion of the optical active medium, and where the protective structure is transparent to a wavelength that is within an absorption band of the optical active medium so that the optical structure has: the optical active medium that is protected from a physical damage, and the optical active medium that is capable of generating a laser beam having a first energy that is larger than a second energy generated by a control optical structure having the optical active medium without the protective structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2012
    Publication date: October 31, 2013
    Inventors: Burton E. Sarnoff, Donald Heller, Jerzy Krasinski
  • Patent number: 8532150
    Abstract: Techniques and devices for generating laser light that use large mode area fiber amplifiers and designed coiling fiber sections to achieve desired operations in a fundamental fiber mode with high pulse quality and optical beam quality while reducing presence of high order fiber modes in continuous wave (CW) and pulsed laser devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Calmar Optcom, Inc.
    Inventors: Sha Tong, Jerry Prawiharjo, Anthony Hong Lin
  • Patent number: 8526475
    Abstract: Disclosed are the use of phosphate-based glasses as a solid state laser gain medium, in particular, the invention relates to broadening the emission bandwidth of rare earth ions used as lasing ions in a phosphate-based glass composition, where the broadening of the emission bandwidth is believed to be achieved by the hybridization of the glass network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Schott Corporation
    Inventors: Hong Li, Sally Pucilowski, Joseph S. Hayden
  • Patent number: 8514901
    Abstract: Embodiments of silicon-based thermal energy transfer apparatus for gain medium crystal of a laser system are provided. For a disk-shaped crystal, the apparatus includes a silicon-based manifold and a silicon-based cover element. For a rectangular cuboid-shaped gain medium crystal, the apparatus includes a first silicon-based manifold, a second silicon-based manifold, and first and second conduit elements coupled between the first and second manifolds. For a right circular cylinder-shaped gain medium crystal, the apparatus includes a first silicon-based manifold, a second silicon-based manifold, and first and second conduit elements coupled between the first and second manifolds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Inventor: Gerald Ho Kim
  • Patent number: 8509269
    Abstract: Cylindrical optical components of quartz glass are known, which have an inner zone made of an inner zone glass, which extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis and is surrounded by a jacket zone made of a jacket zone glass, the average wall thickness thereof varying at least over a part of its length in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the component. The aim of the invention is to provide a method that allows a simple and cost-effective production of such an optical component from quartz glass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Heraeus Quarzglas GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Peter Bauer, Karsten Braeuer, Marco Flach, Andreas Langner, Richard Schmidt, Clemens Schmitt, Gerhard Schoetz, Matthias Stecher
  • Patent number: 8494021
    Abstract: To provide a small and lightweight organic laser device which can be manufactured in a reproductive manner and from which laser light with a desired wavelength can be obtained. A first substrate provided with a light-emitting element having a light-emitting layer between a pair of electrodes and a second substrate provided with a laser medium including a laser dye face each other and one of the pair of electrodes, which is placed between the light-emitting layer and the laser medium, has a light transmitting property. With such a structure, a laser device with which a laser medium and a light source are integrated can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mikio Yukawa, Tetsuo Tsutsui
  • Patent number: 8488641
    Abstract: Light sources are disclosed. A disclosed light source includes a III-V based pump light source (170) that includes nitrogen and emits light at a first wavelength. The light source further includes a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) that converts at least a portion of the first wavelength light (174) emitted by the pump light source (170) to at least a partially coherent light at a second wavelength (176). The VCSEL includes first and second mirrors (120, 160) that form an optical cavity for light at the second wavelength. The first mirror (120) is substantially reflective at the second wavelength and includes a first multilayer stack. The second mirror (160) is substantially transmissive at the first wavelength and partially reflective and partially transmissive and the second wavelength. The second mirror includes a second multilayer stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Michael A. Haase, Thomas J. Miller, Xiaoguang Sun
  • Patent number: 8467426
    Abstract: A system and method for cooling an optical fiber includes a flexible heat sink member, a heat pipe evaporator, and a thermal storage medium. The flexible heat sink member is in thermal contact with the optical fiber. The heat pipe evaporator is configured to dissipate heat from the optical fiber. The thermal storage medium is in thermal contact with the flexible heat sink member and the heat pipe evaporator. The flexible heat sink member is configured to compensate for any mismatch in coefficient of thermal expansion between material of the optical fiber and material of the flexible heat sink member so as to provide radial compliance and to maintain direct thermal contact between the optical fiber and the flexible heat sink member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Joseph Ichkhan, John Schroeder, David A. Rockwell
  • Publication number: 20130128908
    Abstract: A unique physical design of 532 nm Diode Pumped Solid State (DPSS) laser elements to achieve independent crystal phasing (rotation), spacing and output coupler (OC) alignment in a robust small package is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2012
    Publication date: May 23, 2013
    Applicant: LASER ENERGETICS INC.
    Inventor: Laser Energetics Inc.
  • Publication number: 20130100976
    Abstract: In one general embodiment, a thin film structure includes a substrate; a first corrosion barrier layer above the substrate; a reflective layer above the first corrosion barrier layer, wherein the reflective layer comprises at least one repeating set of sub-layers, wherein one of the sub-layers of each set of sub-layers being of a corrodible material; and a second corrosion barrier layer above the reflective layer. In another general embodiment, a system includes an optical element having a thin film structure as recited above; and an image capture or spectrometer device. In a further general embodiment, a laser according to one embodiment includes a light source and the thin film structure as recited above.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2011
    Publication date: April 25, 2013
    Applicant: LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC
    Inventors: Regina Soufli, Monica Fernandez-Perea, Jeff C. Robinson
  • Patent number: 8420502
    Abstract: A method for producing a Group III-V semiconductor device, includes forming, on a base, a plurality of semiconductor devices isolated from one another, forming, through ion implantation, a high-resistance region in a surface layer of a side surface of each semiconductor device, after formation of the high-resistance region, forming a p-electrode and a low-melting-point metal diffusion prevention layer on the top surface of the semiconductor device, bonding the semiconductor device to a conductive support substrate via a low-melting-point metal layer, and removing the base through the laser lift-off process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masanobu Ando, Shigemi Horiuchi, Yoshinori Kinoshita, Kazuyoshi Tomita
  • Patent number: 8422524
    Abstract: There is provided a rotary disk laser module including disk comprised of at least one lasing material. The lasing material may be excited by a laser excitation source, such as an optical pump beam directed onto the disk. The laser gain region contains excited lasing material and extends between the first and second surfaces of the disk. A laser generator is formed when the gain region is brought into optical communication with a laser generator. A laser generator may be a laser oscillator or a laser amplifier. The disk may move in order to enable various lasing functionality to the laser module. For instance, the disk may rotate, translate, or tilt to rotate the gain region, provide various quantum effects, or to enable heat transfer with a heat sink. A high-power laser generator may be formed by using a number of disks containing lasing material, exciting the lasing material using at least one laser excitation source, and bringing them into optical communication with a laser generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Inventor: Santanu Basu
  • Patent number: 8416829
    Abstract: In one general embodiment, a thin film structure includes a substrate; a first corrosion barrier layer above the substrate; a reflective layer above the first corrosion barrier layer, wherein the reflective layer comprises at least one repeating set of sub-layers, wherein one of the sub-layers of each set of sub-layers being of a corrodible material; and a second corrosion barrier layer above the reflective layer. In another general embodiment, a system includes an optical element having a thin film structure as recited above; and an image capture or spectrometer device. In a further general embodiment, a laser according to one embodiment includes a light source and the thin film structure as recited above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventors: Regina Soufli, Monica Fernandez-Perea, Jeff C. Robinson
  • Patent number: 8405066
    Abstract: A nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device having enhanced efficiency of carrier injection to a well layer is provided. The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device comprises a hexagonal gallium nitride-based semiconductor substrate 5, an n-type gallium nitride-based semiconductor region 7 disposed on the principal surface S1 of the substrate 5, a light-emitting layer 11 having a single-quantum-well structure disposed on the n-type gallium nitride-based semiconductor region 7, and a p-type gallium nitride-based semiconductor region 19 disposed on the light-emitting layer 11. The light-emitting layer 11 is disposed between the n-type gallium nitride-based semiconductor region 7 and the p-type gallium nitride-based semiconductor region 19. The light-emitting layer 11 includes a well layer 15 and barrier layers 13 and 17. The well layer 15 comprises InGaN.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Kyono, Yohei Enya, Yusuke Yoshizumi, Katsushi Akita, Takamichi Sumitomo, Masaki Ueno
  • Publication number: 20130064262
    Abstract: The invention relates to an optically pumped ultrashort pulse microchip laser for generating a laser emission having femto- or picosecond pulses, comprising a substrate, an amplifying laser medium, a first resonator mirror that is at least partially transparent to optical pump radiation, and in particular a saturable absorber structure. The laser medium is applied to the resonator mirror and the substrate and subsequently reduced from the original material thickness to a thickness of less than 200 ?m. In order to achieve satisfactory power absorption despite said low thickness, the optical pump radiation is coupled into the laser medium such that resonance occurs for the laser emission and excess intensity increases occur for the pump radiation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2011
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Inventor: Daniel Kopf
  • Patent number: 8385378
    Abstract: A gain medium and an interband cascade laser, having the gain medium are presented. The gain medium can have one or both of the following features: (1) the thicknesses of the one or more hole quantum wells in the hole injector region are reduced commensurate with the thickness of the active hole quantum well in the active quantum well region, so as to place the valence band maximum in the hole injector region at least about 100 meV lower than the valence band maximum in the active hole quantum well; and (2) the thickness of the last well of the electron injector region is between 85 and 110% of the thickness of the first active electron quantum well in the active gain region of the next stage of the medium. A laser incorporating a gain medium in accordance with the present invention can emit in the mid-IR range from about 2.5 to 8 ?m at high temperatures with room-temperature continuous wave operation to wavelengths of at least 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: The United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Igor Vurgaftman, Jerry R. Meyer, Chadwick Lawrence Canedy, William W. Bewley, James R. Lindle, Chul Soo Kim, Mijin Kim
  • Patent number: 8385375
    Abstract: A glass composition for use as a laser medium, a method for producing the glass composition, and a laser apparatus including the glass composition are provided. The glass composition includes a host glass; a 3p component having a concentration of about 5 mole percent to about 10 mole percent; and at least one of a 6p component having a concentration of about 1 mole percent to about 5 mole percent and a 5p component having a concentration of about 1 mole percent to about 5 mole percent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Inventors: Robert R. Alfano, Alexei Bykov, Mikhail Sharonov
  • Patent number: 8340145
    Abstract: A microwave circuit includes at least one inductive portion and at least one capacitive portion and having a resonance frequency, the microwave circuit including a material which acts as a dielectric for the capacitive portion, characterized in that the material acting as a dielectric includes an active region that is an electrically pumped semiconductor heterostructure having at least two energy levels whose energy separation is close to the resonance frequency of the microwave circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: ETH Zurich
    Inventors: Christoph Walther, Jerome Faist, Giacomo Scalari, Maria Amanti, Mattias Beck, Markus Geiser
  • Publication number: 20120275479
    Abstract: A high average power laser system with modulated gain suppression includes an input aperture associated with a first laser beam extraction path and an output aperture associated with the first laser beam extraction path. The system also includes a pinhole creation laser having an optical output directed along a pinhole creation path and an absorbing material positioned along both the first laser beam extraction path and the pinhole creation path. The system further includes a mechanism operable to translate the absorbing material in a direction crossing the first laser beam extraction laser path and a controller operable to modulate the second laser beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2012
    Publication date: November 1, 2012
    Applicant: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventor: Andrew James Bayramian
  • Publication number: 20120269218
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for electrophoretic deposition of a three-dimensionally patterned green body includes suspending a first material in a gelling agent above a patterned electrode of an electrophoretic deposition (EPD) chamber, and gelling the suspension while applying a first electric field to the suspension to cause desired patterning of the first material in a resulting gelation. In another embodiment, a ceramic, metal, or cermet includes a plurality of layers, wherein each layer includes a gradient in composition, microstructure, and/or density in an x-y plane oriented parallel to a plane of deposition of the plurality of layers along a predetermined distance in a z-direction perpendicular to the plane of deposition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2012
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Applicant: LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC
    Inventors: Marcus A. Worsley, Joshua D. Kuntz, Klint A. Rose
  • Patent number: 8295317
    Abstract: A method of making a nitride semiconductor laser comprises forming a first InGaN film for an active layer on a gallium nitride based semiconductor region, and the first InGaN film has a first thickness. In the formation of the first InGaN film, a first gallium raw material, a first indium raw material, and a first nitrogen raw material are supplied to a reactor to deposit a first InGaN for forming the first InGaN film at a first temperature, and the first InGaN has a thickness thinner than the first thickness. Next, the first InGaN is heat-treated at a second temperature lower than the first temperature in the reactor, while supplying a second indium raw material and a second nitrogen raw material to the reactor. Then, after the heat treatment, a second InGaN is deposited at least once to form the first InGaN film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaki Ueno, Takashi Kyono
  • Patent number: 8290011
    Abstract: A gain medium and an interband cascade laser, having the gain medium are presented. The gain medium can have one or both of the following features: (1) the thicknesses of the one or more hole quantum wells in the hole injector region are reduced commensurate with the thickness of the active hole quantum well in the active quantum well region, so as to place the valence band maximum in the hole injector region at least about 100 meV lower than the valence band maximum in the active hole quantum well; and (2) the thickness of the last well of the electron injector region is between 85 and 110% of the thickness of the first active electron quantum well in the active gain region of the next stage of the medium. A laser incorporating a gain medium in accordance with the present invention can emit in the mid-IR range from about 2.5 to 8 ?m at high temperatures with room-temperature continuous wave operation to wavelengths of at least 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Igor Vurgaftman, Jerry R. Meyer, Chadwick L. Canedy, William W. Bewley, James R. Lindle, Chul-soo Kim, Mijin Kim
  • Patent number: 8279519
    Abstract: An integrated semiconductor optical-emitting device includes a surface-emission laser diode and an EA-type semiconductor optical modulator integrated commonly on a GaAs substrate in a direction perpendicular to the GaAs substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Takahashi, Shunichi Sato
  • Patent number: 8223809
    Abstract: A laser gain medium crystal comprising a square rod of laser gain medium material having top and bottom surfaces that are finely ground to introduce scattering surfaces to cancel parasitic lasing. The square rod of laser gain material has input and output faces and side surfaces, and portions of the side surfaces near the output face of the square rod are finely ground to introduce scattering surfaces to cancel parasitic lasing. The rest of the side surfaces of the square rod are polished.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: John E. Nettleton, Dallas N. Barr
  • Patent number: 8218593
    Abstract: Optical devices include a doped glass material in which the dopant facilitates the transmission of energy out from the glass material. The doped glass may not significantly absorb a selected wavelength of laser radiation to be manipulated by the optical devices. The dopant may comprise one or more of a transition metal element, an actinide element, and a lanthanide element. Laser systems include at least one such optical device and a laser device configured to emit a beam to be manipulated by the optical device. Methods for forming optical devices and laser systems including such optical devices include dispersing a dopant within a glass material to form, and forming the glass material into a body having a size and shape configured to manipulate a beam of radiation emitted by a laser device. The dopant is selected to comprise a material that facilitates the transmission of energy out from the glass material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Alliant Techsystems Inc.
    Inventor: John S. Canham
  • Patent number: 8213473
    Abstract: A laser gain medium and laser system include a host material, a plurality of quantum dots dispersed throughout the host material, and a plurality of laser active ions surrounding each of the quantum dots. The laser active ions are disposed in close proximity to the quantum dots such that energy absorbed by the quantum dots is transferred to the ions, thereby exciting the ions to produce laser output. In an illustrative embodiment, each quantum dot is surrounded by an external shell doped with the laser active ions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Kalin Spariosu, Alexander A. Betin
  • Patent number: 8204094
    Abstract: A laser comprises an end pump light source and a gain medium having a first end, a second end, and four sides comprising a first, a second, a third, and a fourth side. The end pump light source is optically coupled to the first end and pumps the gain medium. The first side and the third side are tapered inwardly from the first end to the first end to the second end at a taper angle ? relative to a longitudinal lasing axis and have a polished finish capable of reflecting light inside the gain medium. The second side and the fourth side are substantially parallel to the longitudinal lasing axis have a ground blasted finish. The first side is also tilted inwardly at a slant angle ? from the fourth side to the second side. A laser beam R0 exits the second end of the gain medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Innova, Inc.
    Inventor: M. Cem Gokay
  • Patent number: 8189634
    Abstract: Method of manufacturing a laser medium with a material having a surface and a dopant in the material distributed whereby the material has a spatially variant optical flux density profile uses tailored non-uniform gain profiles within a Yb:YAG laser component (rod, slab, disc, etc.) achieved by a spatial material modification in the spatially masked pre-forms. High temperature-assisted reduction leads to the coordinate-dependent gain profiles, which are controlled by the topology of the deposited solid masks. The gain profiles are obtained by reducing the charge state of the laser-active trivalent Yb3+ ions into inactive divalent Yb2+ ions. This valence conversion process is driven by mass transport of ions and oxygen vacancies. These processes, in turn, affect the dopant distribution throughout the surface and bulk laser crystal. By reducing proportionally more Yb3+ ions at the unmasked areas of component, than in the masked areas, the coordinate-dependent or spatially-controlled gain profiles are achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: David S. Sumida, Robert W. Byren, Michael Ushinsky