Amorphous (e.g., Glass) Patents (Class 372/40)
  • Patent number: 11133641
    Abstract: Disclosed is a terahertz laser device based on phonon vibration excitation, including a resonant cavity composed of a hollow waveguide made of a composite film and optical lenses at both ends of the waveguide, where M represents nano-metal particles. A zinc oxide mesomorphic microsphere is used herein as a source, symmetric stretching vibration of nanosheets on the zinc oxide microsphere is excited and induced by a laser and is transmitted through elastic and electric coupling among the nanosheets, and a terahertz wave with a frequency of 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: Nanjing University
    Inventors: Xinglong Wu, Run Yang, Yixian Wang, Jiancang Shen
  • Patent number: 11027935
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for paying out material. One embodiment is a method for dispensing film onto a surface. the method includes operating vacuum ports at a suction table, adhering a leading edge of a web of film to the suction table, driving the payout system across the suction table while the vacuum ports are being operated and while unrolling the web of film, unrolling a web of film from a roll of a payout system that is mounted for traversal across the upper surface of the suction table, and enforcing tension at the web of film between the suction table and the roll while payout system is drawn across the suction table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Richard Allen Miller, II
  • Patent number: 10312456
    Abstract: The invention relates to a composition having an organic emitter molecule, which has a ?E(S1?T1) value between the lowest excited singlet state (S1) and the triplet state thereunder of less than 3000 cm?1 and an atom or molecule for reducing the intersystem crossing time constant of the organic molecule.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: CYNORA GMBH
    Inventors: Hartmut Yersin, Alexander Hupfer
  • Patent number: 9900124
    Abstract: Consistent with the present disclosure, data, in digital form, is received by a transmit node of an optical communication system, is processed and then output to drive a modulator. The modulator, in turn, modulates light at one of a plurality of wavelengths in accordance with the received data, forming a plurality of corresponding carriers. The plurality of wavelengths used for the plurality of carriers are spectrally spaced apart by a common, periodic fixed spacing. The plurality of carriers are optically combined with a fixed spacing combiner to form a superchannel. A plurality of superchannels are generated and then multiplexed together onto an optical communication path and transmitted to a receive node. Each superchannel includes a plurality of carriers, each spectrally separated by the same fixed spacing. The plurality of superchannels are spectrally separated by an amount corresponding to the fixed spacing of the plurality of carriers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: Infinera Corporation
    Inventors: John D. McNicol, Michael Francis Van Leeuwen
  • Patent number: 9834469
    Abstract: The invention relates to phosphate-based glasses suitable for use as a solid laser medium, doped with Er3+ and sensitized with Yb, in “eye-safe” applications. In particular, the invention relates to improving the physical properties of such phosphate-based laser glass composition, particularly with regards to strength of the glass structure and improved thermal shock resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: SCHOTT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Simi George, Paula Vullo, Ronald Klimek
  • Patent number: 9711928
    Abstract: Single heterogeneous crystals are described that contain multiple regimes, adjacent regimes varying from one another with regard to function. Also disclosed is a hydrothermal epitaxial growth process that can be utilized to form the single heterogeneous crystals. The single heterogeneous crystals can exhibit enhanced performance when used as a laser gain medium as compared to previously known single crystals and multi-crystal constructs. The heterogeneous single crystal can be utilized for thin disk lasers and can minimize the thermal distortion effects at high powers. The heterogeneous crystal can also serve as an embedded waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Clemson University Research Foundation
    Inventors: Joseph Kolis, Colin McMillen
  • Publication number: 20140269800
    Abstract: Examples of the present invention include integrated erbium-doped waveguide lasers designed for silicon photonic systems. In some examples, these lasers include laser cavities defined by distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) formed in silicon nitride-based waveguides. These DBRs may include grating features defined by wafer-scale immersion lithography, with an upper layer of erbium-doped aluminum oxide deposited as the final step in the fabrication process. The resulting inverted ridge-waveguide yields high optical intensity overlap with the active medium for both the 980 nm pump (89%) and 1.5 ?m laser (87%) wavelengths with a pump-laser intensity overlap of over 93%. The output powers can be 5 mW or higher and show lasing at widely-spaced wavelengths within both the C- and L-bands of the erbium gain spectrum (1536, 1561 and 1596 nm).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventors: Purnawirman Purnawirman, Michael R. Watts, Ehsan Sha Hosseini, Jonathan D. Bradley, Jie Sun, Matteo Cherchi
  • Patent number: 8837534
    Abstract: An element for the amplification of a light by stimulated emission of radiation and a method of making the same is described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignees: Adelaide Research & Innovation Pty Ltd., Macquarie University
    Inventors: David Lancaster, Simon Gross, Tanya Marie Monro, Michael Withford, Alexander Fuerbach
  • Publication number: 20140247848
    Abstract: The invention relates to a Nd-doped, aluminate-based or silicate-based, laser glass having a peak emission wavelength that is longer than 1059.7 nm, an emission cross section (?em) of ?1.5×10?20 cm2, and/or an emission bandwidth (??eff) of ?28 nm, while maintaining properties that render the glass suitable for commercial use, such as low glass transition temperature Tg and low nonlinear index, n2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2014
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Applicant: SCHOTT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Simi GEORGE, Nathan CARLIE, Sally PUCILOWSKI, Joseph HAYDEN
  • Patent number: 8817830
    Abstract: This disclosure demonstrates successfully using single, polycrystalline, hot pressed ceramic, and thin film Fe doped binary chalcogenides (such as ZnSe and ZnS) as saturable absorbing passive Q-switches. The method of producing polycrystalline ZnSe(S) yields fairly uniform distribution of dopant, large coefficients of absorption (5-50 cm?1) and low passive losses while being highly cost effective and easy to reproduce. Using these Fe2+:ZnSe crystals, stable Q-switched output was achieved with a low threshold and the best cavity configuration yielded 13 mJ/pulse single mode Q-switched output and 85 mJ in a multipulse regime.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: The UAB Research Foundation
    Inventors: Sergey Mirov, Andrew Gallian, Alan Martinez, Vladimir Fedorov
  • Publication number: 20140153600
    Abstract: An optical light source is provided. The optical light source includes a waveguide including two reflectors arranged spaced apart from each other to define an optical cavity therebetween, an optical gain medium, and a coupling structure arranged to couple light between the optical cavity and the optical gain medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2013
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: Agency for Science, Technology and Research
    Inventors: Xianshu LUO, Junfeng SONG, Haifeng ZHOU, Tsung-Yang LIOW, Mingbin YU, Patrick Guo-Qiang LO
  • Publication number: 20140146841
    Abstract: The invention relates to glasses for use in solid laser applications, particularly short-pulsed, high peak power laser applications. In particular, the invention relates to a method for broadening the emission bandwidth of rare earth ions used as lasing ions in solid laser glass mediums, especially phosphate-based glass compositions, using Nd and Yb as co-dopants. The invention further relates to a laser system using a Nd-doped and Yb-doped phosphate laser glass, and a method of generating a laser beam pulse using such a laser system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Publication date: May 29, 2014
    Inventors: Simi GEORGE, Nathan CARLIE, Sally PUCILOWSKI, Joseph HAYDEN
  • Publication number: 20140146840
    Abstract: The invention relates to a Nd-doped, aluminate-based or silicate-based, laser glass having a peak emission wavelength that is longer than 1059.7 nm, an emission cross section (?em) of ?1.5×10?20 cm2, and/or an emission bandwidth (??eff) of ?28 nm, while maintaining properties that render the glass suitable for commercial use, such as low glass transition temperature Tg and low nonlinear index, n2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2012
    Publication date: May 29, 2014
    Applicant: SCHOTT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Simi GEORGE, Nathan CARLIE, Sally PUCILOWSKI, Joseph HAYDEN
  • Publication number: 20140146839
    Abstract: The invention relates to a Nd-doped (and/or Yb-doped and/or Er-doped) phosphate laser glass having a peak emission wavelength that is shorter than 1054 nm. Cerium oxide (CeO2) is incorporated into a phosphate glass host system, preferably in replacement of lanthanum oxide, to shift the peak emission wavelength to a wavelength shorter than 1054 nm. The invention further relates to a laser system using mixed-glass arrangement and phase compensation, wherein one of the glasses of the mixed glass system is an Nd-doped (and/or Yb-doped and/or Er-doped) phosphate laser glass having a peak emission wavelength that is shorter than 1054 nm, and a method of generating a laser beam pulse using such a laser system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2012
    Publication date: May 29, 2014
    Applicant: SCHOTT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Simi GEORGE, Sally PUCILOWSKI, Joseph HAYDEN, Nathan CARLIE
  • Patent number: 8699541
    Abstract: An unstable optical resonator device is provided, comprising a spherical back mirror, a spherical outcoupling mirror, wherein a focal point lies between the back mirror and the outcoupling mirror, an optically active medium with a rectangular medium cross-section arranged between the back mirror and the outcoupling mirror, and a scraper, which is arranged between the back mirror and the outcoupling mirror and has a first leg and a second leg located transversely to the first leg, said legs defining a free space with a first side delimited by the first leg and a second side delimited by the second leg, wherein the first side and the second side are orthogonal to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V.
    Inventors: Carsten Pargmann, Thomas Hall
  • Publication number: 20130343416
    Abstract: An element for the amplification of a light by stimulated emission of radiation and a method of making the same is described herein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2013
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Inventors: David Lancaster, Simon Gross, Tanya Marie Monro, Michael Withford, Alexander Fuerbach
  • Publication number: 20130303777
    Abstract: A luminescent material includes a transition metal complex which comprises any one of Ir, Os, and Pt as a central metal; and at least one of a carbene ligand and a silylene ligand. The carbene ligand includes a boron atom in a skeleton thereof. The carbene ligand is neutral or monoanionic. The carbene ligand is monodentate, bidentate, or tridentate. The silylene ligand includes a boron atom in a skeleton thereof. The silylene ligand is neutral or monoanionic. The silylene ligand is monodentate, bidentate, or tridentate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2011
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ken Okamoto, Tetsuji Itoh, Masahito Ohe, Yoshimasa Fujita, Hidenori Ogata, Akinori Itoh, Makoto Yamada
  • 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: 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: 8509588
    Abstract: An amplifying optical fiber includes a core containing oxides of elements selected from the group consisting of silicon, germanium, phosphorus, bismuth, aluminum, gallium with a concentration of bismuth oxide of 10-4-5 mol %, a total concentration of silicon and germanium oxides of 70-99.8999 mol %, a total concentration of aluminum and gallium oxides of 0.1-20 mol % wherein both aluminum and gallium oxide are present and a ratio of aluminum oxide to gallium oxide is at least two, and a concentration of phosphorus oxide from 0 to 10 mol %, and provides a maximum optical gain at least 10 times greater than the nonresonant loss factor in the optical fiber. An outside oxide glass cladding comprises fused silica. The core has an absorption band in the 1000 nm region, pumping to which region provides an increased efficiency of power conversion of pump light into luminescence light in the 1000-1700 nm range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Fiber Optics Research Center of The Russian Academy of Sciences
    Inventors: Evgeny Mikhailovich Dianov, Vladislav Vladimirovich Dvoirin, Valery Mikhailovich Mashinsky, Alexei Nikolaevich Guryanov, Andrei Alexandrovich Umnikov
  • Patent number: 8486850
    Abstract: The invention relates to aluminophosphate-based glasses suitable for use as a solid laser medium, which further contains SiO2 and B2O3. The laser glasses possess desirable figure of merit values for FOMTM and FOMlaser, as described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Schott Corporation
    Inventors: Hong Li, Elizabeth Chase, Joe Hayden
  • Patent number: 8442089
    Abstract: [Object] An object of the invention is to provide a laser device having high optical amplification efficiency. [Solving Means] A laser device 100 includes: an optical fiber 20 which includes a core 21 and a clad 22 and through which seed light and pumping light propagate; and a glass rod 50 which is doped with rare earth elements, has a diameter larger than that of the core 21, wherein the seed light and the pumping light output from the optical fiber 20 are input to the glass rod 50 to have increased diameters, and output light including at least the amplified seed light is output from the glass rod 50.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Fujikura Ltd.
    Inventor: Michihiro Nakai
  • 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: 8331410
    Abstract: A light emitting device with a ?-cavity including a first spacer of single crystal dielectric material and an active area including single crystal erbium dielectric material positioned on the first spacer. The erbium dielectric material and the single crystal dielectric material of the first spacer are substantially crystal lattice matched at their juncture. A second spacer of single crystal dielectric material is positioned on the active area. The erbium dielectric material and the single crystal dielectric material of the second spacer are substantially crystal lattice matched at the second surface. The high-? erbium dielectric provides a high gain ?-cavity that emits increased amounts of light in either spontaneous or stimulated modes of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Inventors: Michael Lebby, Vijit Sabnis, Petar B. Atanackovic
  • Publication number: 20120269219
    Abstract: A semiconductor laser according to the present invention comprises a ?/2 dielectric film (?: in-medium wavelength of a dielectric film, for example, SiO2, Si3N4, Al2O3, and AlN) in contact with a facet of a resonator; and a first dielectric double layered film disposed on the dielectric film, which includes a first layer of a-Si and a second layer of a material having a refractive index lower than that of a-Si. The first layer has a thickness ¼ of an in-medium wavelength of a-Si, and the second layer has a thickness ¼ of a in-medium wavelength of the second layer. Therefore, it is possible to firmly stack the first dielectric double layered film and form a high reflectance film with high yield.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2012
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Yuichiro OKUNUKI
  • Patent number: 8270445
    Abstract: A light-emitting device is provided which includes a gain medium having an optically-active phosphosilicate glass, wherein the phosphosilicate glass includes at least one active ion dopant and from about 1 to 30 mol % of phosphorus oxide. The phosphorous oxide may be present in an effective amount for reducing any photodarkening effect and increasing the saturation energy of the system. The active ion dopant may be a rare earth dopant. The light-emitting device may include an optical waveguide, the optical waveguide including the gain medium. The optical waveguide may have a core and at least one cladding, and the gain medium having the phosphosilicate glass may be found in the core and/or in one of the cladding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Coractive High-Tech Inc
    Inventors: Bertrand Morasse, Jean-Philippe De Sandro, Eric Gagnon, Stephane Chatigny
  • 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: 8208502
    Abstract: Designs of fiber-coupled solid state microcavity light emitters based on microdisk cavities, photonic crystal cavities and other microcavity configurations to provide efficient optical coupling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Kartik Srinivasan, Oskar Painter
  • Patent number: 8204089
    Abstract: There is provided a mode locked laser device including: a cavity, the cavity having a semiconductor saturable absorbing mirror and a negative dispersion mirror that controls group velocity dispersion within the cavity, disposed in a straight line; a solid-state laser medium, disposed in the cavity and outputting oscillating light due to excitation light being incident thereon; an excitation unit that causes the excitation light to be incident on the solid-state laser medium; and a cavity holder, the light incident face of the semiconductor saturable absorbing mirror attached to one end of the cavity holder, the negative dispersion mirror attached to the other end of the cavity holder, and the cavity holder integrally supporting the semiconductor saturable absorbing mirror and the negative dispersion mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Tadashi Kasamatsu, Shogo Yamazoe, Yutaka Korogi
  • 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
  • Patent number: 8189633
    Abstract: A polycrystalline transparent ceramic article including lutetium is presented. The article includes an oxide with a formula of ABO3, having type A lattice sites and type B lattice sites. The lattice site A may further comprise a plurality of elements, in addition to lutetium. Type B lattice site includes aluminum. An imaging device, a laser assembly, and a scintillator including the lutetium-based article is provided. A method of making the above article is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Kalaga Murali Krishna, Venkat Subramaniam Venkataramani, Mohan Manoharan
  • Patent number: 8175132
    Abstract: A laser device which causes lasing with a use of a semiconductor quantum dot is provided with: a laser member (11) in which the semiconductor quantum dot is formed; a resonator (14) for resonating light generated in the laser member (11); and a pump laser (15) for irradiating the laser member (11) with excitation light whose energy corresponds to two-photon resonant excitation, so as to form a biexciton state in the semiconductor quantum dot by the two-photon resonant excitation. In this way, a laser device which enables lasing using efficient light emission is realized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Japan Science and Technology Agency
    Inventors: Tadashi Itoh, Masaaki Ashida
  • Patent number: 8144392
    Abstract: A waveguide amplifier, disposed on a substrate, composed of sputtered film of chalcogenide glass doped with Erbium is disclosed. The amplifier includes a substrate, a thick film of chalcogenide glass disposed on the substrate, a pumping device, and an optical combining device, wherein the waveguide is operable to amplify the optically combined signal. This type of amplifier has been shown to be compact and cost-effective, in addition to being transparent in the mid-IR range as a result of the low phonon energy of chalcogenide glass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Jasbinder S Sanghera, Ishwar D Aggarwal, Jesse A. Frantz, Leslie Brandon Shaw
  • Publication number: 20120063479
    Abstract: The invention relates to aluminophosphate-based glasses suitable for use as a solid laser medium, which further contains SiO2 and B2O3. The laser glasses possess desirable figure of merit values for FOMTM and FOMlaser, as described herein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2010
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Applicant: SCHOTT NORTH AMERICA
    Inventors: Hong Li, Elizabeth Chase, Joe Hayden
  • Publication number: 20120033693
    Abstract: The invention relates to aluminoborosilicate-based glasses suitable for use as a solid laser medium. In particular, these aluminoborosilicate-based laser glasses exhibit broad emission bandwidths of rare earth lasing ions. Although not entirely understood, the broadening of the emission bandwidth is believed to be achieved by the presence of significant amounts of lanthanide ions in the glass matrix. In addition, because of the high values of Young's modulus, fracture toughness and hardness, the rare earth aluminoborosilicate glass system according to the invention is also suitable as transparent armor window material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2010
    Publication date: February 9, 2012
    Applicant: SCHOTT NORTH AMERICA
    Inventors: Hong LI, Carsten WEINHOLD
  • Publication number: 20120033694
    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: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2010
    Publication date: February 9, 2012
    Applicant: SCHOTT AG
    Inventors: Hong LI, Sally PUCILOWSKI, Joseph S. HAYDEN
  • Patent number: 8053383
    Abstract: To provide a light-amplifying glass capable of increasing absorption of Yb3+. A light-amplifying glass to be used for amplifying light having a wavelength of 1.0 to 1.2 ?m, which comprises, as represented by mol % based on the following oxides, from 30 to 55% of Bi2O3, from 25 to 50% of either one, or both in total, of SiO2 and B2O3, from 12 to 27% of either one, or both in total, of Al2O3 and Ga2O3, from 0 to 4% of La2O3 and from 0.1 to 4% of Yb2O3 and which contains substantially no Er2O3. An optical waveguide having such a light-amplifying glass as a core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited
    Inventors: Seiki Ohara, Yuki Kondo
  • Patent number: 8050303
    Abstract: A laser gain medium. The novel laser gain medium includes 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 non-radiatively transferred to the ions via a Forster resonant energy transfer, 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: April 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignees: Raytheon Company, Evident Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kalin Spariosu, Alexander A. Betin, Michael LoCascio, Wei Liu
  • Patent number: 8021636
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of preparing a polycrystalline block of a halide of formula AeLnfX(3f+e) in which Ln represents one or more rare earths, X represents one or more halogen atoms selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br and I, and A represents one or more alkali metals selected from the group consisting of K, Li, Na, Rb and Cs, e, which may be zero, being less than or equal to 3f, and f being greater than or equal to 1, having a low water and oxyhalide content, in which the method comprises heating a mixture of, on the one hand, at least one compound having at least one Ln—X bond and, on the other hand, a sufficient amount of NH4X in order to obtain the oxyhalide content, resulting in a molten mass comprising the rare-earth halide, the heating being followed by cooling, and the heating, after having reached 300° C., never going below 200° C. before the molten mass has been obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Saint-Gobain Cristaux et Detecteurs
    Inventor: Alain Iltis
  • Publication number: 20110206078
    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: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2011
    Publication date: August 25, 2011
    Inventors: Robert R. ALFANO, Alexei Bykov, Mikhail Sharonov
  • Patent number: 8000362
    Abstract: A solid-state suspension laser. The novel laser includes a gain medium comprised of a plurality of solid-state gain particles suspended in a fluid. The laser also includes a pump source for pumping the gain particles and a resonator for amplifying and outputting laser light generated by the gain medium. In an illustrative embodiment, the gain medium is adapted to flow, and the pumping of the gain medium occurs outside of the resonator. The flow velocities and the densities of the gain particles in the gain medium can be optimized for optimal absorption efficiency during the pumping and/or for optimal extraction efficiency in the resonator as well as for overall laser performance optimization, including power, efficiency and beam quality scalability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Alexander A. Betin, Kalin Spariosu
  • Patent number: 7995638
    Abstract: A laser configuration producing up to 100's of Watts of output is provided, based on a solid-state gain medium, a source of pump energy which is detuned from the maximum absorption wavelength for the gain medium, and optics arranged to deliver the pump energy through an end of the gain medium to propagate along the length of the gain medium. The length of the gain medium and the doping concentration in the gain medium are sufficient the absorption length is on the order of 10's of millimeters, and more than ? of the length, and that 90 percent or more of the pump energy is absorbed within two or fewer passes of the gain medium. A pump energy source that supplies 100 Watts to 1000 Watts or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Laserscope
    Inventor: Gerald Mitchell
  • Patent number: 7951735
    Abstract: This invention relates to the use of novel glass materials comprising rare earth aluminate glasses (REA1™ glasses) in the gain medium of solid state laser devices that produce light at infrared wavelengths, typically in the range 1000 to 3000 nm and for infrared optics with transmission to approximately 5000 nm in thin sections. The novel glass materials provide stable hosts for trivalent ytterbium (Yb3+) ions and other optically active species or combinations of optically active species that exhibit fluorescence and that can be optically excited by the application of light. The glass gain medium can be configured as a waveguide or placed in an external laser cavity, or otherwise arranged to achieve gain in the laser waveband and so produce laser action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: J.K. Richard Weber, Jean Ann Tangeman, Daniel Scott Hampton, Paul C. Nordine
  • Publication number: 20110069728
    Abstract: Diode pumped, ytterbium doped glass or glass ceramic lasers are provided. A laser source is provided comprising an optical pump, a glass or glass ceramic gain media, a wavelength conversion device, and an output filter. The gain media comprises a ytterbium doped glass or a ytterbium doped glass ceramic gain media and is characterized by an absorption spectrum comprising a maximum absorption peak and a sub-maximum absorption peak, each disposed along distinct wavelength portions of the absorption spectrum of the gain media. The optical pump and the gain media are configured such that the pump wavelength ? is more closely aligned with the sub-maximum absorption peak of the gain media than the maximum absorption peak of the gain media. Additional embodiments are disclosed and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2009
    Publication date: March 24, 2011
    Inventor: Anthony Sebastian Bauco
  • Publication number: 20110058577
    Abstract: A laser glass fiber with a core of the fiber composition, comprising a silicate glass host, one or more glass network modifiers, one or more glass network intermediators, and Thulium ions, Holmium ions, or a combination of Thulium ions and Holmium ions. The fiber emits laser light from 1.7 micron to 2.2 micron.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2008
    Publication date: March 10, 2011
    Inventors: Shibin Jiang, Tao Luo
  • Patent number: 7894501
    Abstract: Laser light emission across a wide bandwidth emission spectrum is enabled in a laser device equipped with solid gain media. The laser device is equipped with: a resonator; a plurality of solid gain media, having fluorescent spectra that at least partially overlap with each other, provided within the resonator; and pumping means, for pumping the plurality of solid gain media. The entire fluorescent spectrum width of the plurality of solid gain media is greater than the fluorescent spectrum width of each solid gain medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Takashi Adachi
  • Patent number: 7894129
    Abstract: Laser light emission across a wide bandwidth emission spectrum is enabled in a laser amplifier equipped with solid gain media. The laser amplifier is equipped with: a resonator; a plurality of solid gain media, having fluorescent spectra that a least partially overlap with each other, provided within the resonator; and pumping means, for pumping the plurality of solid gain media. The entire fluorescent spectrum width of the plurality of solid gain media is greater than the fluorescent spectrum width of each solid gain medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Takashi Adachi
  • Patent number: 7813603
    Abstract: An optical component including an acceptance fiber, e.g. a photonic crystal fiber, for propagation of pump and signal light, a number of pump delivery fibers and a reflector element that reflects pump light from the pump delivery fibers into the acceptance fiber. An optical component includes a) a first fiber having a pump core with an NA1, and a first fiber end; b) a number of second fibers surrounding the pump core of the first fiber, at least one of the second fibers has a pump core with an NA2 that is smaller than NA1, the number of second fibers each having a second fiber end; and c) a reflector element having an end-facet with a predetermined profile for reflecting light from at least one of the second fiber ends into the pump core of the first fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: NKT Photonics A/S
    Inventor: Thomas Nikolajsen
  • Patent number: 7813394
    Abstract: High-power, diode-pumped solid state (DPSS) pulsed lasers are preferred for applications such as micromachining, via drilling of integrated circuits, and ultraviolet (UV) conversion. Nd:YVO4 (vanadate) lasers are good candidates for high power applications because they feature a high energy absorption coefficient over a wide bandwidth of pumping wavelengths. However, vanadate has poor thermo-mechanical properties, in that the material is stiff and fractures easily when thermally stressed. By optimizing laser parameters and selecting pumping wavelengths and doping a concentration of the gain medium to control the absorption coefficient less than 2 cm?1 such as the pumping wavelength between about 910 nm and about 920 nm, a doped vanadate laser may be enhanced to produce as much as 100 W of output power without fracturing the crystal material, while delivering a 40% reduction in thermal lensing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Electro Scientific Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiaoyuan Peng, Wensheng Ren
  • Patent number: 7792168
    Abstract: A heat capacity laser having a solid lasing medium, at least one pumping source that is able to emit a pumping radiation, and an optical cavity that can be characterized by having: at least one device able to homogenize the pumping radiation, a doped lasing medium having a body with a first and a second end and being stretched in the length by more than 6 cm and whose height in cross section is less than its stretching in the length of the lasing medium. The doping concentration in the lasing medium may vary axially. Also either the cavity can have beam forming optics and the doping concentration of the lasing medium is radially uniform, or the cavity can have no beam forming optics and the lasing medium has a doping concentration that may vary radially.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Institut Franco-Allemand de Recherches de Saint-Louis
    Inventor: Marc Eichhorn