Reflector Patents (Class 372/99)
  • Patent number: 8724672
    Abstract: An ultrashort-pulse laser that has a resonator that includes a laser gain medium, dispersion compensation optics, and a deformable optical element adapted to change its shape and consequently one or more characteristics of pulses output from the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: University Court of the University of St Andrews
    Inventors: Wilson Sibbett, Christian Brown, Nikolaus Klaus Metzger
  • Patent number: 8711367
    Abstract: A position-measuring device, for ascertaining the position of two objects which are disposed in a manner allowing movement relative to each other in at least one measuring direction, includes a light source, as well as a splitting device by which a light beam, provided by the light source, is split into two or more partial beams of rays. The partial beams of rays traverse at least two partial-beam paths. Interfering partial beams of rays from the partial-beam paths strike a plurality of opto-electronic detector elements, so that displacement-dependent position signals are ascertainable via the detector elements. The light source takes the form of a semiconductor laser having a fiber-grating feedback device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Dr. Johannes Heidenhain GmbH
    Inventor: Markus Meissner
  • 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: 20140105239
    Abstract: The laser cavity is positioned on a substrate and includes a cavity waveguide guiding a laser light signal between a gain medium and a partial return device. The partial return device receives the laser light signal from the cavity waveguide and returns a first portion of the laser light signal to the cavity waveguide. The partial return device transmits a second portion of the laser light signal to an output waveguide. The partial return device reflects different wavelengths of the laser light signal at different intensities. Additionally, the partial return device is configured such that when the most intense wavelength of the laser light signal reflected by the partial return device is the same as a wavelength of one of modes of the laser light signal, the mode with the next longest wavelength and the mode with the next shortest wavelength are each reflected by the partial return device at an intensity greater than 80% of the intensity of the most intensely reflected wavelength.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2012
    Publication date: April 17, 2014
    Inventors: Mehdi Asghari, Dazeng Feng
  • Patent number: 8693517
    Abstract: A semiconductor laser using an external resonator. A laser diode chip emits a laser beam in a horizontal direction parallel to the bottom plane of a package, and the travel path of the laser beam is changed into a vertical direction by a reflective mirror next to a laser beam-emitting surface of the laser diode chip. As a result, the beam arrangement of the external cavity is available on a plane parallel to the bottom plane of the package through a lens installed on the vertical travel path of the laser beam. Consequently, the beam is easily arranged. Furthermore, an additional reflective mirror is installed above the lens which changes the vertical travel path into a horizontal travel path, which allows the beam traveling parallel to the bottom plane to be easily arranged through the lens. The production of the package can also be enabled in the configuration where various optical tools are arranged on the bottom of the package.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Inventor: Jeong Soo Kim
  • Patent number: 8687270
    Abstract: A main amplifier system includes a first reflector operable to receive input light through a first aperture and direct the input light along an optical path. The input light is characterized by a first polarization. The main amplifier system also includes a first polarizer operable to reflect light characterized by the first polarization state. The main amplifier system further includes a first and second set of amplifier modules. Each of the first and second set of amplifier modules includes an entrance window, a quarter wave plate, a plurality of amplifier slablets arrayed substantially parallel to each other, and an exit window. The main amplifier system additionally includes a set of mirrors operable to reflect light exiting the first set of amplifier modules to enter the second set of amplifier modules and a second polarizer operable to reflect light characterized by a second polarization state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventors: Kenneth R. Manes, Mary L. Spaeth, Alvin C. Erlandson
  • Patent number: 8687666
    Abstract: An optical coherence analysis system comprising: a first swept source that generates a first optical signal that is tuned over a first spectral scan band, a second swept source that generates a second optical signal that is tuned over a second spectral scan band, a combiner for combining the first optical signal and the second optical signal for form a combined optical signal, an interferometer for dividing the combined optical signal between a reference arm leading to a reference reflector and a sample arm leading to a sample, and a detector system for detecting an interference signal generated from the combined optical signal from the reference arm and from the sample arm. In embodiments, the swept sources are tunable lasers that have shared laser cavities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Axsun Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Goldberg, Dale C. Flanders, Walid A. Atia, Bartley C. Johnson, Mark E. Kuznetsov
  • Patent number: 8675697
    Abstract: A master oscillator system may include a grating configured to function as one resonator mirror in an optical resonator, a spectral bandwidth tuning unit configured to tune the spectral bandwidth of a laser beam transmitted within the optical resonator, a storage unit configured to store a control value of the spectral bandwidth tuning unit corresponding to a desired spectral bandwidth and a controller configured to control the spectral bandwidth tuning unit based on the control value stored in the storage unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Satoshi Tanaka, Hiroshi Tanaka, Osamu Wakabayashi
  • Patent number: 8662680
    Abstract: A projector includes: a light emitting device; a light modulation device adapted to modulate a light beam emitted from the light emitting device; and a projection device adapted to project the image formed by the light modulation device, wherein the light emitting device includes a light emitting element formed of a super luminescent diode, and adapted to emit light, and a base supporting the light emitting element with first and second reflecting surfaces to reflect the light emitted from the light emitting element. The light emitting element emits the light from first and second end surfaces. Directions of first and second outgoing light respectively emitted from the first and second end surfaces are opposite to each other. Directions of the first and second reflected light respectively reflected by the first and second reflecting surfaces are the same as each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Kaneko, Takashi Takeda
  • Patent number: 8654799
    Abstract: A mode-locked fiber laser has a resonator including a gain-fiber, a mode-locking element, and a spectrally-selective dispersion compensating device. The resonator can be a standing-wave resonator or a traveling-wave resonator. The dispersion compensating device includes only one diffraction grating combined with a lens and a minor to provide a spatial spectral spread. The numerical aperture of the gain-fiber selects which portion of the spectral spread can oscillate in the resonator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Coherent, Inc.
    Inventors: Dmitri Simanovski, Andrei Starodoumov
  • Patent number: 8649086
    Abstract: An enhancement cavity includes a plurality of focusing mirrors, at least one of which defines a central aperture having a diameter greater than 1 mm. The mirrors are configured to form an optical pathway for closed reflection and transmission of the optical pulse within the enhancement cavity. Ring-shaped optical pulses having a peak intensity at a radius greater than 0.5 mm from a central axis are directed into the enhancement cavity. Accordingly, the peak intensity of the optical pulse is distributed so as to circumscribe the central apertures in the apertured mirrors, and the mirrors are structured to focus the pulse about the aperture toward a central spot area where the pulse is focused to a high intensity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Franz X. Kartner, Gilberto Abram, William P. Putnam, Shu-Wei Huang, Edilson L. Falcao-Filho
  • Patent number: 8625650
    Abstract: A swept wavelength light source is provided, the light source includes a semiconductor gain device operable to provide amplification, an optical retarding device, the retarding device having a block of material, a beam path with a well-defined beam path length being defined for light within the block of material produced by the gain device, a wavelength selector, and the gain device, the retarding device and wavelength selector being mutually arranged on the base so that a resonator is established for light portions emitted by the gain device and selected by wavelength selector; this does not exclude the presence of further elements contributing to the resonator, such as additional mirrors (including resonator end mirrors), lenses, polarization selective elements, other passive optical components, etc.; wherein the beam path in the retarding device is a part of a beam path of the resonator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Exalos AG
    Inventors: Jan Lewandowski, Marcus Duelk, Christian Velez
  • Publication number: 20130336351
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a surface-emitting laser diode with an active amplifying region (2) which is bounded by two laser mirrors (1, 3), while one or more polarization-selective layers (4) are provided for stabilising the polarization in a region that is located on that side of at least one of the laser mirrors (1, 3) that is opposite the active amplifying region (2), these layers (4) extending parallel to the respective mirror (1; 3) and having a polarization-dependent refractive index and/or absorption.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2011
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Applicant: VERTILAS GmbH
    Inventors: Markus-Christian Amann, Markus Ortsiefer, Jürgen Rosskopf
  • Patent number: 8605769
    Abstract: A semiconductor laser device includes: a substrate having a principal plane; a photonic crystal layer having an epitaxial layer of gallium nitride formed on substrate in a direction in which principal plane extends and a low refractive index material having a refractive index lower than that of epitaxial layer; an n-type clad layer formed on substrate; a p-type clad layer formed on substrate; an active layer that is interposed between n-type clad layer and p-type clad layer and emits light when a carrier is injected thereinto; and a GaN layer that covers a region directly on photonic crystal layer. Thus, the semiconductor laser device can be manufactured without fusion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Susumu Yoshimoto, Hideki Matsubara, Hirohisa Saitou, Takashi Misaki, Fumitake Nakanishi, Hiroki Mori
  • Patent number: 8605767
    Abstract: Long semiconductor laser cavities are placed in relative short length chips through the use of total internal reflection (TIR) surfaces formed through etched facets. In one embodiment, a laser cavity is formed along the perimeter edges of a rectangular semiconductor chip by using three 45° angled TIR facets to connect four legs of a ridge or buried heterostructure (BH) waveguide that defines the laser cavity. In other embodiments, even more TIR facets and waveguide legs or sections are employed to make even longer laser cavities in the shape of rectangular or quadrilateral spirals. These structures are limited in the spacing of adjacent waveguide sections, which if too small, can cause undesirable coupling between the sections. However, use of notches etched between the adjacent sections have been shown to decrease this coupling effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Binoptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Cristian Stagarescu
  • Publication number: 20130322475
    Abstract: A spherical laser includes a transparent or semi-transparent outer spherical vessel having an internal cavity, an amplifying medium in the cavity, and means to excite the amplifying medium. The sphere is provided with a partially reflective coating to act as a spherical optical resonator. The spherical resonator includes a plurality of optically different regions containing alternative optical media from the cavity medium differing in bulk optical parameters utilized for mode tailoring. The optically different regions work collectively to exclude the whispering gallery modes from those supported by the spherical cavity. Excitation of the amplifying medium produces an optical gain. When the gain exceeds cavity losses and threshold conditions are met, lasing is supported. This creates a three-dimensional, spherically radiating emission, emulating a point source. The sphere is enclosed within a mirrored ellipse to image the output to a point, or within a mirrored parabola to columinate the emission.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2012
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Inventor: Ronald LaComb
  • Patent number: 8599898
    Abstract: Slab lasers and method for producing high power coherent laser radiation of good quality. In one embodiment, a slab laser comprises a slab laser medium, an energy source configured to deliver energy to the laser medium, and first and second optical elements. The first optical element has a first reflective surface at a first boundary of the laser medium, and the second optical element has a second reflective surface at a second boundary of the laser medium. The first and second reflective surfaces face each other across the length of the laser medium, and at least one of the first and second optical elements includes a plurality of reflective regions configured to modify the phase distribution of the incident laser radiation propagating from the reflective regions. The first and second reflective surfaces are also positioned at an angle relative to each other to form a laser resonator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Universal Laser Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Yefim P. Sukhman, Stefano J. Noto, Christian J. Risser, Mikhail E. Ryskin
  • Patent number: 8599897
    Abstract: This disclosure is generally concerned with optical systems that employ guided-mode grating resonant reflector filters (“GMGRF”) to facilitate wavelength and/or polarization selectivity in the optical system. In one example, an optical system is provided that includes first and second tunable detectors. Each of the tunable detectors includes a GMGRF that is tuned to select a corresponding optical wavelength and/or polarization of an optical data channel, such that the optical wavelength and/or polarization associated with the first tunable detector is different from the optical wavelength and/or polarization associated with the second tunable detector. In this way, an array of tunable detectors can be employed to select some or all of the wavelengths and/or polarizations of an optical data signal having a plurality of data channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Finisar Corporation
    Inventors: James A. Cox, Robert A. Morgan
  • Publication number: 20130315272
    Abstract: A regenerative amplifier according to one aspect of this disclosure is used in combination with a laser device, and the regenerative amplifier may include: a pair of resonator mirrors constituting an optical resonator; a slab amplifier provided between the pair of the resonator mirrors for amplifying a laser beam with a predetermined wavelength outputted from the laser device; and an optical system disposed to configure a multipass optical path along which the laser beam is reciprocated inside the slab amplifier, the optical system transferring an optical image of the laser beam at a first position as an optical image of the laser beam at a second position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2013
    Publication date: November 28, 2013
    Applicant: GIGAPHOTON INC.
    Inventors: Krzysztof NOWAK, Takashi SUGANUMA, Osamu WAKABAYASHI
  • Patent number: 8582612
    Abstract: The various laser architectures described herein provide increased gain of optical energy as well as compensation of optical phase distortions in a thin disk gain medium. An optical amplifier presented herein provides for scalable high energy extraction and gains based on a number of passes of the signal beam through a gain medium. Multiple, spatially separate, optical paths may also be passed through the same gain region to provide gain clearing by splitting off a small percentage of an output pulse and sending it back through the amplifier along a slightly different path. By clearing out the residual gain, uniform signal amplitudes can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Applied Energetics, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul B. Lundquist, Hector Martin, Eric Nelson-Melby, Jiamin (Jim) Zhang
  • Patent number: 8563956
    Abstract: An attenuation optical system is in a beam path of a light beam traveling through a regenerative ring resonator. The attenuation optical system includes an actuator configured to receive an electromagnetic signal; and a plate mounted to the actuator to be moveable between a plurality of positions, with each position placing an attenuation region in the beam path such that the beam profile is covered by the attenuation region and each attenuation region representing an attenuation factor applied to the light beam as determined by a geometry of the attenuation region. At least one attenuation region includes a plurality of evenly-spaced elongated openings between solid energy-reflecting surfaces and at least one attenuation region includes an open area that is larger than the beam profile of the light beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Cymer, LLC
    Inventors: John Melchior, Robert J. Rafac, Rostislav Rokitski
  • Patent number: 8548014
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to providing an environmentally stable, ultra-short pulse source. Exemplary embodiments relate to passively modelocked ultra-short fiber lasers which are insensitive to temperature variations and which possess only negligible sensitivity to pressure variations. Further, exemplary embodiments can be implemented in a cost-effective manner which render them commercially practical in unlimited applications. Arbitrary fiber lengths (e.g., on the order of 1 millimeter to 1 kilometer, or greater) can be used to provide an ultra-short pulse with a cost-effective architecture which is commercially practical.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: IMRA America, Inc.
    Inventors: Martin E. Fermann, Donald J. Harter
  • Patent number: 8542712
    Abstract: An optical system (31) with an input optical source (33) for projecting an input beam along an optical axis and an optical element (37, 43) which creates a cone refracted beam (41) from the input beam (35) then reconstructs the input beam (49). The optical element may comprise a first cone refractive element (37) which creates a cone refracted beam and reconstructs the beam using a reconstructing optical element (43) to apply a phase shift to the cone refracted beam. The optical system may be used to form a laser or a gain medium for a laser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: University of Dundee
    Inventors: Edik Rafailov, Amin Abdolvand, Todor Kalkandjiev
  • Patent number: 8537873
    Abstract: The present invention relates to the packaging of high power laser(s) in a surface mount technology (SMT) configuration at low-cost using wafer-scale processing. A reflective sidewall is used to redirect the output emission from edge-emitting lasers through an optical element (e.g., a diffuser, lens, etc.). A common electrical pad centered inside the package provides p-side connection to multiple laser diodes (i.e. for power scalability). Thick plating (e.g. 75 um to 125 um) with a heat and electrically conductive material, e.g. copper, on a raised bonding area of a substrate provides good heat dissipation and spreading to the substrate layer during operation. The composite CTE of the substrate layer, e.g. AlN, and the heat/electrical conductive plating, e.g. Cu, substantially matches well with the laser substrates, e.g. GaAs-based, without the requirement for an additional submount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: JDS Uniphase Corporation
    Inventors: Kong Weng Lee, James Yonghong Guo, Vincent V. Wong, Jay A. Skidmore, An-Chun Tien
  • Publication number: 20130230071
    Abstract: In a laser (12, 18) with a laser resonator (13), the laser resonator (13) comprises a non-linear optical loop mirror (1, 1?), NOLM, which is adapted to guide counter-propagating portions of laser pulses, and to bring the counter-propagating portions of laser pulses into interference with each other at an exit point (4) of the NOLM (1, 1?). The invention is characterized by the non-linear optical loop mirror (1, 1?) comprising a non-reciprocal optical element (7, 7?).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Publication date: September 5, 2013
    Inventors: Wolfgang HAENSEL, Ronald HOLZWARTH, Ralf DOUBEK, Michael MEI
  • Patent number: 8514906
    Abstract: A compact laser in accordance with an exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure includes a compact resonator structure using a non-planar resonator geometry of bulk components. The laser further includes a laser gain medium and a pump source integrated within an optical path of the resonator. Some embodiments contain modifications to the resonator structure for integration of the laser gain medium, for controlling the output from the laser, and/or for controlling the physical and operational parameters of the laser. Some embodiments contain modifications to the laser gain medium or other bulk components of the resonator to integrate these bulk components within the resonator structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Inventor: James Thomas Murray
  • Publication number: 20130208754
    Abstract: A method for two-dimensional spatial (transverse) mode selection in waveguide and free-space laser resonators and associated laser systems employing said resonators. The invention is based on the cylindrical symmetry of the angular selectivity of reflecting volume Bragg gratings (R-VBGs) that are used as spectrally selective minors in resonators. Matching the divergence of a laser beam and the angular selectivity a reflecting volume Bragg grating can establish different losses for transverse modes of different orders, while not restricting the aperture of the laser resonator, and enables single mode operation for resonators that support a plurality of transverse modes. The invention provides a laser having increased brightness without a decrease of efficiency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2012
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Applicants: OptiGrate Corp., University of Central Florida Research Foundation Inc.
    Inventors: Leonid Glebov, Apurva Jain, Vadim Smirnov, Christine Spiegelberg, George Venus
  • Publication number: 20130209110
    Abstract: A small-mode-volume, vertical-cavity, surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). The VCSEL includes an active structure to emit light upon injection of carriers, and two reflecting structures at least one of which is a grating reflector structure. The active structure is disposed within at least one of the reflecting structures. The reflecting structures are configured as a vertical-cavity resonator of small mode-volume. An optical-bus transmitter including a plurality of small-mode-volume VCSELs, and a system including at least one optical bus and at least one optical-bus transmitter in a digital-information processor, or a data-processing center, are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2010
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Inventors: David A. Fattal, Marco Fiorentino, Jingjing Li, Michael Renne Ty Tan, Wayne V. Sorin
  • Patent number: 8503492
    Abstract: In a mode-locked laser-diode-excited laser apparatus: a solid-state laser medium is arranged at a distance of at most twice the Rayleigh range from a saturable absorbing mirror with a depth of absorbing modulation of at least 0.4%; the total intracavity dispersion is smaller than zero and makes oscillating light have such a pulse bandwidth that the saturable absorbing mirror can suppress a background pulses other than soliton pulses repeated with a fundamental repetition period, and the magnitude of the total intracavity dispersion has a predetermined relationship with a pulse width of the oscillating light; and an output mirror is a negative-dispersion mirror in which high-index layers and low-index layers, having optical thicknesses randomly varying in the range of one-eighth to half of the predetermined wavelength, are alternately laminated, and the negative-dispersion mirror causes a mirror dispersion of ?1000 fsec2 to ?100 fsec2 and realizes a reflectance of 97% to 99.5%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Tadashi Kasamatsu, Shogo Yamazoe, Makio Usui
  • Patent number: 8498316
    Abstract: A laser device for intra-cavity frequency conversion, in particular, for the second harmonic generation, the device comprising a laser cavity, formed by the first and the second laser cavity end reflectors wherein the said laser cavity end reflectors are highly reflective for the radiation about the laser fundamental frequency and as such provide for a predetermined level of circulating inside the cavity fundamental frequency power; an active medium provided within the said laser cavity; at least one non-linear crystal, in particular, for the second harmonic generation provided within the same laser cavity; tuning means adapted for tuning at least one of laser cavity end reflectors; wherein at least one of the laser cavity end reflectors comprises an interferometric layout providing spectrally selective reflection for the radiation about the laser fundamental frequency with the value of reflectivity nearly to 100% within a spectral range close to the free spectrum range of the laser cavity and with a sufficie
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Inventor: Fedor Karpushko
  • Patent number: 8494024
    Abstract: A monoblock laser cavity incorporates optical components for a short-pulse laser. These optical components are ‘locked’ into alignment forming an optical laser cavity for flash lamp or diode laser pumping. The optical laser cavity does not need optical alignment after it is fabricated, increasing the brightness of the monoblock laser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: John E. Nettleton, Lew Goldberg, Dallas N. Barr
  • Publication number: 20130177336
    Abstract: The present invention provides a surface emitting laser that provides a sufficient optical output and is suitable as a light source intended for electrophotographic apparatuses, and a surface-emitting-laser array and an image forming apparatus each including the surface emitting laser. The surface emitting laser includes a first stepped structure on a front surface of a front mirror. In the first stepped structure, a difference L between an optical path length in a first area and an optical path length in a second area satisfies the following expression: (¼+N)?<|L|<(¾+N)? where N is an integer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2011
    Publication date: July 11, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Mitsuhiro Ikuta
  • Patent number: 8483247
    Abstract: An external-cavity tuneable laser includes a gain medium and a tuneable mirror wherein at least the tuneable mirror is in thermal contact with a thermally conductive platform. The tuneable mirror lays substantially horizontally on the thermally conductive platform significantly improving the thermal contact of the tuneable mirror with the platform. A laser beam from the gain medium is directed onto the tuneable mirror, which is mounted substantially horizontally with respect to the thermally conductive platform, by means of a deflector that deflects the beam or a large part of it toward one of the principal surfaces of the tuneable mirror. The resulting laser cavity is a folded cavity. The thermally conductive platform is preferably thermally coupled to a TEC that provides thermal control for the platform. The deflector may be a beam splitter that deflects part of the incoming light and transmits the remaining part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Giacomo Antonio Rossi, Alberto Rampulla
  • Patent number: 8480243
    Abstract: The invention relates to an adaptive mirror based on a ceramic substrate having a corresponding reflector and piezoelectric actuators, a cooling device being integrated in the substrate. The invention likewise relates to a method for the production of such mirrors. The mirrors according to the invention are used for the modulation or deformation of a laser wavefront of high power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignees: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerferung der Angewandten E.V., Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena
    Inventors: Claudia Bruchmann, Erik Beckert, Thomas Peschel, Christoph Damm
  • Patent number: 8483255
    Abstract: An optical gain architecture includes a pump source and a pump aperture. The architecture also includes a gain region including a gain element operable to amplify light at a laser wavelength. The gain region is characterized by a first side intersecting an optical path, a second side opposing the first side, a third side adjacent the first and second sides, and a fourth side opposing the third side. The architecture further includes a dichroic section disposed between the pump aperture and the first side of the gain region. The dichroic section is characterized by low reflectance at a pump wavelength and high reflectance at the laser wavelength. The architecture additionally includes a first cladding section proximate to the third side of the gain region and a second cladding section proximate to the fourth side of the gain region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventors: Andrew James Bayramian, Kenneth Manes, Robert Deri, Al Erlandson, John Caird, Mary Spaeth
  • Patent number: 8483256
    Abstract: A laser diode element assembly includes: a laser diode element; and a light reflector, in which the laser diode element includes (a) a laminate structure body configured by laminating, in order, a first compound semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type made of a GaN-based compound semiconductor, a third compound semiconductor layer made of a GaN-based compound semiconductor and including a light emission region, and a second compound semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type made of a GaN-based compound semiconductor, the second conductivity type being different from the first conductivity type, (b) a second electrode formed on the second compound semiconductor layer, and (c) a first electrode electrically connected to the first compound semiconductor layer, the laminate structure body includes a ridge stripe structure, and a minimum width Wmin and a maximum width Wmax of the ridge stripe structure satisfy 1<Wmax/Wmin<3.3 or 6?Wmax/Wmin?13.3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Tohoku University
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Oki, Masaru Kuramoto, Rintaro Koda, Hideki Watanabe, Hiroyuki Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 8477825
    Abstract: Multi-pass optical imaging apparatus includes a concave mirror in combination with two retro-reflecting mirror pairs and at least one reflective surface. The mirror, the retro-reflecting mirror pairs and the reflecting surface are arranged such that a light-ray input into the apparatus parallel to and spaced apart from the optical axis of the concave mirror and incident on the concave mirror is caused to be incident on the thin-disk gain-medium at least four times, with each of the four incidences on the gain-medium being from a different direction. If the input ray is plane-polarized, the arrangement provides that the polarization orientation of the ray on each incidence on the gain-medium is in the same orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Coherent, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Hertwig, Norman Hodgson
  • Patent number: 8472496
    Abstract: A device representing a reflector, for example, an evanescent reflector or a multilayer interference reflector with at least one reflectivity stopband is disclosed. A medium with means of generating optical gain is introduced into the layer or several layers of the reflector. The optical gain spectrum preferably overlaps with the spectral range of the reflectivity stopband. This device can be attached to air, semiconductor or dielectric material or multilayer structures and provide a tool for preferential amplification of the optical waves propagating at larger angles with respect to the interface with the evanescent or the multilayer interference reflector. Thus angle selective amplification or generation of light is possible. Several evanescent or interference reflectors can be used to serve the goal of preferable amplification the said optical waves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: VI Systems GmbH
    Inventor: Nikolay Ledentsov
  • Patent number: 8463088
    Abstract: The multi-channel optical device includes multiple laser cavities that each reflects a different light channel back and forth between reflective components. One of the reflective components is common to all of the laser cavities in that the common reflective component receives the channels from each of the laser cavities and reflects the received channels. The laser cavities also share a multiplexer that receives the channels reflected by the common reflective device and demultiplexes the channels into demultiplexed channels. A portion of the reflective components are partial return devices that each receives one of the demultiplexed channels. Each of the partial return devices transmits a portion of the demultiplexed channel received by that partial return device. The transmitted portion of the demultiplexed channel exits the laser cavity. Additionally, each of the partial return devices reflects a portion of the demultiplexed channel receive by that partial return device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Kotura, Inc.
    Inventors: Mehdi Asghari, Dazeng Feng
  • Publication number: 20130121364
    Abstract: The invention relates to a laser cavity with central extraction by polarisation for coherent coupling of intense intra-cavity beams. The laser cavity (1) according to the invention comprises an extraction unit (7) with central extraction, which divides the laser cavity (1) longitudinally into two functional portions (P1, P2), namely a first portion (P1) including the active components (3), which amplifies the laser beams (4), and a second portion (P2) which performs coherent coupling of the laser beams (4).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2011
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Applicant: COMPAGNIE INDUSTRIELLE DES LASERS CILAS
    Inventors: David Sabourdy, Jean-Eucher Montagne, Alain Barthelemy, Agnes Desfarges-Berthelemot, Vincent Kermene, Sandrine Auroux, Julien Guillot, Brigitte Serreault, Bruno Esmiller
  • Patent number: 8442090
    Abstract: A method and apparatus recycle residual energy in an optical parametric burst source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: G. Paul Perryman, James Richard Wood, Mark K. Browder, Edward Miesak
  • Patent number: 8442084
    Abstract: A semiconductor laser that has a reflective surface. The reflective surface redirects the light of an edge emitting laser diode to emit from the top or bottom surface of the diode. The laser may include a gain layer and a feedback layer located within a semiconductive die. The gain and feedback layers generate a laser beam that travels parallel to the surface of the die. The reflective surface reflects the laser beam 90 degrees so that the beam emits the die from the top or bottom surface. The reflective surface can be formed by etching a vicinally oriented III-V semiconductive die so that the reflective surface extends along a (111)A crystalline plane of the die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Laser Operations LLC
    Inventor: Jeffrey E. Ungar
  • Patent number: 8428095
    Abstract: One embodiment of a laser resonator comprises one or more laser resonator components, a container and an ozone generator. The laser resonator components include a non-linear crystal, a beam polarization combiner, an optical lens, a mirror and/or an optical grating. The container encloses the one or more laser resonator components. The ozone generator is configured to introduce ozone gas into the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: AMS Research Corporation
    Inventors: Ming Ko, Wen-Jui Ray Chia
  • Patent number: 8422530
    Abstract: Provided is a laser module. The laser module comprises: a substrate; an gain unit oscillating a laser light on the substrate; an external resonance reflecting unit total-reflecting the laser light at an external of the substrate adjacent to one side of the gain unit; and an inner resonance reflecting unit reflecting the laser light to the external resonance reflecting unit at the substrate between the modulating unit and gain unit and outputting the laser light to the modulating unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventor: Ki-Hong Yoon
  • Patent number: 8422531
    Abstract: A surface emitting semiconductor laser includes a substrate, an n-type lower DBR, an n-type cavity extending region formed on the lower DBR, an active region formed on the cavity extending region, and an upper DBR formed on the active region. A difference in refractive index between a relatively high refractive index layer and a relatively low refractive in the upper DBR is smaller than that in the lower DBR.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takashi Kondo
  • Patent number: 8419188
    Abstract: A wavelength combining apparatus includes first and second optical devices. The first optical device collects and collimates or focuses light from multiple laser light sources. The second optical device includes multiple nonparallel dichroic surfaces to combine light received from the first optical device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Microvision, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert A. Sprowl, Joshua M. Hudman, Joshua O. Miller
  • 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: 8411722
    Abstract: A vertical cavity surface emitting laser includes a cavity formed by a pair of reflectors on a substrate and an active region interposed in the cavity. In the vertical cavity surface emitting laser, at least one of the reflectors that form the cavity has a refractive index periodic structure produced by arranging a first medium and a second medium so as to make the refractive index change periodically in in-plane directions of the substrate and the cross sectional area of the first medium in the in-plane directions changes in the direction of the thickness of the first medium. The vertical cavity surface emitting laser has reflectors having a wide reflection band.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuichiro Hori
  • Patent number: 8405065
    Abstract: An LED semiconductor body includes a semiconductor layer sequence which comprises a quantum structure which is intended to produce radiation and comprises at least one quantum layer and at least one barrier layer, wherein the quantum layer and the barrier layer are strained with mutually opposite mathematical signs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH
    Inventors: Günther Grönninger, Christian Jung, Peter Heidborn, Alexander Behres
  • Publication number: 20130070039
    Abstract: A surface-emitting laser device includes a transparent dielectric layer provided in an emitting region and configured to cause a reflectance at a peripheral part to be different from a reflectance at a central part in the emitting region. In the surface-emitting laser device, the thickness of a contact layer is different between a region having a relatively high reflectance and a region having a relatively low reflectance in the emitting region. The contact layer is provided on the high refractive index layer of an upper multilayer film reflecting mirror, and the total optical thickness of the high refractive index layer and the contact layer in the region having the relatively low reflectance is deviated from an odd number multiple of a one quarter oscillation wavelength of laser light emitted from the emitting region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2011
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Harasaka, Shunichi Sato, Masahiro Hayashi, Akihiro Itoh, Katsunari Hanaoka