Coherent, Inc. Patent applications |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20150333483 | LIGHT-SOURCE INCLUDING A PLANAR ARRAY OF DIODE-LASER BARS - A light-source includes a planar array of diode-laser bars and a plurality of turning-mirrors arranged to stack beams from the diode-laser bars in the fast-axis direction to provide a first combined beam. Six plane mirrors are arranged to divide the combined beam into three beam-slices, each having one-third the slow-axis width of the first combined beam, and add the beam-slices in the fast-axis direction to provide a second combined beam having about one-third the slow-axis width and three-times the fast-axis length of those of the first combined beam. A spherical mirror and a cylindrical mirror focus the second combined beam into an optical fiber. | 11-19-2015 |
20150131143 | TUNABLE FEMTOSECOND LASER-PULSE SOURCE INCLUDING A SUPER-CONTINUUM GENERATOR - A mode-locked fiber MOPA delivers pulses of laser-radiation. A super-continuum generator including a bulk spectral-broadening element and a negative group-delay dispersion (NGDD) device is arranged to receive a pulse from the MOPA and cause the pulse to make a predetermined number of sequential interactions with the broadening element and the NGDD device. After making the predetermined interactions, the pulse is delivered from the super-continuum generator with a very broad spectral-bandwidth and a very short duration. | 05-14-2015 |
20150085370 | BEAM-STACKING ELEMENT FOR DIODE-LASER BAR STACK - Optical apparatus includes a diode-laser bar stack having N fast-axis stacked diode-laser bars cooperative with a parallel sided transparent stacking plate. The stacking plate receives N original beams from the N diode-laser bars and converts the N beams to 2N fast-axis stacked beams having one-half of a width the original beams and one-half of a fast-axis spacing between the original beams. | 03-26-2015 |
20150083698 | VIA-HOLE DRILLING IN A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD USING A CARBON MONOXIDE LASER - Apparatus for drilling a via-hole in a printed circuit board (PCB) includes a carbon monoxide laser deliver laser radiation pulses. The pulses have a relatively broad wavelength-range, and slow rising and falling edges. The rising and falling edges of the pulses are clipped using and acousto-optic modulator. A dispersion-compensator compensates for dispersion in the clipped pulses introduced by the AOM. Achromatic focusing optics focus the dispersion-compensated, clipped pulses on the PCB for the via-hole drilling. | 03-26-2015 |
20140352358 | LASER-SCRIBING OF CHEMICALLY STRENGTHENED GLASS - A method is disclosed for scribing a contained crack or vent in a chemically strengthened glass sheet. The glass has shallow surface regions under compressive stress, bounding a central region under tensile stress. The vent is formed by rapidly bulk-heating the glass, using radiation from a carbon monoxide laser, to a depth just below a surface compressive region and extending marginally into the tensile stress region then rapidly cooling the heated region with a water mist spray. The glass sheet can be subsequently divided along the vent by application of mechanical or thermal stress. | 12-04-2014 |
20140340761 | BEAM-COMBINER FOR FIBER-DELIVERED LASER-BEAMS OF DIFFERENT WAVELENGTHS - A beam combiner for combining laser-beams of different colors along a common path includes a directing-prism for each of the laser-beams and one combining-prism. The directing-prisms are arranged to transmit the laser-beams to the combining-prism. The directing-prisms and the combining-prism are configured and arranged with respect to each other such that the directing-prism transmits the beams along the common path. | 11-20-2014 |
20140340464 | LASER LABEL-PRINTER - A laser label printer for use with a laser markable medium includes a laser-diode fiber-coupled to an optical train, which includes a focusing lens for focusing the radiation on the medium. The focusing lens is traversed across the medium, with incremental motion of the medium between traverses, for line by line printing of the label. The printer includes a feature for protecting the focusing lens from contamination, and self-diagnostic and adjustment features. | 11-20-2014 |
20140247842 | MODE-LOCKED OPTICALLY PUMPED SEMICONDUCTOR LASER - A laser includes an optically pumped semiconductor OPS gain-structure. The apparatus has a laser-resonator which includes a mode-locking device for causing the laser to deliver mode-locked pulses. The resonator has a total length selected such that the mode-locked pulses are delivered at a pulse repetition frequency less than 150 MHz. An optical arrangement within the resonator provides that radiation circulating in the resonator makes a plurality of incidences on the OPS gain-structure with a time less than the excited-state lifetime of the gain-structure between successive incidences. | 09-04-2014 |
20140211301 | HIGH-GAIN FACE-PUMPED SLAB-AMPLIFIER - An optical amplifier for use as a final amplification stage for a fiber-MOPA has a gain-element including a thin wafer or chip of ytterbium-doped YAG. An elongated gain-region is formed in gain-element by multiple incidences of radiation from a diode-laser bar. | 07-31-2014 |
20140204964 | SHORT-PULSE FIBER-LASER - 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 mirror 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. | 07-24-2014 |
20140169394 | MACRO-CHANNEL WATER-COOLED HEAT-SINK FOR DIODE-LASER BARS - A water-cooled heat-sink for a diode-laser bar includes a copper-cooling-unit having an integral mount thereon for the diode-laser bar. The copper-cooling-unit is attached to a steel base-unit. The base-unit and the cooling-unit are cooperatively configured such that at least one cooling-channel is formed in the cooling-unit by the attachment of the base-unit to the cooling-unit. The cooling-channel is positioned to cool the mount when cooling-water flows through the cooling-channel. | 06-19-2014 |
20140119394 | MACRO-CHANNEL WATER-COOLED HEAT-SINK FOR DIODE-LASER BARS - A water-cooled heat-sink for a diode-laser bar includes a copper-cooling-unit having an integral mount thereon for the diode-laser bar. The copper-cooling-unit is attached to a steel base-unit. The base-unit and the cooling-unit are cooperatively configured such that at least one cooling-channel is formed in the cooling-unit by the attachment of the base-unit to the cooling-unit. The cooling-channel is positioned to cool the mount when cooling-water flows through the cooling-channel. | 05-01-2014 |
20140119393 | MACRO-CHANNEL WATER-COOLED HEAT-SINK FOR DIODE-LASER BARS - A diode-laser bar is mounted on water-cooled heat-sink between two ceramic sub-mounts for electrically isolating cooling-water in the heat-sink from the diode-laser bar. Mounting between the two ceramic sub-mounts also provides for balancing stresses due to differences in coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between the sub-mounts and the diode-laser bar. Both sub-mounts are in thermal communication with the heat-sink for providing two-sided cooling of the diode-laser bar. | 05-01-2014 |
20140085616 | UNIFORMITY ADJUSTMENT METHOD FOR A DIODE-LASER LINE-PROJECTOR - In a line projector a diode-laser beam having an elliptical cross-section is projected onto a Powell lens which spreads the beam to form a line of light. Distribution of power along the line of light is adjusted by rotating the diode-laser beam with respect to the Powell lens. | 03-27-2014 |
20140064318 | WAVEGUIDE CO2 LASER WITH MULTIPLY FOLDED RESONATOR - A gas-discharge waveguide CO | 03-06-2014 |
20140016657 | MULTI-CHIP OPS-LASER - A two-chip OPS laser includes first and second OPS-chips each emitting the same fundamental wavelength in first and second resonators. The first and second resonators are interferometrically combined on a common path terminated by a common end-mirror. The interferometric combination provides for automatic wavelength-locking of the laser, which can eliminate the need for a separate wavelength selective device in the laser. | 01-16-2014 |
20130272325 | PULSED CO2 LASER OUTPUT-PULSE SHAPE AND POWER CONTROL - In order to maintain a constant laser output pulse power in a RF-energized, sealed-off, diffusion cooled, pulsed, CO | 10-17-2013 |
20130259076 | COMPOUND ENCLOSURE FOR OPTICAL APPARATUS - An optically pumped semiconductor laser is assembled in an enclosure comprising a base, a first mounting frame attached to the base, a second mounting frame attached to the first mounting frame and a cover attached to the second mounting frame. The assembly base, frames, and cover forms an undivided enclosure, with the frames contributing to walls of the enclosure. Components of the laser are assembled sequentially on the base and the frames. The frames are irregular in height to permit flexibility in the mounting-height of components. This reduces the extent to which compactness of the enclosure is limited by any one component. | 10-03-2013 |
20130259074 | COMPACT CO2 SLAB-LASER - A compact CO | 10-03-2013 |
20130202004 | OUTPUT-POWER CONTROL APPARATUS FOR A CO2 GAS-DISCHARGE LASER - A carbon-dioxide CO | 08-08-2013 |
20130200062 | ATHERMALIZED PERMANENT-ALIGNMENT OPTICAL-ELEMENT MOUNT - A mounting fixture for mounting an optical element on a base-plate has spaced-apart parallel legs attachable by brackets to the base-plate and a mounting platform attached to the legs. The platform can be heated by a removable heater. The optical element is held in a mounting tab attached to the platform by a solder-pad. Heating the platform softens the solder-pad allowing the tab and the element to be aligned. Removing the heat allows the pad to harden to complete the attachment and retain the alignment of the element on the mount. | 08-08-2013 |
20130188658 | FREQUENCY-TRIPLED FIBER-MOPA - In a frequency-tripled fiber-MOPA, a pre-amplified plane-polarized seed-pulse having a fundamental frequency is divided into two pulse-components, plane-polarized in polarization-orientations at 90-degrees to each other. The fundamental-wavelength pulse-components are amplified in a common amplifier-fiber. The amplified components are separately propagated on different optical paths. One of the amplified components is frequency-doubled. The frequency-doubled component on one path and fundamental-frequency component on the other path are then combined on a common-path and sum-frequency mixed to provide a frequency-tripled pulse. | 07-25-2013 |
20130170512 | MULTIPLE PHASE-LOCKED LOOPS FOR HIGH-POWER RF-POWER COMBINERS - An RF power-supply for driving a carbon dioxide CO | 07-04-2013 |
20130170510 | CARRIER-ENVELOPE-PHASE STABILIZATION OF A MASTER OSCILLATOR OPTICAL AMPLIFIER SYSTEM - A laser and amplifier combination delivers a sequence of optical pulses at a predetermined pulse-repetition frequency PRF. An interferometer generates a signal representative of the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) of the pulses at intervals corresponding to the PRF. The signal includes frequency components from DC to the PRF. The signal is divided into high and low frequency ranges. The high and low frequency ranges are sent to independent high frequency and low frequency control electronics, which drive respectively a high-frequency CEP controller and a low frequency controller for stabilizing the CEP of pulses in the sequence. | 07-04-2013 |
20130148679 | OPTICAL PUMPING OF A SOLID-STATE GAIN-MEDIUM USING A DIODE-LASER BAR STACK WITH INDIVIDUALLY ADDRESSABLE BARS - A diode-laser bar stack includes a plurality of diode-laser bars having different temperature dependent peak-emission wavelengths. The stack is arranged such that the bars can be separately powered. This allows one or more of the bars to be “on” while others are “off”. A switching arrangement is described for selectively turning bars on or off, responsive to a signal representative of the temperature of the diode-laser bar stack, for providing a desired total emission spectrum. | 06-13-2013 |
20130128365 | BEAM-COMBINER FOR FIBER-DELIVERED LASER-BEAMS OF DIFFERENT WAVELENGTHS - A beam combiner for combining laser-beams of different colors along a common path includes a directing-prism for each of the laser-beams and one combining-prism. The directing-prisms are arranged to transmit the laser-beams to the combining-prism. The directing-prisms and the combining-prism are configured and arranged with respect to each other such that the directing-prism transmits the beams along the common path. | 05-23-2013 |
20130121640 | METHODS AND APPARATUS RELATED TO A SIDE-FIRE MEMBER HAVING A DOPED SILICA COMPONENT - In one embodiment, an apparatus may include an optical fiber that may have a surface non-normal to a longitudinal axis of a distal end portion of the optical fiber. The surface may define a portion of an interface configured to redirect electromagnetic radiation propagated from within the optical fiber and incident on the interface to a direction offset from the longitudinal axis. The apparatus may also include a doped silica cap that may be fused to the optical fiber such that the surface of the optical fiber may be disposed within a cavity defined by the doped silica cap. | 05-16-2013 |
20130051416 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR BALANCING COMBINED RF POWER- SUPPLIES FOR DRIVING A CO2 GAS-DISCHARGE LASER - Radio-frequency (RF) power supply apparatus for supplying RF power to discharge electrodes of a gas-discharge laser includes a plurality of amplifier modules each having an RF output. A power combining arrangement is provided for combining the amplifier module RF-outputs into a single combined RF-output connected to the discharge electrodes. A DC power supply is connectable to or disconnectable from each of the transistor amplifier modules, separately, to allow current drawn by any of the amplifier modules to be monitored by a single current sensor. | 02-28-2013 |
20130034114 | CARRIER-ENVELOPE-PHASE STABILIZATION OF A MASTER OSCILLATOR OPTICAL AMPLIFIER SYSTEM - A laser and amplifier combination delivers a sequence of optical pulses at a predetermined pulse-repetition frequency PRF. An interferometer generates a signal representative of the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) of the pulses at intervals corresponding to the PRF. The signal includes frequency components from DC to the PRF. The signal is divided into high and low frequency ranges. The high and low frequency ranges are sent to independent high frequency and low frequency control electronics, which drive respectively a high-frequency CEP controller and a low frequency controller for stabilizing the CEP of pulses in the sequence. | 02-07-2013 |
20130028276 | HIGH-POWER CW FIBER-LASER - A CW ytterbium-doped fiber-laser includes a gain-fiber having a reflector proximity-coupled to one end, with the other end left uncoated. A laser resonator is defined by the reflector and the uncoated end of the gain-fiber. Pump-radiation from fast-axis diode-laser bar-stacks emitting at 915 nm and 976 nm is combined and focused into the uncoated end of the gain-fiber for energizing the fiber. Laser radiation resulting from the energizing is delivered from the uncoated end of the gain-fiber and separated from the pump-radiation by a dichroic minor. | 01-31-2013 |
20130003761 | MODE-LOCKED OPTICALLY PUMPED SEMICONDUCTOR LASER - A laser includes an optically pumped semiconductor OPS gain-structure. The apparatus has a laser-resonator which includes a mode-locking device for causing the laser to deliver mode-locked pulses. The resonator has a total length selected such that the mode-locked pulses are delivered at a pulse repetition frequency of about 100 MHz. An optical arrangement within the resonator provides that radiation circulating in the resonator makes a plurality of incidences on the OPS gain-structure with a time less than the excited-state lifetime of the gain-structure between successive incidences. | 01-03-2013 |
20120320450 | FIBER-MOPA APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING PULSES ON DEMAND - A fiber-MOPA includes a seed-pulse source followed by fiber amplifier stages. The seed pulse source delivers signal pulses for performing a laser operation and delivers radiation between the seed pulses to maintain the collective average of the seed pulse power and intermediate radiation power constant. Keeping this average power constant keeps the instantaneous available gain of the fiber amplifier stages constant. This provides that the seed pulse delivery can be changed from one regime to a next without a period of instability between the regimes. | 12-20-2012 |
20120307852 | IMPEDANCE-MATCHING TRANSFORMERS FOR RF DRIVEN CO2 GAS DISCHARGE LASERS | 12-06-2012 |
20120300287 | FREQUENCY-TRIPLED FIBER MOPA - Fundamental-wavelength pulses from a fiber a laser are divided into three or more pulse portions and the three or more portions are separately amplified. Two or more of the amplified fundamental-wavelength pulse-portions are combined and frequency-doubled. The frequency doubled portion is sum-frequency mixed with one or more of the other amplified fundamental wavelength pulse-portions to provide third-harmonic radiation pulses. | 11-29-2012 |
20120281728 | WAVEGUIDE CO2 LASER WITH MUTIPLY FOLDED RESONATOR - A gas-discharge waveguide CO | 11-08-2012 |
20120269216 | OPTICALLY-PUMPED SURFACE-EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR LASER WITH HEAT-SPREADING COMPOUND MIRROR-STRUCTURE - A gain-module for use in an OPS-laser includes a multilayer semiconductor gain-structure surmounting a multilayer compound mirror-structure. Within the multilayer compound mirror-structure is a relatively thick layer of diamond which serves as a heat-spreader. | 10-25-2012 |
20120268836 | UNIT-MAGNIFICATION CATADIOPTRIC AND CATOPTRIC PROJECTION OPTICAL SYSTEMS - Ring-field, catoptric and catadioptric, unit-magnification, projection optical systems having non-concentric optical surfaces are disclosed. Each system has a system axis with object and image planes on opposite sides of the system axis. The non-concentric surfaces allow for working distances of the object and image planes in excess of 100 millimeters to be achieved, with a ring-field width sufficient to allow a rectangular object-field having a long dimension in excess of 100 mm to be projected. | 10-25-2012 |
20120268548 | LASER PRINTER WITH MULTIPLE LASER-BEAM SOURCES - A laser printer arranged to print a pixellated image on laser sensitive tape includes a carriage on which are arranged two laser-beam sources delivering separately modulated laser-beams and optics for focusing the beams on the tape. The tape is mounted on a tape drive which drives the tape incrementally in one direction. The carriage is translated over the tape in a direction perpendicular to the tape-drive direction, while the modulated beams are focused. Two rows of the pixellated image are drawn across the tape in this manner. The tape is then incremented and a further two rows are drawn. | 10-25-2012 |
20120263201 | BROAD-AREA EDGE-EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR LASER WITH LIMITED THERMAL CONTACT - A diode-laser having an elongated diode-laser emitter is mounted on a relatively massive heat-sink. Two parallel grooves are machined into the heat-sink to leave a relatively narrow elongated ridge of the heat-sink between the grooves. The ridge has a width about equal to or narrower that the width of the emitter. The diode-laser is mounted on the heat-sink such that thermal communication between the emitter and heat-sink is essentially limited to thermal communication with the ridge. | 10-18-2012 |
20120257647 | COOLING APPARATUS FOR OPTICALLY PUMPED SEMICONDUCTOR LASER - An OPS-chip is soldered mirror-structure-side down on an upper surface of diamond-heat spreader. A metal frame is also soldered to the upper surface of the heat-spreader. The lower surface of the diamond heat-spreader is either soldered to, or clamped against, a surface of a heat-sink. The dimensions of the frame and the heat spreader are selected such that at a solidification temperature of the solder at the center of the upper surface of the heat-spreader has an effective CTE comparable with that of the OPS-chip. The lower surface of the heat-spreader can be soldered to the heat sink surface or clamped against the heat-sink surface by the frame. | 10-11-2012 |
20120257387 | DIODE-LASER ILLUMINATOR WITH INTERCHANGEABLE MODULES FOR CHANGING IRRADIANCE AND BEAM DIMENSIONS - Projection apparatus for projecting a radiation spot on a working plane includes a plurality of stacks of diode-laser bars. Each stack provides a beam of laser radiation. The diode-laser bars in each stack are arranged one above another in the fast-axis direction of the diode-laser bars. A corresponding plurality of beam-expanders expands the beam from the corresponding diode-laser bar stack in the slow-axis direction of the diode laser bars only. A focusing lens collects the slow-axis expanded beams and projects the slow-axis expanded beams into the working plane to form the radiation spot. | 10-11-2012 |
20120250719 | TRANSITION-METAL-DOPED THIN-DISK LASER - A laser includes a Ti:sapphire gain-medium in the form of a thin-disk. The thin-disk gain-medium is optically pumped by pump-radiation pulses having a wavelength in the green region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The pump-radiation pulses have a duration less than twice the excited-state lifetime of the gain-medium. | 10-04-2012 |
20120230352 | HIGH-POWER CW FIBER-LASER - A CW fiber-laser includes a gain fiber having a reflector proximity-coupled to one end, with the other end left uncoated. A laser resonator is defined by the reflector and the uncoated end of the gain-fiber. Pump-radiation from two fast-axis diode-laser bar stacks is combined and focused into the uncoated end of the gain-fiber for energizing the fiber. Laser radiation resulting from the energizing is delivered from the uncoated end of the gain-fiber and separated from the pump-radiation by a dichroic minor. | 09-13-2012 |
20120224595 | SINGLE-MODE INTRA-CAVITY FREQUENCY-DOUBLED CW SOLID-STATE LASER WITH VOLUMETRIC GAIN-GRATING - A solid state-gain medium is in the form of a thin disk backed by a reflective coating. A laser resonator is formed by the reflective coating and another mirror. Optical pump radiation is directed into the thin-disk gain-medium for energizing the gain-medium and generating a standing wave of fundamental-wavelength radiation in the resonator. The pump-radiation is directed into the gain-medium at an angle to the resonator axis and pump-radiation fringes are formed by interference between incident and reflected pump-radiation. The pump-radiation angle is selected such that the pump-radiation fringes are aligned with antinodes of the fundamental-wavelength standing wave. | 09-06-2012 |
20120215211 | DELIVERY FIBER FOR SURGICAL LASER TREATMENT AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME - An optical surgical fiber assembly for delivering laser radiation from a laser radiation source to a treatment site has a sealed off capillary enclosing a delivery end of the fiber. The capillary is formed from an outermost layer of fused silica and an adjacent layer of boron-doped fused silica having a higher CTE than that of the fused silica. The capillary is shrink-fitted onto the delivery end of the fiber. A compressive stress is imparted to the outermost layer of the capillary as a result of the shrink-fitting process and the CTE difference between the layers. This provides mechanical hardening of the surface of the outermost layer. | 08-23-2012 |
20120211145 | DELIVERY FIBER FOR SURGICAL LASER TREATMENT AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME - An method is disclosed for forming an optical surgical fiber assembly for delivering laser radiation from a laser radiation source to a treatment site that includes a sealed off capillary enclosing a delivery end of the fiber. The capillary is formed from an outermost layer of fused silica and an adjacent layer of boron-doped fused silica having a higher CTE than that of the fused silica. The capillary is shrink-fitted onto the delivery end of the fiber. A compressive stress is imparted to the outermost layer of the capillary as a result of the shrink-fitting process and the CTE difference between the layers. This provides mechanical hardening of the surface of the outermost layer. | 08-23-2012 |
20120200912 | OPTICAL PARAMETRIC OSCILLATOR PUMPED BY FEMTOSECOND THIN-DISK LASER - Pulses from a mode-locked Yb-doped laser are spectrally broadened, and temporally compressed, then frequency-doubled and used to pump an optical parametric oscillator (OPO). The OPO output is tunable over a wavelength range from about 600 nm to about 1100 nm. | 08-09-2012 |
20120199564 | POWDER-DELIVERY APPARATUS FOR LASER-CLADDING - Powder-delivery apparatus for delivering powdered cladding-material into the vicinity of a laser-beam spot includes a plurality of powder-delivery modules. Each of the modules is arranged to receive the cladding-material and deliver the cladding-material through a plurality of nozzles. The position of the nozzles in the modules with respect to the laser-beam spot is adjustable in three Cartesian axes. The modules are selectively removable from, and attachable to the apparatus. Nozzles in any one of the modules can be selectively prevented from delivering cladding-material. | 08-09-2012 |
20120183005 | DRIVING CIRCUIT FOR ANALOG-MODULATED DIODE-LASER - A diode-laser is driven by a modulated voltage through a voltage-to-current converter. The modulated voltage has a fixed level determined by an applied fixed bias voltage and a variable level determined by a modulation voltage signal varying between minimum and maximum values. The fixed voltage level corresponds to a threshold level above which the diode-laser would provide laser-output. The modulation voltage signal is monitored and compared with a predetermined set value. If the monitored voltage signal falls below the set value, the modulated voltage is disconnected from the voltage-to-current converter and the output of the diode-laser falls to zero. | 07-19-2012 |
20120147908 | SHORT-PULSE FIBER-LASER - 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. | 06-14-2012 |
20120113996 | LINE-PROJECTION APPARATUS FOR ARRAYS OF DIODE-LASER BAR STACKS - In optical apparatus for illuminating a mask-plane with a line of light, a light source includes four fast-axis stacks of laser diode bars with fast and slow axis collimating arrangements providing four collimated beams of diode-laser light. A combination of a lens element and two diffraction gratings collects the four collimated beams and spreads the beams in the fast-axis direction such that the spread beams overlap in the mask plane to form a line of light having a length in the fast-axis-direction and a width in the slow-axis direction of the diode-laser bar stacks. | 05-10-2012 |
20120086519 | IMPEDANCE-MATCHING CIRCUITS FOR MULTI-OUTPUT POWER SUPPLIES DRIVING CO2 GAS-DISCHARGE LASERS - Electrical apparatus for connecting a radio frequency power-supply having two outputs to a load includes two radio frequency transmission-lines, each one connected to a corresponding power-supply output. A transformer arrangement connects the two transmission-lines to the load. Each transmission-line includes a series-connected pair of twelfth-wave transmission-line sections. The series-connection between the twelfth wave transmission-line sections in one transmission line is connected to the series-connection between the twelfth-wave transmission-line sections in the other by a device having an adjustable impedance. | 04-12-2012 |
20120063010 | LARGE-FIELD UNIT-MAGNIFICATION CATADIOPTRIC PROJECTION SYSTEM - A unit magnification projection optical system includes, listed in order along a system axis, a mirror, a lens group having negative power and a lens group having positive power. The optical system is a symmetric system, with an object plane on one side of the system axis and an object plane on an opposite side of the system axis. The object and image planes are spaced apart from the positive lens group by a working distance greater than 100 millimeters. | 03-15-2012 |
20120057345 | LINE-PROJECTION APPARATUS FOR ARRAYS OF DIODE-LASER BAR STACKS - In optical apparatus for illuminating a mask-plane with a line of light, a light source includes four fast-axis stacks of laser diode bars. One optical arrangement collects light beams from all of the diode-laser bar stacks, homogenizes and expands the beams in the fast-axis direction of the diode-laser bar stacks and partially overlaps the homogenized and expanded beams in the fast-axis direction. Another optical arrangement homogenizes the sum of the partially overlapped beams and images the sum of the beams as a line of light having a length in the fast-axis-direction and a width in the slow-axis direction. | 03-08-2012 |
20120033703 | HERMETICALLY-SEALED RF FEED-THROUGH WITH INTEGRATED CAPACITOR - A carbon-dioxide (CO | 02-09-2012 |
20120033692 | OPTICAL PUMPING OF A SOLID-STATE GAIN-MEDIUM USING A DIODE-LASER BAR STACK WITH INDIVIDUALLY ADDRESSABLE BARS - A diode-laser bar stack includes a plurality of diode-laser bars having different temperature dependent peak-emission wavelengths. The stack is arranged such that the bars can be separately powered. This allows one or more of the bars to be “on” while others are “off”. A switching arrangement is described for selectively turning bars on or off, responsive to a signal representative of the temperature of the diode-laser bar stack, for providing a desired total emission spectrum. | 02-09-2012 |
20110310468 | HYBRID FIBER-MOPA - A master oscillator power-amplifier stages includes multiple stages of fiber-amplification with a final power amplifier stage in the form of a multi-pass amplifier. With a thin-disk gain medium in one example the thin-disk amplifier includes a common optical arrangement for providing multiple incidences of radiation to be amplified and multiple incidences of a pump-radiation beam on the thin-disk gain medium. | 12-22-2011 |
20110285473 | IMPEDANCE-MATCHING TRANSFORMERS FOR RF DRIVEN CO2 GAS DISCHARGE LASERS | 11-24-2011 |
20110249698 | POLARIZATION MAINTAINING MULTI-PASS IMAGING SYSTEM FOR THIN-DISK AMPLIFIERS AND OSCILLATORS - 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 minor 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. | 10-13-2011 |
20110194581 | ARRANGEMENT FOR RF POWER DELIVERY TO A GAS DISCHARGE LASER WITH CASCADED TRANSMISSION LINE SECTIONS - RF power is transmitted to a CO | 08-11-2011 |
20110188103 | TWO FREQUENCY RESONANTLY EXCITED MEMS MIRROR FOR DIODE-LASER MARKER - Apparatus for marking a bitmap image on tape includes a scanning mirror which is incorporated in a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS). The MEMS is torsionally resonant at two frequencies one being about three time the other. The MEMS is excited to resonance by applying an AC signal to the actuators, causing the mirror to oscillate. The AC signal has components at the two frequencies. The magnitude and phase-relationship of the components can be selected such that the mirror oscillates in an approximation of a triangle-wave. | 08-04-2011 |
20110182319 | CO2 LASER OUTPUT POWER CONTROL DURING WARM-UP | 07-28-2011 |
20110164104 | DIODE-LASER MARKER WITH ONE-AXIS SCANNING MIRROR MOUNTED ON A TRANSLATABLE CARRIAGE - Apparatus for marking a bitmap image on tape includes a source of a modulatable laser-beam. The beam is directed to an oscillating mirror on a carriage translatable across the width direction of the tape. The oscillating mirror directs the beam to a focusing lens mounted on the carriage. The focusing lens is arranged to focus the beam to a focal-spot on the tape. As the carriage is translated, the focal-spot is swept reciprocally in a wave-like path across the tape. Modulation of the beam is arranged such that pixels of a plurality of rows of the bitmap image are printed in one traverse of the carriage. The tape is advanced incrementally and repeated traverses of the carriage are made to complete printing of the bitmap image. | 07-07-2011 |
20110150013 | RESONANT PUMPING OF THIN-DISK LASER WITH AN OPTICALLY PUMPED EXTERNAL-CAVITY SURFACE-EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR LASER - Laser apparatus comprises a solid-state laser-resonator including a thin-disk solid-state gain-medium. The thin-disk gain medium is optically pumped using radiation circulating in an OPS-laser resonator. The solid-state laser-resonator can be a passively mode-locked or actively Q-switched laser-resonator. | 06-23-2011 |
20110128609 | BEAM STEERING USING A THERMALLY ANISOTROPIC MEDIUM - Apparatus for steering a beam of radiation includes a thermally anisotropic element configured such that the shape of the optical element can be varied by varying the temperature of the element. The beam is reflected from or transmitted through the element in a manner such that the direction of the beam on leaving the element can be varied by the change of shape resulting from the temperature variation. | 06-02-2011 |
20110122897 | ACOUSTO-OPTICALLY Q-SWITCHED CO2 LASER - A pulsed CO | 05-26-2011 |
20110085580 | PRE-IONIZATION METHOD FOR CO2 GAS-DISCHARGE LASER - An RF powered CO | 04-14-2011 |
20110085575 | DIGITAL PULSE-WIDTH-MODULATION CONTROL OF A RADIO FREQUENCY POWER SUPPLY FOR PULSED LASER - A pulse width modulation method for controlling the output power of a pulsed gas discharge laser powered by a pulsed RF power supply comprises delivering a train of digital pulses to the RF power supply. Each pulse in the train has an incrementally variable duration. The power supply is arranged to deliver a train of RF pulses corresponding in number and duration to the train of digital pulses received. The average power in the RF-pulse train can be varied by incrementally varying the duration of one or more of the digital pulses in the digital pulse train. The train of RF pulses is used to power a gas discharge laser. The gas discharge laser outputs a pulse train corresponding to the RF pulse train. | 04-14-2011 |
20110082447 | LENSED DUAL-CHIP FIBER-COUPLER FOR PROVIDING AN AIMING BEAM IN AN INFRARED RADIATION DELIVERY APPARATUS - Laser treatment apparatus includes one diode-laser providing infrared radiation for the treatment and another diode-laser for providing visible radiation. A lens launches the infrared and visible radiations from the diode-lasers into the entrance face of the optical fiber for transporting the radiations to a treatment location. | 04-07-2011 |
20110069376 | FIBER MOPA WITH AMPLIFYING TRANSPORT FIBER - Frequency-multiplied fiber-MOPA apparatus includes one enclosure containing a master oscillator and fiber amplifier stages and another enclosure containing frequency-multiplying stages. Radiation is transmitted between the enclosures by a transport fiber in a flexible jacket or enclosure. The transport fiber functions additionally as a power amplifier fiber, and amplifies the radiation while transporting the radiation between the enclosures. The amplifying transport fiber is energized by diode-lasers in the enclosure containing the master oscillator and fiber amplifiers. | 03-24-2011 |
20110064099 | OPTICALLY-PUMPED EXTERNAL-CAVITY SURFACE-EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR LASERS WITH FRONT-COOLED GAIN-STRUCTURES - A semiconductor gain-structure functions as a gain-element in a laser-resonator. The gain-structure is bonded to a diamond heat-spreader that is peripherally cooled by a heat-sink configured to allow access to the gain-structure by laser-radiation circulating in the laser-resonator. In one example, the gain-structure is used as a transmissive gain-structure in a traveling-wave ring-resonator. In another example, the gain-structure surmounts a mirror-structure which functions as an end-mirror of a standing-wave laser-resonator. | 03-17-2011 |
20110038031 | PULSED FIBER-MOPA WITH WIDELY-VARIABLE PULSE-DURATION - Master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) apparatus includes two seed-pulse sources coupled to a single fiber amplifier including one or more stages of amplification. One of the seed-pulse sources is a single-mode source generating pulses having a duration selectively variable between about 0.1 ns and 10 ns. The other seed-pulse source is a multi-mode source generating pulses having a duration selectively variable between about 1 ns and 10 μs. Selectively operating one or the other of the seed-pulse sources provides that the apparatus can deliver pulses selectively variable in a range between about 0.1 ns and 10 μs. | 02-17-2011 |
20110019267 | CARRIER ENVELOPE PHASE STABILIZATION OF AN OPTICAL AMPLIFIER - A laser and amplifier combination delivers a sequence of optical pulses. Pulses from the laser are temporally stretched by a pulse stretcher before amplification and temporally compressed by a pulse compressed after amplification. The pulse stretcher includes a diffraction grating on which pulses being compressed are incident. An arrangement is provided for measuring the carrier-envelope phase of the pulses and adjusting the incidence angle of pulses on the grating cooperative with the measurement such that the carrier envelope phase of the pulses in the sequence is about constant. | 01-27-2011 |
20100322270 | INTRACAVITY FREQUENCY-CONVERTED OPTICALLY-PUMPED SEMICONDUCTOR LASER WITH RED-LIGHT OUTPUT - In a branched resonator OPS-laser arrangement, a combination of intra-cavity optical parametric generation and intra-cavity sum-frequency mixing provides output radiation in a range between about 550 nanometers about 700 nanometers from an OPS fundamental wavelength in a range between about 900 nm and about 1100 nm. | 12-23-2010 |
20100321765 | INTRACAVITY FREQUENCY-CONVERTED OPTICALLY-PUMPED SEMICONDUCTOR OPTICAL PARAMETRIC OSCILLATOR - In a branched resonator OPS-laser arrangement, a combination of intra-cavity optical parametric generation and intra-cavity frequency conversion provides output radiation in a range between about 550 nanometers about 800 nanometers from an OPS fundamental wavelength in a range between about 900 nm and about 1100 nm. | 12-23-2010 |
20100316084 | ARRANGEMENT FOR RF POWER DELIVERY TO A GAS DISCHARGE LASER WITH CASCADED TRANSMISSION LINE SECTIONS - RF power is transmitted to a CO | 12-16-2010 |
20100309945 | BANDWIDTH-LIMITED AND LONG PULSE MASTER OSCILLATOR POWER OSCILLATOR LASER SYSTEMS - Laser systems have a line-narrowed master oscillator and a power oscillator for amplifying the output of the master oscillator. The power oscillator includes optical arrangements for limiting the bandwidth of radiation that can be amplified. The limited amplification bandwidth of the power oscillator is relatively broad compared to that of the output of the master oscillator, but narrower than would be the case without the bandwidth limiting arrangements. The bandwidth narrowing arrangements of the power oscillator function primarily to restrict the bandwidth of amplified spontaneous emission generated by the power oscillator. | 12-09-2010 |
20100278204 | EDGE-EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR LASER WITH PHOTONIC-BANDGAP STRUCTURE FORMED BY INTERMIXING - A separate-confinement heterostructure, edge-emitting semiconductor laser having a wide emitter width has elongated spaced apart intermixed and disordered zones extending through and alongside the emitter parallel to the emission direction of the emitter. The intermixed zones inhibit lasing of high order modes. This limits the slow axis divergence of a beam emitted by the laser. | 11-04-2010 |
20100278200 | EXTERNAL FREQUENCY-QUADRUPED 1064 NM MODE-LOCKED LASER - The output of a mode-locked solid-state NIR laser having a pulse duration less than 50 picoseconds at a pulse-repetition frequency is frequency doubled in a nonlinear crystal to provide green radiation. The green radiation is type-I frequency doubled in a BBO crystal to provide UV radiation. The green radiation is focused into an elliptical spot in the BBO crystal with the major axis of the spot in the walk-off plane of the crystal. The length of the crystal is chosen to be much less than the Rayleigh range of the green radiation in the walk-off plane of the BBO crystal. | 11-04-2010 |
20100260210 | OPS-LASER PUMPED FIBER-LASER - An optical gain-fiber of a fiber-laser or a fiber-amplifier is optically pumped by radiation from a plurality of external cavity, optically pumped, surface-emitting semiconductor lasers (OPS-lasers). In one example, radiation from the OPS-lasers is focused by a lens into cladding of the gain-fiber at one end of the fiber. In another example radiation from the diode-lasers is focused into the core of a delivery fiber at one end of the delivery fiber. The other end of the delivery fiber is coupled to the cladding of the gain-fiber. | 10-14-2010 |
20100246616 | CAVITY-DUMPED PULSED SOLID-STATE LASER WITH VARIABLE PULSE-DURATION - In a cavity-dumped, repetitively-pulsed, solid-state laser cavity dumping is protracted over a predetermined time longer than a round-trip time of the resonator of the laser. The cavity dumping is effected by a Pockels cell optical switch. During a dumping period a voltage applied to the Pockels cell falls in a predetermined time. Varying the voltage fall-time varies the duration of pulses provided by the laser, independent of the pulse-repetition frequency. | 09-30-2010 |
20100239748 | ELECTRODES FOR GENERATING A STABLE DISCHARGE IN GAS LASER SYSTEMS - Arcing is minimized in a discharge chamber of a gas laser system by utilizing an electrode which comprises a surface portion capable of functioning as one of an anode and a cathode in order to energize a gas mixture in a discharge chamber of the gas discharge laser system, a shoulder portion being positioned on either side of the surface portion and being exposed to the gas mixture, and a coating layer made of electrically insulating material, wherein the coating layer is attached to the shoulder portion by a cold spraying method. | 09-23-2010 |
20100183039 | TWO-DIMENSIONAL DIODE-LASER ARRAY WITH BROAD-BAND OUTPUT - It is demonstrated that substantial operating-parameter-dependent temperature-differences can exist between diode-laser bars in pulsed operation of a stack of such bars arranged to provide a two-dimensional array of diode-laser emitters. These differences can produce distortion of the aggregate output spectrum of the stack. By selecting particular nominal emitting wavelengths of the diode-laser bars for specific positions in the stack, the aggregate emission-spectrum can be tailored to a desired shape for one or more sets of operating parameters of the stack. | 07-22-2010 |
20100172386 | PARTICLE DAMAGE PROTECTION FOR HIGH POWER CO2 SLAB LASER MIRRORS | 07-08-2010 |
20100172042 | COMPENSATION FOR TRANSIENT HEATING OF LASER MIRRORS - A mirror assembly for a carbon dioxide (CO | 07-08-2010 |
20100118901 | HERMETICALLY-SEALED RF FEED-THROUGH WITH INTEGRATED CAPACITOR - A carbon-dioxide (CO | 05-13-2010 |
20100103974 | THERMAL DISTORTION COMPENSATION FOR LASER MIRRORS - A laser mirror assembly is disclosed with improved pointing stability. An elongated mirror includes a concave reflecting portion. A pair of elongated planar portions extend parallel to the concave reflecting portion on either side thereof. The planar portions are stepped down from the reflecting portion. The mirror is formed from copper. A pair of stainless steel strips are connected to planar portions. The bimetallic effect between the copper mirror and the stainless steel strips operates to counteract the warping of the mirror due to differential heating effects which arise during operation. In an alternate embodiment, a pair of aluminum strips are mounted on the rear surface of the mirror. | 04-29-2010 |
20100102043 | LASER ENGRAVING APPARATUS - In laser engraving apparatus for engraving a gray-scale image on a plastic ID-card, the laser is a modulatable optically pumped semiconductor laser. Focusing optics focus a beam from the laser into a focal spot about 10 micrometers in diameter. The ID-card is mounted on a turntable which is rotated such that the focal spot sweeps over the ID card. The turntable is translated in a direction transverse to the rotation direction and the laser is modulated such that the engraved gray-scale image is formed by a matrix of parallel black lines of various length and spacing. | 04-29-2010 |
20100078857 | DIODE-LASER MARKER WITH ONE-AXIS SCANNING MIRROR MOUNTED ON A TRANSLATABLE CARRIAGE - Apparatus for marking a bitmap image on tape includes a source of a modulatable laser-beam. The beam is directed to an oscillating mirror on a carriage translatable across the width direction of the tape. The oscillating mirror directs the beam to a focusing lens mounted on the carriage. The focusing lens is arranged to focus the beam to a focal-spot on the tape. As the carriage is translated, the focal-spot is swept reciprocally in a wave-like path across the tape. Modulation of the beam is arranged such that pixels of a plurality of rows of the bitmap image are printed in one traverse of the carriage. The tape is advanced incrementally and repeated traverses of the carriage are made to complete printing of the bitmap image. Light from the laser can be delivered to the oscillating mirror via an optical fiber. | 04-01-2010 |
20100019849 | RF PRE-AMPLIFIERS AND POWER AMPLIFIERS - An RF amplifier circuit includes a MOSFET connected to an RF output of the circuit via an impedance matching network including an inductor and a tuning capacitor connected in parallel with the inductor and the MOSFET. DC voltage is applied to the MOSFET via a series path through a radio frequency choke and the inductor of the impedance matching network. | 01-28-2010 |
20090296764 | FREQUENCY-AGILE RF-POWER EXCITATION FOR DRIVING DIFFUSION-COOLED SEALED-OFF, RF-EXCITED GAS LASERS - A gas discharge laser includes a laser housing including a laser gas and an electrode-assembly for lighting a discharge in the laser gas. The electrode assembly has a first resonant frequency when the discharge is not lit and a second resonant frequency when the discharge is lit. RF power delivering circuitry of the laser includes an arrangement for determining and recording the two resonant frequencies. RF power is applied to the electrodes at the first recorded resonant frequency to facilitate lighting of the discharge, and thereafter at the second resonant frequency to light and sustain the discharge. | 12-03-2009 |
20090065697 | Sub-millimeter wave frequency heterodyne detector system - The present invention relates to sub-millimeter wave frequency heterodyne imaging systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to a sub-millimeter wave frequency heterodyne detector system for imaging the magnitude and phase of transmitted power through or reflected power off of mechanically scanned samples at sub-millimeter wave frequencies. | 03-12-2009 |