Joseph K Chee

Title: Joseph K. Chee and Passive Mode Locking for High-Power Lasers.

Introduction

Joseph K. Chee is an inventor associated with the University of California in Los Angeles, California. His work includes an invention for passive mode locking in high-power lasers, addressing the challenge of producing narrow, stable laser pulses.

Latest Patents

Chee is associated with 1 patent, titled “Method and Apparatus for Passive Mode Locking High Power Lasers.” The invention describes a laser system with a main cavity containing the lasing medium and an external cavity containing a nonlinear element. The element induces a nonlinear phase shift in light coupled from the main cavity, and the phase-shifted light is reflected back to produce a narrow-pulse, mode-locked output.

One embodiment uses an optical fiber as the nonlinear element, with a mirror positioned near one end to enable a laser pulse to pass through the fiber twice. The design also describes treatments and angled fiber ends intended to reduce unwanted reflections and Q-switching. A beam splitter couples light between the cavities, and a quarter-wave plate can adjust the polarization and thereby vary the amount of light entering the external cavity.

Career Highlights

Chee’s documented patent work focuses on laser technology, particularly passive mode locking for systems using homogeneously broadened media or media with high output power, long relaxation times, or narrow bandwidths. The patent describes design features intended to support pulse generation under these demanding operating conditions.

Collaborations

Chee’s listed coworkers include Mo-Nga Kong and Jia-Ming Liu. His patent is associated with the University of California.

Conclusion

Joseph K. Chee’s patent presents a cavity-based approach to generating narrow, mode-locked pulses in high-power laser systems, combining nonlinear phase shifting with optical coupling and reflection.