Institut National D'optique

Glopak Inc.

Photon Dynamics, Inc.

International Gemstone Registry Inc.

Alain Cournoyer

Marc Levesque

Daniel Cantin

Roland Basque

Marc Lévesque

Yves Taillon

Pascal Deladurantaye

Pierre Galarneau

Jerry Schlagheck

Chiara Meneghini

Yves Champagne

René Beaulieu

Sylvain Plante

Michel Fortin

Marc Pastor

Bruno Bourliaguet

Julie Fréchette

Luc Lévesque

St&eacute;phane Petit

Marc Deladurantaye

Wes Barron

A laser welding system for sealing or cutting polymeric sheets is described. The system comprises a laser source capable of delivering a laser beam. The laser beam is projected onto a region of the polymeric sheets where the sealing or cutting is to be performed. An optical device is provided to image the sealing or cutting as it is performed. An image analyser asserts the sealing or cutting quality. An integrated control means is provided to control the laser source, the projection of the laser beam, the optical device and the image analyser.

Laser welding system for sealing or cutting polymeric sheets

The present invention concerns a device and method for transmitting multiple optically-encoded stimulation signals to multiple stimulation sites, especially cell locations. The device uses a primary optical fiber to transmit specific wavelength components of an encoded light signal to output positions along the fiber where they are coupled out of the primary fiber to stimulation sites via electrodes for electrical stimulation of the sites or optical windows and/or secondary optical fibers for photo-stimulation of sites.

Device and method for transmitting multiple optically-encoded stimulation signals to multiple cell locations

A flow cytometer type apparatus and method for analyzing a fluid, where the fluid is fed through a passageway within an optical fiber and the light is guided by the fiber across the passageway and intersects the fluid therein. The apparatus includes an optical fiber with a passageway traversing it, a channeling system to channel the fluid medium within the passageway, a light source to propagate light within the optical fiber and across the passageway, and a detection system for detecting an intensity of the light exiting the fiber. The method includes channeling the fluid medium through the passageway, propagating light within the optical fiber, and detecting an intensity of the light output. Preferably, the fluid includes small bodies, like bacteria which are analyzed by assessing the detected exiting light intensity.

Flow cytometry analysis across optical fiber

A system and method to improve the accuracy of the measure of constituent element(s) in a sample containing domains potentially including the constituent element(s) are described herein. For each domain, the volume of the domain is estimated and the concentration of the constituent element(s) in the domain is determined using LIBS. When all the domains have been analyzed, the volumetric concentration of the domains is summed and divided by the total volume of the sample. Accordingly, by limiting the concentration analysis to separate domains, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the concentration analysis.

Method and system to measure the concentration of constituent elements in an inhomogeneous material using LIBS

A clamp holds together at least two superposed, flexible polymeric films while they are optically sealed or cut by at least a laser beam. The clamp is comprised of two jaws wherein at least one of the jaws can be moved to allow a closing and an opening of the clamp. One of the jaws is a contact jaw to bring the films into contact. The other jaw is an optical jaw having an optical window to let at least one laser beam pass through it and wherein the window is wide enough to allow to optically seal or cut the whole width of the films if required. A support mechanism interconnects the jaws and allows a controlled opening and closing of the clamp.

Clamp for flexible polymeric film laser sealing

The invention is specially directed towards intermittent motion packaging machines where the packages are momentarily immobilized at a forming station for the time duration of the package sealing and cutting. The polymeric sheets or films are sealed and cut after being exposed to a laser beam in a controlled and optimized manner. The laser beam is shaped with appropriate optical elements to provide a desired intensity profile in the section of the films to be sealed or sealed and cut. With this method, a package can be sealed and cut simultaneously in one exposure step. An optical clamp holds the films together while they are being sealed by the laser. The optical clamp can reflect back to the films, partially or totally, the laser beam intensity that has not been previously absorbed. The optical clamp further allows to monitor the sealing and cutting process while the process is being performed.

Optical sealing clamp and a method for sealing and cutting polymeric sheets with a laser

A method and an apparatus for laser marking indicia in the volume of gemstones such as diamonds, the indicia being made up of a plurality of microscopic dot-shaped marks whose build-up can be initiated by exposing naturally-occurring internal defects or impurities in the volume of a gemstone to a tightly focused train of laser pulses. Authentication data is encoded in the gemstone from the relative spatial arrangement of the dot-shaped marks that form the indicium. Taking advantage of the presence of otherwise invisible defects in the gemstone allows for inscribing indicia with laser pulses carrying energies substantially lower than the threshold energy required for inscribing in the volume of a perfect gemstone material. The marking process is then much less susceptible to inflict damages to the surface of the gemstone, and the marking can be performed using a broad variety of femtosecond laser systems. The dot-shaped marks engraved at a depth below the surface of a gemstone can be made undetectable with the unaided eye or with a loupe by limiting their individual size to a few micrometers, while devising indicia made up of only a few marks. As a result, the marking does not detract from the appearance and value of the gemstone. The procedure for laser marking accounts for the random spatial distribution of the defects present in natural gemstones as well as for their strongly localized character. The presence of an indicium can be detected by using a dedicated optical reader that can be afforded by every jewellery store.

Method and system for laser marking in the volume of gemstones such as diamonds

The present invention concerns an optical sensor located on a preferred azimuthal portion of the side of an optical fiber. An optical fiber having two opposite ends, a core and a cladding and at least one sensing area is disclosed. Each of the sensing areas is located between the two opposite ends and each has a longitudinal, a radial and an azimuthal portion of the fiber that has been removed and replaced by a sensing material. The sensing collected light is thus representative of a parameter to be measured, such as temperature. Placing the sensing material in a lateral side portion of the fiber increases the sensitivity of the sensor, particularly when it comes to contact temperature measurement in vivo.

Packaged optical sensors on the side of optical fibers

A prismatic reflection optical waveguide device having an input and an output optical waveguide segments and a reflection interface provided therebetween apt to convey a light beam from one direction to another, wherein the light beam is conveyed by a single reflection on the reflection interface. Such a prismatic reflection optical waveguide device may, for example, be used as an optical waveguide sensor for measuring the refractive index of a sample medium. The measuring range and/or the sensitivity of such an optical waveguide sensor may be adjusted according to a particular application. Such a prismatic reflection optical waveguide device may also be used as a generally lossless bent optical waveguide wherein the reflection interface works as a mirror for reflecting the light beam coming from the input segment to the output segment, thereby providing a generally lossless transmission.

Prismatic reflection optical waveguide device

Disclosed is a method for engraving materials such as fused silica or ceramic by continuously actuating a laser producing a Gaussian beam, directing the beam towards the surface of the substrate and moving the beam relative to the surface of the substrate so that a V-groove is obtained by laser ablation of the substrate. The depth of the groove, the angle of the top of the groove, can be controlled by the relative speed between the laser beam and the substrate, the power density and the width of the laser beam, the polarization of the laser beam and the incident angle of the laser beam with respect to the surface. A method for treating an optical fiber connector is also disclosed.

Method for engraving materials using laser etched V-grooves

A method for inspecting an object and detecting defects is taught (BGA and Flip-Chip solder joints on a PCB particularly). The method comprises injecting a thermal stimulation on the object; capturing a sequence of consecutive infrared images of the object to record heat diffusion resulting from the heat pulse; comparing the heat diffusion on said object to a reference; and determining whether the object comprises any defects. Also described is a system comprising a mounting for mounting the object; a thermal stimulation module for applying a thermal stimulation to the bottom surface of the object; an infrared camera for capturing infrared images of the object on the top surface of the object to record a change in infrared radiation from the top surface resulting from the thermal stimulation; and a computer for comparing the change in infrared radiation within a region on the top surface to a reference and determining whether the object comprises any defects.

Method and apparatus for detection of defects using thermal stimulation

A coupling technique for the side coupling of light from a light source into a waveguide is provided. A transversal groove is made into a section of the waveguide, extending into the target light guiding region. A coupling element is coupled to the light source at one of its end to receive the light beam therefrom. The opposite end of the coupling element is inserted in the groove and has at least one reflecting interface which specularly reflects the light beam for propagation into the waveguide. This technique may advantageously be used to couple light from the laser diodes of an array into one or a plurality of optical fibers.

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Québec, Canada

Alain Cournoyer