Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC

Bookham Technology Limited

University of California

Hoang Tan Nguyen

Jerald A Britten

Stephen E Sampayan

Michael Dale Perry

George James Caporaso

Brent C Stuart

Michael Charles Rushford

Weizhi Wang

Lars F Voss

Adam M Conway

Rebecca J Nikolic

Mihail Bora

Eyal Feigenbaum

Steven Anthony Hawkins

Jan-Willem J Pieterse

Jeffrey Devin Bude

Scott D Nelson

Dong Ho Choi

Christopher J Stolz

Li-Fang Wang

Robert Scott Boyd

Thang Q Tran

Sangtae Park

Bruce W Shore

Ross D Pace

Cindy C Larson

Jean-Michel Di Nicola

Alan Lim

Rosemary O Abriam

Andrew H Cordes

Optical structures, including thin film designs and components with topography, are provided that achieve significantly improved laser damage thresholds and/or ultra-low-loss. These advances may be achieved by utilizing a bulk window including a material having a band gap that is at least 5.0 eV and a thickness. The bulk window can be configured to increase the laser induced damage threshold of the underlying optical structure.

Innovative solutions to improve laser damage thresholds of optical structures

A spectral beam combining system includes a spectral channel splicer comprising a plurality of reflectors and a spectral beam combiner comprising a diffraction optical element such as a diffraction grating. This spectral beam combining system may facilitate combining an increased number of spectral channels thereby producing higher optical power of the combining beam system.

Spectral channel splicer for spectral beam combining laser system

Optical thin film designs are provided that achieve significantly improved laser damage thresholds and ultra-low-loss. These advances may be achieved by utilizing materials with electronic band gaps and refractive indices that are higher than those that are conventionally used.

Innovative solutions for improving laser damage performance of multi-layer dielectric gratings

The present disclosure relates to a waveplate having a substrate forming an optic. The substrate may have an integral portion forming a plurality of angled columnar features on an exposed surface thereof. The plurality of angled columnar features may further be aligned parallel with a directional plane formed non-parallel to a reference plane, with the reference plane being normal to a surface of the substrate. The metasurface forms a birefringent metasurface.

Birefringent waveplate and method for forming a waveplate having a birefringent metasurface

A system configuration that significantly improves the laser damage threshold of multi-layer dielectric gratings for lasers applications includes three main sections: 1) a laser module, 2) a TM polarization module, and 3) a multi-layer dielectric grating optimized for high efficiency operation with transverse magnetic polarized laser light.

System and method for improving the laser damage threshold of multilayer dielectric gratings

A device utilized for spectrally combining multi lasers or laser emitters into a single high-power beam. Exemplary embodiments of the device consist of a monolithic structure, such as a hollow tube, wherein the input end cap comprises a transform optic and the output end cap comprises a transmission grating.

Monolithic transmitting spectral beam combiner

Metallic overcoated diffraction gratings are particularly useful for high average power laser pulse compression. A dielectric oxide layer is attached to an etch-stop layer, where the dielectric oxide layer comprises a grating pattern including grating lines. Sidewalls of the grating lines taper together toward an upper surface of the dielectric oxide layer. A metallic overcoat is attached to the etch-stop layer and the dielectric oxide layer.

Metal-overcoated grating and method

A method of fabricating a multilayer dielectric (MLD) diffraction grating by providing a multilayer stack having a grating layer, and anisotropically etching the grating layer to form grating lines having an initial lineheight, an initial linewidth, and an initial grating duty cycle, that are greater than a target lineheight, a target linewidth, and a target grating duty cycle, respectively. An isotropic wet etch solution is then used to etch back the grating lines to the target lineheight, the target linewidth, and the target grating duty cycle so as to minimize electric field intensities and maximize diffraction efficiency for a given set of MLD illumination conditions.

Isotropic etchback method of linewidth tailoring multilayer dielectric diffraction gratings for improvement of laser damage resistance and diffraction efficiency

Methods, systems, and devices are disclosed for photoconductive switch package configurations. In some aspects, a photoconductive switch package includes of a wide bandgap photoconductive material (e.g., GaN, ZnO, diamond, AlN, SiC, BN, etc.), a source for energetic photons (e.g., a laser), a mechanism to couple the laser into the switch, and a mechanism for high voltage to enter and leave the switch package. In some implementations, the disclosed photoconductive switch packages can be configured as a three terminal device, e.g., similar to transistors, with one of the terminals being laser input or the voltage input to the laser system.

Photoconductive switch package configurations having a profiled resistive element

A photoconductive switch consisting of an optically actuated photoconductive material, e.g. a wide bandgap semiconductor such as SiC, situated between opposing electrodes. The electrodes are created using various methods in order to maximize reliability by reducing resistive heating, current concentrations and filamentation, and heating and ablation due to the light source. This is primarily accomplished by the configuration of the electrical contact geometry, choice of contacts metals, annealing, ion implantation, creation of recesses within the SiC, and the use of coatings to act as encapsulants and anti-reflective layers.

Reliable electrical contacts for high power photoconductive switches

An optical transconductance varistor system having a modulated radiation source configured to provide modulated stimulus, a wavelength converter operably connected to the modulated radiation source to produce a modulated stimulus having a predetermined wavelength, and a wide bandgap semiconductor photoconductive material in contact between two electrodes. The photoconductive material is operably coupled, such as by a beam transport module, to receive the modulated stimulus having the predetermined wavelength to control a current flowing through the photoconductive material when a voltage potential is present across the electrodes.

Laser-controlled optical transconductance varistor system

A laser-emitting device may be coupled to an electro-optically controlled wavelength actuator. An electro-optically controlled wavelength actuator may be a holographic wavelength actuator or a liquid crystal wavelength actuator. The electro-optically controlled wavelength actuator may function as a tunable diffraction grating for external cavity lasers.

Laser wavelength actuators

Tunable external cavity lasers are used in applications such as interferometry, FM spectroscopy, and optical communications equipment testing. Mode hop free high bandwidth frequency modulation operation is desired in a tunable external cavity laser. This application describes new and novel techniques for controlling the output wavelength of a tunable external cavity laser while suppressing mode hop.

Tunable external cavity laser with adjustable cavity length and mode-hop suppression

An apparatus and method for determining a physical parameter affecting an optical sensor or a number of sensors in a network. The apparatus uses a narrow linewidth source at an emission wavelength &#x3bb;and an arrangement for varying the emission wavelength &#x3bb;of the radiation. An analysis module with curve fitting is used to generate a fit to the response signal obtained from the optical sensor. The physical parameter is determined form the fit rather than from the response signal. The apparatus can be employed with Bragg gratings, etalons, Fabry Perot elements or other optical sensors.

System and method for monitoring environmental effects using optical sensors

A method and apparatus for improving the quality and efficiency of machining of materials with laser pulse durations shorter than 100 picoseconds by orienting and maintaining the polarization of the laser light such that the electric field vector is perpendicular relative to the edges of the material being processed. Its use is any machining operation requiring remote delivery and/or high precision with minimal collateral dames.

Growing community of inventors

Livermore, CA, United States of America

Hoang Tan Nguyen