3M Innovative Properties Company

Raydiance, Inc.

Prescient Medical, Inc.

Other

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

3M Innovative Company

3M Intellectual Properties Company

James Francis Brennan, Iii

Laurent Vaissié

Dwayne L LaBrake

Michael Mielke

Bryon J Cronk

Moses Mekala David

Brian J Gates

Brian Kenneth Nelson

Timothy J Booth

Dale E Elder

Michael Nevin Miller

Trevor Wayne MacDougall

James R Bylander

Hermann A Haus

Nicholas A Stacey

James B Carpenter

Anthony William Gatica

Gordon Wiegand

Ismail Tolga Yilmaz

Michael R Matthews

Patrick C Chou

Pranay G Sinha

John P Stedman

Rajeev J Ram

Jian Ling

James Craig Novack

Erich P Ippen

Joseph N Mitchell

Ronald Phillip Pepin

Michael Sullivan

Xudong Fan

George J Knox

James M Battiato

Jerome C Porque

John A Valenti

Tolga Yilmaz

Mark R Heistand

William F Fraker

Chad H Byrd

Gerard A Beauchesne

Maureen T Fahey

Edward Hernadez

Gerald A Beauchesne

Harry L T Lee

Jon Nazemi

Diann A Sloan

Dwayne LaBrake

Systems and methods for producing ultra-short optical pulses are provided. According to various embodiments, optical pulses are generated, stretched, amplified, and compressed to ultra-short lengths. In order to achieve the ultra-short lengths, dispersion compensation is provided prior to amplification and optionally before compression. Dispersion compensation prior to amplification can be performed by passing the optical pulses through a polarization-maintaining fiber that includes a nonlinear Bragg grating. In some embodiments, the optical pulses are repeatedly circulated through the polarization-maintaining fiber that includes the nonlinear Bragg grating. Dispersion compensation before compression can be achieved by passing the amplified optical pulse through another length of polarization-maintaining fiber.

Dispersion compensation in a chirped pulse amplification system

A chirped pulse amplification (CPA) system and method is described wherein the dispersion of the system is tuned by actively tuning one or more system components, for example, using a temperature or strain gradient, or using actinic radiation. In other embodiments, an additional element, such as a modulator, is added to the CPA system to actively to tune the pulse. A pulse monitor is added to the system to measure an output pulse and provide feedback to one or more active tuning elements.

Active tuning of temporal dispersion in an ultrashort pulse laser system

The invention provides unitary optics modules that integrate several light management functions for performing optical spectroscopy, such as Raman spectroscopy, and optical spectroscopy systems that include one or more of the unitary optics modules. Methods of using the modules and systems are also provided.

Multi-channel fiber optic spectroscopy systems employing integrated optics modules

The present invention provides apparatuses and methods for sample analysis, such as tissue analysis, that integrate high wavenumber (HW) Raman spectroscopy for chemical composition analysis and optical coherence tomography (OCT) to provide depth and morphological information. The invention also provides side-viewing optical probes that are based on a single double clad optical fiber for performing the combined HW Raman spectroscopy and OCT. Intravascular catheter embodiments and related vascular diagnostic methods are also provided.

Optical catheter configurations combining raman spectroscopy with optical fiber-based low coherence reflectometry

The present invention generally concerns the use of Bragg optical fibers in chirped pulse amplification systems for the production of high-pulse-energy ultrashort optical pulses. A gas-core Bragg optical fiber waveguide can be advantageously used in such systems to stretch the duration of pulses so that they can be amplified, and/or Bragg fibers can be used to compress optical signals into much shorter duration pulses after they have been amplified. Bragg fibers can also function as near-zero-dispersion delay lines in amplifier sections.

High-order Bragg fiber dispersion correction

A chirped pulse amplification (CPA) system and method is described wherein a pulse selector is added after a final amplifier in the system. The pulse selector is configured to select amplified pulses such that the system output repetition rate of the CPA system is below an ASE-limiting repetition rate of the amplifiers. The system may also comprise pulse pickers placed before the final amplifier to control pulse energy of the amplified pulses.

Pulse selecting in a chirped pulse amplification system

Bragg fibers in systems for the generation of high peak power light

A glass article comprising a glass substrate and a diamond-like film deposited on the substrate is disclosed. The glass article is desirably responsive to actinic radiation, such as being capable of demonstrating a change in refractive index upon exposure to actinic radiation. The film permits passage of the actinic radiation through the film and into the substrate. In specific implementations, the film comprises at least about 30 atomic percent carbon, from about 0 to about 50 atomic percent silicon, and from about 0 to about 50 atomic percent oxygen on a hydrogen-free basis.

Radiation-transmissive films on glass articles

Optical and optoelectronic articles incorporating an amorphous diamond-like film are disclosed. Specifically, the invention includes optical or optoelectronic articles containing an amorphous diamond-like film overlying two or more proximate substrates, and to methods of making optical and optoelectronic articles. In certain implementations, the film comprises at least about 30 atomic percent carbon, from about 0 to about 50 atomic percent silicon, and from about 0 to about 50 atomic percent oxygen on a hydrogen-free basis. Another embodiment includes optical or optoelectronic articles containing an amorphous diamond-like film that is further coated with a metallic or polymeric material for attachment to a device package.

Optical and optoelectronic articles

Optical systems configured for both changing the length of a laser pulse and operating as an optical isolator are disclosed. In some embodiments, optical isolation is achieve contemporaneously with laser pulse expansion or compression by using a grating based compressor or expander as one of the polarization elements of the optical isolator. In some embodiments, optical isolation is achieved contemporaneously with laser pulse expansion or compression by using a mode converter and a Bragg fiber as one of the polarization elements of the optical isolator. In some embodiments, a sub-wavelength polarizer including magnetic garnet is included in the optical isolator.

Combination optical isolator and pulse compressor

Methods for optical isolation in high peak power fiber-optic systems prevent damage to a facet within a fiber-optic isolator caused by back-reflected light from, for example, an optical amplifier. Preventing damage to the facet may include expanding a mode area of the back-reflected light and/or reducing a change in refractive index.

Methods for optical isolation in high power fiber-optic systems

Methods and apparatus for optical isolation in high peak power fiber-optic systems prevent damage to a facet within a fiber-optic isolator caused by back-reflected light from, for example, an optical amplifier. Preventing damage to the facet may include expanding a mode area of the back-reflected light and/or reducing a change in refractive index.

Method and apparatus for optical isolation in high power fiber-optic systems

In an optical amplifier, passively wavelength-stabilized pump diodes generate pumping light to excite a gain medium (e.g., rare-earth-ion doped optical fiber or solid-state optical amplifier) near an absorption peak of the gain medium. The gain medium amplifies a pulsed laser signal coupled into the gain medium to a high peak power with minimal non-linear distortion. The gain medium may include a portion configured to receive the pumping light and another portion configured to amplify the pulsed laser signal. A volume phase hologram device may passively wavelength stabilize the pump diodes by reflecting a portion of the pumping light back to the pump diodes. Passively wavelength-stabilizing the pump diodes improves power efficiency of the optical amplifier.

Wavelength-stabilized pump diodes for pumping gain media in an ultrashort pulsed laser system

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

James Francis Brennan, Iii