Finisar Corporation

C8 Medisensors Inc.

Redox Biomedical, Inc.

Jan Lipson

Thomas Lenosky

Hongyu Deng

Rudolf J Hofmeister

Giorgio Giaretta

Donald Arthur Ice

James Edward Stewart

Andreas G Weber

Mina Farr

Robert P McNamara

Paul Kessler Rosenberg

Jeffrey M Bernhardt

John Hsieh

Anthony Ho

Daniel K Case

Chun Lei

The' Linh Nguyen

Yew-Tai Chieng

Thomas J Lenosky

Jeff Bernhardt

Jeff Price

Lewis B Aronson

Chris Togami

Qingfeng Huang

Ueyn L Block

Harold G Sampson

William R Freeman

Yuxin Zhou

Sascha Hallstein

The′ Linh Nguyen

Zheng Wang

Steven Wang

Chris Dries

Daniel Petrasek

Joseph M Lipson

Albert L Lipson

Various systems and methods of monitoring laser safety by sensing contact of the system with a sample are provided. The system includes a focusing element for focusing an incident light from a laser light source onto a sample, an optical element having a collection zone for collecting a signal from the sample, a reflected light sensor for sensing a reflected light from the sample, wherein the reflected light sensor is located outside the collection zone of the optical element and on an inner surface of a housing of the system, an electrical circuit operably connected to the reflected light sensor and the laser light source and configured to control power to the laser light source in accordance with the reflected light sensed by the reflected light sensor and a spectral analyzer for processing the signal. Methods and other systems are also described and illustrated.

Systems having a reflected light sensor and methods of use

An apparatus consisting of stacked slab waveguides whose outputs are vertically staggered is disclosed. At the input to the stacked waveguides, the entrances to each slab lie in approximately the same vertical plane. A spot which is imaged onto the input will be transformed approximately to a set of staggered rectangles at the output, without substantial loss in brightness, which staggered rectangles can serve as a convenient input to a spectroscopic apparatus. A slit mask can be added to spatially filter the outputs so as to present the desired transverse width in the plane of the spectroscopic apparatus parallel to its dispersion.

Apparatus for transforming the aspect ratio of an optical input field based on stacked waveguides

An apparatus is presented for stabilizing an optical, thermal, and mechanical interface between a spectroscopic and/or imaging system and a biological sample. The apparatus includes a window retainer having a retainer surface and a well. The retainer surface surrounds the well. Further, the retainer surface is substantially planar. An optical window is located in the well. The optical window comprises a first and second surface. The second surface is in contact with the window retainer. The first surface is substantially flush with the retainer surface. The apparatus further includes an attachment mechanism coupling the window retainer to the biological sample such that a fluid, gel, adhesive or elastomer interposed between the optical window and the biological sample is trapped in the well.

Apparatus for stabilizing mechanical, thermal, and optical properties and for reducing the fluorescence of biological samples for optical evaluation

An apparatus is disclosed wherein laser radiation illuminates a sample using all reflective optics and wherein in-elastically scattered light from the sample is collected using the identical elements. The apparatus obviates the problem of contaminating the laser radiation with unwanted spectra from transmissive optics while providing very high rejection of the laser radiation with respect to the in-elastically scattered light. In addition, the apparatus can collect and launch light with high numerical aperture and large field of view.

All reflective apparatus for injecting excitation light and collecting in-elastically scattered light from a sample

A means for optically coupling a semiconductor laser to an optical fiber is disclosed. In one embodiment, a volume phase holographic element is disposed on a light-emitting surface of a semiconductor laser. The volume phase holographic element acts as an aberration-corrector for a lens that is disposed between the semiconductor laser and the optical fiber. In this way, an inexpensive lens that is not aberration free can be used. In some embodiments, the volume phase holographic element converts a Gaussian light beam emitted by the semiconductor laser into an annular beam that is more suitable for long distance transmission in multimode fibers.

Transmitter optical subassembly with volume phase holographic optics

The concentration of analytes in a complex mixture can be ascertained by spectroscopic measurement, even if the spectra of substances other than the analyte overlap with that of the analyte. Both independently measured concentrations of the analyte in a training set and of the analyte spectrum are used. Variances in the spectral data attributable to the analyte are isolated from spectral variances from other causes, such as compositional changes associated with different samples that are independent of the analyte. For the special case of noninvasive glucose measurements on the skin of biological organisms, the volume averaged glucose in the sample is predicted from the blood glucose. A test for over-fitting of the data is also described.

Calibrated analyte concentration measurements in mixtures

An apparatus is presented in which a sample can be accurately repositioned in a spectroscopic and/or imaging apparatus upon multiple insertions, and where the apparatus can be worn by living subjects for extended periods of time. The apparatus additionally reduces the temperature increase and stabilizes the temperature of the sample upon irradiation with an optical source of excitation. Additionally, the apparatus stabilizes the pressure and critical optical properties of the sample and its interface with the apparatus. Alternatively or additionally, the apparatus can be used to alter and/or substantially reduce fluorescence from targeted fluorophores in the sample.

An apparatus for enhancing the selectivity for spectroscopic measurements of analytes in a turbid medium is described. In one example, spatial filters are used to select only certain radii from the medium to be imaged. This selection is accomplished by placing an optical obstruction on the surface of the medium or at an image plane of the surface later in the optical imaging system. In one implementation, this is achieved by placing a fiber bundle at an image plane of the collecting optical system and then using a spacer of appropriate size at the center of the fiber bundle to act as a central obstruction.

Enhancing selectivity and/or sensitivity of spectroscopic measurements in media

Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers are disclosed, one example of which includes a substrate upon which a lower mirror layer is formed. An active region and upper mirror layer are disposed, in that order, on the lower mirror layer. In particular, the upper mirror layer includes a plurality of DBR layers formed on the active region. The upper mirror layer additionally includes a photonic crystal formed on the plurality of DBR layers and having a periodic structure that contributes to the definition of a central defect. As a consequence of this structure, the photonic crystal has a reflectivity that is wavelength dependent, and the central defect enables the VCSEL to propagate a single mode.

Single mode vertical cavity surface emitting laser using photonic crystals with a central defect

Methods are disclosed for producing a tunable vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) using photonic crystals and an electrostrictive material that includes a hologram with a narrow filter function. Photonic crystals are formed such that the active region of the VCSEL is bounded by the photonic crystals. The photonic crystals have a periodic cavity structure that reflects light of certain wavelengths through the active region of the VCSEL such that laser light at the wavelengths is generated. The periodic cavity structure includes a central defect that does not include any cavities. The single mode is emitted through the central defect. The electrostrictive material that includes a hologram makes the VCSEL tunable because the shape of the electrostrictive material changes when an electric field is applied. The filter function of the hologram thus changes as well in response to the electric field such that the VCSEL is tunable.

Methods for producing a tunable vertical cavity surface emitting laser

A method of reducing interference in a data stream includes filtering the data stream using a first equalizer to output a first filtered data stream. Also, the data stream is filtered using a second equalizer to create a second filtered data stream. Then, one or more error rates based on the first filtered data stream and the second filtered data stream are determined. Based at least in part on those error rates, a filtered data stream is selected from among the first filtered data stream and the second filtered data stream. A threshold value is determined, and then compared against the selected filtered data stream to generate a data bit.

System and method for reducing interference in an optical data stream using multiple, selectable equalizers

A method is proposed whereby photo-bleaching is used not only to change the absorption and fluorescence of a sample but is also employed to change its scattering characteristics. When the compounds which are bleached are contained in regions wherein the real part of the index of refraction is greater than or equal to the average index of the medium, the bleaching will result in reduction in the scattering at wavelengths longer than the wavelength of the bleaching source. This reduction can be useful in measuring the concentration of analytes located at significant depths within turbid media.

Reduction in scattering from a turbid medium by photo-bleaching

This disclosure concerns systems, methods and devices for temperature-based control of laser performance. One example of a method is performed in connection with a laser of an optoelectronic transceiver. In particular, the laser is operated over a range of temperatures and the optical output of the laser is monitored. During operation of the laser, the bias current and current swing supplied to the laser are adjusted to the extent necessary to maintain a substantially constant optical output from the laser over the range of temperatures.

Systems, devices and methods for temperature-based control of laser performance

An optical apparatus in which multiplexed holograms are used to achieve wavelength selectivity and polarization manipulation is used to facilitate near-normal incidence of light on the holograms. The polarization manipulation allows light reflected from the holograms to be separated from the light incident on the holograms. In one application, the apparatus can be used to extract spectral lines of an analyte from radiation scattered from a sample.

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Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Jan Lipson