Lockheed Martin Corporation

Other

Aculight Corporation

Chromologic LLC

John D Minelly

Eric C Honea

Roy D Mead

Naresh Menon

Jason D Henrie

Anping Liu

Matthias P Savage-Leuchs

Deborah A Alterman

Barton James Jenson

Eric C Eisenberg

An apparatus, method and associated fiber-laser architectures for high-power pulsed operation and pumping wavelength-conversion devices. Some embodiments generate blue laser light by frequency quadrupling infrared (IR) light from Tm-doped gain fiber using non-linear wavelength conversion. Some embodiments use a fiber MOPA configuration to amplify a seed signal from a semiconductor laser or ring fiber laser. Some embodiments use the frequency-quadrupled blue light for underwater communications, imaging, and/or object and anomaly detection. Some embodiments amplitude modulate the IR seed signal to encode communication data sent to or from a submarine once the modulated light has its wavelength quartered. Other embodiments transmit blue-light pulses in a scanned pattern and detect scattered light to measure distances to objects in a raster-scanned underwater volume, which in turn are used to generate a data structure representing a three-dimensional rendition of the underwater scene being imaged for viewing by a person or for other software analysis.

Frequency quadrupled laser using thulium-doped fiber amplifier and method

An apparatus and method for compensating for mode-profile distortions caused by bending optical fibers having large mode areas. In various embodiments, the invention micro-structures the index of refraction in the core and surrounding areas of the inner cladding from the inner bend radius to the outer bend radius in a manner that compensates for the index changes that are otherwise induced in the index profile by the geometry and/or stresses to the fiber caused by the bending. Some embodiments of an apparatus and method include a fiber having a plurality of substantially parallel cores, the fiber including a straight section and a curved section; guiding signal light primarily in a second core in the straight section; guiding the signal light from the second core into a first core between the straight section and the curved section; and guiding the signal light primarily in the first core in the curved section.

System and method for compensating for distortions in optical fibers

High-power laser using thulium-doped fiber amplifier and frequency quadrupling for blue output

Method and apparatus for compensating for and using mode-profile distortions caused by bending optical fibers

In some embodiments, the present invention provides an apparatus and process wherein excess stored optical energy is removed from one or more stages in a fiber-amplifier, in order to stabilize the gain and obtain a constant level of energy per pulse. In some embodiments, a method of the invention includes providing a gain fiber, optically pumping the gain fiber using pump light, amplifying seed-signal pulses having a signal wavelength using the gain fiber to obtain amplified output pulses, and automatically limiting a gain of the gain fiber. In some embodiments, an apparatus of the invention includes a gain fiber, a source of pump light coupled to the gain fiber, a source of seed-signal pulses having a signal wavelength coupled to the gain fiber, wherein the gain fiber outputs amplified signal pulses, and an automatic-gain-control mechanism configured to limit gain of the gain fiber.

Pulse-energy-stabilization and first-pulse-suppression optical gain fiber apparatus and method

In one embodiment, a system for determining information about an assay incorporates a filter assembly that includes an optical structure configured to be removably attachable to a laser resonating cavity of the system, the optical structure being configured to form a portion of the laser resonating cavity such that it reflects light propagating through a gain medium in the laser resonating cavity when attached thereto. The optical structure can include a first surface having an array of one or more sites, each site containing an assay, and a second surface configured such that the second surface is disposed within the laser resonating cavity forming a portion of the laser resonating cavity. The optical structure is configured to optically interact with the assay to change one or more characteristics of light in the laser resonating cavity based on a reaction that occurs in an assay on said first surface.

Tag free bio sensing micro strip

An apparatus and method for compensating for mode-profile distortions caused by bending optical fibers having large mode areas. In various embodiments, the invention micro-structures the index of refraction in the core and surrounding areas of the inner cladding from the inner bend radius to the outer bend radius in a manner that compensates for the index changes that are otherwise induced in the index profile by the geometry and/or stresses to the fiber caused by the bending.

Micro-structured fiber profiles for mitigation of bend-loss and/or mode distortion in LMA fiber amplifiers, including dual-core embodiments

Apparatus and method for compensating for and using mode-profile distortions caused by bending optical fibers

Pulse-energy-stabilization approach and first-pulse-suppression method using fiber amplifier

An apparatus and that provide an optical-fiber amplifier having at least one erbium-doped fiber section and an optical pump coupled to the erbium-doped fiber section, wherein the apparatus is operable to amplify signal pulses to high energy in the erbium-doped fiber section, the pulses having a wavelength in the range of about 1565 nm to about 1630 nm. In some embodiments, the amplifying fiber is ytterbium free.

High-energy eye-safe pulsed fiber amplifiers and sources operating in erbium's L-band

Apparatus and method for distributed absorption of pump light over a length of delivery fiber that is, for example in some embodiments, fusion spliced to an end of a multiply clad gain fiber that has significant unused pump light at the end of the gain fiber. In some embodiments, this includes coupling a fiber amplifier to a passive-core delivery fiber that includes a distributed pump dump. In some embodiments, at an output end of the amplifying fiber there is still a significant amount of pump power. If all this pump power is dumped in one small place (e.g., at a splice between the amplifying fiber and a passive delivery fiber) a hot spot will result, leading to unreliable devices that fail (have catastrophic changes in operating performance). The present invention provides a distributed pump dump built into a delivery fiber that is passive to the signal in its core.

Method and apparatus for optical delivery fiber having cladding with absorbing regions

A method and apparatus using a gain medium in the form of a multiply clad gain fiber having an erbium-doped core. In some embodiments, aluminum and germanium are added to the silica core to make &#x3bb;longer than the signal wavelength so the signal incurs normal dispersion. Optionally, a large-mode-area core amplifies primarily only one low-order mode because its NA is reduced by lowering the core's index of refraction (e.g., by adding fluorine) and/or by raising the index of the silica inner core (e.g., by adding germanium). Optionally, a thulium-doped region provides substantial loss at the first Raman-gain peak with respect to the signal wavelength but minimal loss at the signal or pump wavelength. Optionally, an inner cladding with a higher NA contains pump light within the outer boundaries of the cladding while allowing pump light to enter the core. In some embodiments, a triple cladding is provided.

Apparatus and method for an erbium-doped fiber for high peak-power applications

An optical apparatus design and method for suppressing cladding-mode gain in fiber- and other waveguide-amplification devices. In some embodiments, a signal-wavelength-absorbing core or region is included within the pump cladding or the pump waveguide, in order to absorb signal-wavelength radiation that occurs in the regions where only pump-wavelength radiation is wanted. This absorbing region prevents cladding-mode gain, thus preserving more pump-wavelength excitation for amplifying the desired signal radiation. In other embodiments, the refractive-index profile of the fiber or other waveguide is adjusted to reduce the numeric aperture and thus reduce the angle of light that will remain in the cladding. Since amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) occurs at all angles, a lower-NA fiber will leak a higher proportion of ASE (since a relatively lower portion of the ASE radiation is within the smaller angle that is retained within a low-NA fiber), while pump light, which was introduced into the fiber within the lower-NA angle will remain in the cladding.

Apparatus and method for a high-gain double-clad amplifier

A method and apparatus is described that use an index-of-refraction profile having a significant central dip in refractive index (or another tailored index profile) within the core of a gain fiber or a gain waveguide on a substrate. The benefits of this central dip (more power with a given mode structure) are apparent when an input beam is akin to that of a Gaussian mode. In some embodiments, the invention provides a fiber or a substrate waveguide having an index profile with a central dip, but wherein the device has no doping. Some embodiments use a central dip surrounded by a higher-index ring in the index of refraction of the core of the fiber, while other embodiments use a trench between an intermediate-index central core portion and the ring, or use a plurality of rings and/or trenches. Some embodiments use an absorber in at least one core ring.

Apparatus and method for a waveguide with an index profile manifesting a central dip for better energy extraction

A system and method for determining information about an assay. In one embodiment the method includes positioning a filter assembly, having an assay disposed on its surface, relative to a light source such that light from the light source is incident on the filter assembly and at least a portion of the light incident on the filter assembly is reflected from the filter assembly, illuminating the filter assembly with light from the light source, receiving light reflected from the filter assembly in an optical element, analyzing one or more characteristics of the light received in the optical element to determine information about a reaction in the assay, wherein a reaction in the assay results in a change of one or more characteristics of the light received from the filter assembly. In another embodiment, a system for analyzing an assay, comprises a structure in a resonating cavity configured to receive a filter assembly having an assay disposed on a first surface thereof such that the assay is positioned outside the resonating cavity, a light source positioned in the resonating cavity to communicate light to a second surface area of the filter assembly disposed in the resonating cavity, and an analysis system configured to receive light emitted from the filter assembly and detect information about a reaction in the assay based on one or more characteristics of the light.

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Bothell, WA, United States of America

John D Minelly