Clemson University

Containerless Research, Inc.

E.i. Dupont De Nemours and Company

3m Innovative Properties Company

Paul C Nordine

Daniel Scott Hampton

J K Richard Weber

Shankar Krishnan

Jean A Tangeman

Johan G Abadie

John J Felten

Jk Richard Weber

April D Hixson

This invention relates to the use of novel glass materials comprising rare earth aluminate glasses (REA1&#x2122; glasses) in the gain medium of solid state laser devices that produce light at infrared wavelengths, typically in the range 1000 to 3000 nm and for infrared optics with transmission to approximately 5000 nm in thin sections. The novel glass materials provide stable hosts for trivalent ytterbium (Yb) ions and other optically active species or combinations of optically active species that exhibit fluorescence and that can be optically excited by the application of light. The glass gain medium can be configured as a waveguide or placed in an external laser cavity, or otherwise arranged to achieve gain in the laser waveband and so produce laser action.

Glass materials for optical gain media and infrared optics comprising rare earth oxide glass compositions

The present invention provides a method for drawing fibers from materials which exhibit low viscosities at the equilibrium melting temperature. Further, the present invention provides novel drawn fibers from materials which were thought to be incompatible with a fiber-drawing process. The present invention also provides a means of minimizing recrystallization of molten materials during fiber drawing. Still further, the present invention provides novel drawn fibers with a greater tensile strength and greater concentrations of additives as compared to prior art fibers. Lastly, the present invention provides a means for producing crystalline fibers with controlled chemical compositions, and fibers with high tensile strengths as compared to prior art fibers of the same composition. The present invention achieves these objectives by heating the desired materials until a liquid melt is formed, undercooling the melt until the proper viscosity is reached, initiating fiber drawing by inserting a &ldquo;stinger&rdquo; into the molten material, then finally drawing the fibers at the desired speed so that fibers of the desired composition and diameter are formed. If desired, crystalline fibers can be formed by heating the drawn fibers until crystallization occurs. The present invention also provides for drawing fibers from a melt under either containerless conditions or within a container.

Glass fiber having compositions of alumina-lanthana and made from undercooled molten materials

A bulk single phase glass comprising 23 molar % to 50 molar % rare earth oxides, RE  , and 50 molar % to 77 molar % aluminum oxide, A1 O is provided. The glass contains at least 50 molar % of Al O &plus;RE O and smaller amounts of oxide glass forming agents and other oxides than are found in prior art glasses. The addition of small amounts of lanthanum oxide, La O , prevents phase separation. The single phase glass is useful for optical applications such as lasers and optical amplifiers.

Single phase rare earth oxide-aluminum oxide glasses

A device to provide hyperspectral reflection spectrum, hyperspectral depolarization, and hyperspectral fluorescence spectrum data in a portable, remote sensing instrument. The device can provide a large range of remotely-sensed optical property data, presently only obtainable in laboratories, in a low-cost field instrument. Among its many uses, the present invention can be used by farmers as a tool for determining the nitrogen content of crops to optimize fertilizer laydown.

Hyperspectral polarization profiler for remote sensing

Small diameter fibers formed from the use of laser energy and gaseous reactants and are disclosed. Also disclosed is an apparatus and method for the formation of continuous, substrate free, crystalline or amorphous fibers. Materials which can be formed into small diameter fibers include boron, silicon, germanium, zinc, tungsten, cadium, gallium, thenium, and compounds and mixtures thereof. The fibers have a diameter of about 10 micrometers to about 170 micrometers. The apparatus for producing the fibers includes a laser, a reaction chamber, and gas supply means. The laser beam has a focal point adjusted to coincide with the tip of the growing fiber, the focal point of the laser creating a region of elevated temperature at the fiber tip.

Laser assisted fiber growth

The invention is a continuous, substrate-free fiber comprising amorphous boron having a tensile strength ranging from about 750 kpsi to over 1000 kpsi, and a diameter which may be varied with the number or diffraction limited laser focal spot size to provide fiber diameter as small as 0.01 micron.

Boron fibers having improved tensile strength

A method of making pure fibers from a parent material utilizing laser energy. A short wavelength laser is used to achieve a diffraction limited focal spot diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the growing fiber. Focused laser beam convergence is used to obtain a fiber growth rate that depends on the fiber tip portion such that the fiber growth rate achieves a value equal to the controlled fiber pulling rate. The present invention achieves vapor-liquid-solid growth of single crystal silicon fibers and whiskers from silane gas and permits the use of other materials in the production of fibers by the vapor-liquid-solid process. The method provides an increase in the allowable ambient pressure and growth temperature and a large and more energy efficient growth velocity as compared to carbon dioxide based laser beam technology.

Growing community of inventors

Deerfield, IL, United States of America

Paul C Nordine