Nlight, Incorporated

Tyson Lowder

Dahv A V Kliner

C Geoffrey Fanning

Timothy N Kutscha

Roger L Farrow

Timothy S McComb

Dahv Av Kliner

Dennis McCal

Jared Green

Joe Kollmann

In an example, the disclosed technology includes a laser source, comprising a plurality of pump elements configured to generate laser light, a controller coupled to the plurality of pump elements, configured to select individual drive current levels to be provided to respective ones of the plurality of pump elements responsive to a request for a laser power level and at least one power supply coupled to one or more of the plurality of pump elements for driving individual pump elements at selected drive currents.

Methods, systems and apparatus for reducing waste heat and/or light in fiber lasers

Optical fiber devices, systems, and methods for separating Raman spectrum from signal spectrum. Once separated, the Raman spectrum may be suppressed (e.g., as a result of a reduction in gain from the signal spectrum, and/or through dissipation of the Raman spectrum energy), while the signal spectrum may be propagated in one or more guided modes of a fiber system. In some embodiments, a fiber system may include a chirped fiber Bragg grating (CFBG) or a long period fiber grating (LPFG), each configured to couple a core propagation mode into a cladding propagation mode with an efficiency that is higher for Raman spectrum than for signal spectrum. A fiber system further may include a cladding light stripper (CLS) configured to preferentially remove cladding modes containing the Raman component.

Optical fiber devices and methods for directing stimulated raman scattering (SRS) light out of a fiber core and into a cladding

Optical fiber devices, systems, and methods for coupling Raman spectrum out of an optical fiber selectively over a signal spectrum, which may be propagated in one or more guided modes of a fiber system. A fiber system may include a chirped fiber Bragg grating (CFBG) or a long period fiber grating (LPFG), each to unguide Raman light propagating in a core propagation mode of a fiber completely out of the fiber (through any surrounding cladding layer(s)) selectively over signal spectrum which is to remain in a guided mode of the fiber.

Optical fiber devices and methods for directing Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) light out of a fiber

Disclosed is an optical fiber-based divergence-limiting device for limiting divergence from a first maximum divergence of input light to a second maximum divergence of output light, in which the second maximum divergence is less than the first maximum divergence.

All-fiber divergence limiter

Fiber laser devices, systems, and methods for reducing Raman spectrum in emissions from a resonant cavity. A fiber laser oscillator that is to generate an optical beam may include a Raman reflecting output coupler that strongly reflects a Raman component pumped within the resonant cavity, and partially reflects a signal component to sustain the oscillator and emit a signal that has a reduced Raman component. A Raman filtering output coupler may comprise a superstructure fiber grating, and such a grating may be chirped or otherwise designed to have a desired bandwidth.

Optical fiber devices and methods for reducing stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) light emissions from a resonant cavity

Fiber laser amplification systems and methods are disclosed for use with a chirally coupled core (3C) optical fiber enabling the generation of a high-power output beam having a controlled stable polarization state. Vector modulation instabilities which typically induce undesirable sidebands in 3C fiber optics are greatly reduced even at high peak powers, enabling operation of the up to power levels limited mainly by stimulated Raman scattering (SRS). Polarization extinction ratios (PER) demonstrate long-term stability and minimal degradation due to changes in system temperature. Delays in reaching stable operation during start-up are also greatly reduced.

Methods to maintain and control the polarization state from 3C optical fiber

A pulse shaper includes a seed laser situated to emit laser pulses, an amplitude modulator situated to receive one or more laser pulse bursts from the seed laser, and a pulse signal generator situated to send a seed pulse signal with a predetermined delay to the seed laser so that the seed laser emits the laser pulses in one or more laser pulse bursts at a selected frequency with each laser pulse burst having a selected number of laser pulses and a selected temporal spacing between laser pulses in the laser pulse burst and situated to send an amplitude pulse signal so that the amplitude modulator adjusts the amplitude of at least one laser pulse in each laser pulse burst.

Fully controllable burst shaping individual pulses from picosecond fiber lasers

A method includes applying a boost pump signal to a pump laser of a laser system based on a preceding off duration associated with the laser system, and applying a forward pump signal to the pump laser. A laser system includes a seed laser situated to generate seed optical pulses, a pump laser situated to generate pump optical radiation, a fiber amplifier situated to receive the pump optical radiation and the seed optical pulses, and a controller situated to select a pump boost duration or pump boost magnitude based on an off duration associated with the laser system.

Adaptive boost control for gating picosecond pulsed fiber lasers

An integrating volume for laser light homogenization includes a housing having an interior surface defining a light integrating cavity of a non-spherical configuration in the housing interior, an input port on the housing to allow entry of light from a laser beam through the input port into the light integrating cavity, and an output port on the housing and offset from the input port to allow sampling of light from the light integrating cavity through the output port after the light has reflected in the light integrating cavity between different portions of the interior surface of the housing so as to homogenize the light for sampling at the output port.

Growing community of inventors

Vancouver, WA, United States of America

Tyson Lowder