The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 03, 1990
Filed:
Dec. 07, 1988
Michel J Digonnet, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Karen Liu, Lawrenceville, NJ (US);
Byoung Y Kim, Menlo Park, CA (US);
Herbert J Shaw, Stanford, CA (US);
John J Fling, Gaviota, CA (US);
The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, Stanford, CA (US);
Abstract
A superfluorescent broadband fiber laser source comprises a fiber doped with laser material coupled to a multiplexing coupler. In the preferred embodiment, a source of pumping illumination provides pumping light to the doped fiber, and the coupler is adjusted to have a 0% coupling efficiency at the wavelength of the source. The pumping light is sufficiently intense to produce amplified spontaneous emission within the doped fiber, and gives rise to a forward signal and a backward signal. One of the superfluorescent signals is reflected back to the doped fiber by a reflector cemented to one end of the doped fiber or to one end of another fiber through the coupling function of the coupler. The coupler is adjusted to provide complete coupling at the frequency of the lasing light. The temperature dependence of the coupler can be selected to reduce or cancel the temperature dependence of the superfluorescent signal. Other arrangements utilizing the multiplexing properties of the coupler are also described. An all-fiber reflector can also be used.