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:
Jan. 08, 1991
Filed:
Oct. 17, 1989
Eric J Korevaar, San Diego, CA (US);
Thermo Electron Technologies Corp., San Diego, CA (US);
Abstract
A fast atomic line filter capable of operating at speeds and quantum efficiencies greatly in excess of prior art atomic line filters. Signal light excites to an intermediate energy level the atoms of a contained vapor. A pump beam further excited these atoms to a higher Rydberg level. Simultaneously the atoms are subjected to an electric field that Stark splits the Rydberg level and ionizes very quickly the doubly excited atoms. The resulting ions or electrons are then detected with near unity quantum efficiency by a detector sensitive to either ions or electrons. By directly detecting the resulting ions or electrons the fast atomic line filter has an inherently higher quantum efficiency and much greater speed than prior art ALF's which must use photosensitive detectors to detect fluorescence.