Abstract:
An alignment apparatus for optical components includes chemically co-etched parts which may be assembled with high tolerances and in a repeatable manner. The resulting construction, together with a translatable stage and/or a micrometer, allows for rapid and extremely precise alignment of the mounted optics.
Abstract:
A modelocked (100) linear fiber laser cavity with enhanced pulse-width control includes concatenated sections of both polarization-maintaining and non-polarization-maintaining fibers (105). Apodized fiber Bragg gratings (106) and integrated fiber polarizers are included in the cavity to assist in linearly polarizing the output of the cavity. Very short pulses with a large optical bandwidth are obtained by matching the dispersion value of the fiber Bragg grating to the inverse of the dispersion of the intra-cavity fiber.
Abstract:
A fiber-based source for high-energy picosecond and nanosecond pulses is described. By minimizing nonlinear energy limitations in fiber amplifiers, pulse energies close to the damage threshold of optical fibers can be generated. The implementation of optimized seed sources in conjunction with amplifier chains comprising at least one nonlinear fiber amplifier allows for the generation of near bandwidth-limited high-energy picosecond pulses. Optimized seed sources for high-energy pulsed fiber amplifiers comprise semiconductor lasers as well as stretched mode locked fiber lasers. The maximization of the pulse energies obtainable from fiber amplifiers further allows for the generation of high-energy ultraviolet and IR pulses at high repetition rates.
Abstract:
A modelocked linear fiber laser cavity with enhanced pulse-width control includes concatenated sections of both polarization-maintaining and non-polarization-maintaining fibers. Apodized fiber Bragg gratings and integrated fiber polarizers are included in the cavity to assist in linearly polarizing the output of the cavity. Very short pulses with a large optical bandwidth are obtained by matching the dispersion value of the fiber Bragg grating to the inverse of the dispersion of the intra-cavity fiber.
Abstract:
By writing non-linear chirp into fiber Bragg gratings, greater control over dispersion compensation in CPA systems is obtained, such that, for example, the dispersion profile of the fiber Bragg grating and a bulk compressor may be matched. An iterative method of writing the fiber grating can reduce the group delay ripple to very low levels; and adaptive control of the fiber grating dispersion profile can further reduce these levels, while in addition offering greater acceptable yield in the manufacture of such gratings. Fiber Bragg gratings may be designed so as to provide customized pulse shapes optimized for various end uses, such as micromachining, for example, and may also be used to counteract gain-narrowing in a downstream amplifier.
Abstract:
Chirped pulse amplification (CPA) systems configured to generate and amplify multi-pulses are described. The nonlinear interaction of pulses can generate a multiple pulse pack with a dense time separation between pulses. Reducing or eliminating the nonlinear interaction can be provided by spectrally and/or temporally splitting pulses in the chirped amplification system.
Abstract:
The present disclosure provides examples of a laser-based material processing system for liquid-assisted, ultrashort pulse (USP) laser micromachining. An example material processing application includes drilling thru-holes or blind holes in a nearly transparent glass workpiece (substrate) (1005) using parallel processing with an n x m array of focused laser beams (1040). Methods and systems are disclosed herein which provide for formation of high aspect ratio holes with low taper in fine pitch arrangements.
Abstract:
The present disclosure relates to the design of fiber frequency comb lasers with low carrier phase noise. Examples of these low carrier phase noise oscillators can be constructed from both soliton and dispersion compensated fiber lasers via the use of intra-cavity amplitude modulators such as graphene modulators. In low carrier phase noise dispersion compensated fiber frequency comb lasers, graphene and/or bulk modulators can further be used, for example, for phase locking of one comb line to an external continuous wave (cw) reference laser via high bandwidth control of the repetition rate of the comb laser via the graphene modulator. As a result a low phase noise radio frequency (RF) signal can be generated. In some implementations, a frequency comb exhibiting phase noise suppression of at least about 10 dB over a frequency range up to about 100 kHz is provided.
Abstract:
The present disclosure relates to a methods and systems for high speed laser surgery. In some implementations, the combination of mid-infrared (mid-IR) laser radiation with micro-scanning technology allows for large tissue ablation rates with minimal thermally affected zones, where micro-scanning distributes the heat generated by laser surgery over a large tissue area. Micro-scanning technology is compatible with hollow core fiber technology which can be implemented to deliver near diffraction limited mid-IR laser beams into the vicinity of the target area. Micro-scanning technology is compatible with hand tools for direct replacement of mechanical surgical tools such as scalpels as well as robotic surgery. Micro-scanning technology is also compatible with endoscopic beam delivery and can be combined with endoscopic tissue analysis. Tissue analysis can be performed with optical imaging technology as well as other analytical tools such as mass spectrometers.
Abstract:
This disclosure relates to polarizing optical fibers and polarization maintaining optical fibers, including active and/or passive implementations. At least one embodiment includes a polarizing (PZ) optical fiber. The fiber includes stress applying parts (SAPs) disposed in a first cladding region, the SAPs comprising a material with a thermal expansion coefficient, α SAP . A core region is at least partially surrounded by cladding features and the SAPs. The core includes a glass with a thermal expansion coefficient, α core. The arrangement of the SAPs satisfies the relations: R sc = d SAP /D sc, where D sc is the SAP center to core center distance, and d SAP is the average SAP diameter, and dα = lα SAP - α core l- In various embodiments, Rsc and dα are sufficiently large to induce stress birefringence into the core and to provide for a polarized output. Active fibers in which a portion of the fiber is doped may be implemented for application in fiber lasers, fiber amplifiers, and/or optical pulse compressors.