High-precision synchronization of pulsed gas-discharge lasers
Granted: August 7, 2012
Patent Number:
8238400
Two excimer lasers have individual pulsing circuits each including a storage capacitor which is charged and then discharged through a pulse transformer to generate an electrical pulse, which is delivered to the laser to generate a light pulse. The time between generation of the electrical pulse and creation of the light pulse is dependent on the charged voltage of the capacitor. The capacitors are charged while disconnected from each other. The generation of the electrical pulses is…
Broad-area edge-emitting semiconductor laser with limited thermal contact
Granted: July 31, 2012
Patent Number:
8233513
A diode-laser having an elongated diode-laser emitter is mounted on a relatively massive heat-sink. Two parallel grooves are machined into the heat-sink to leave a relatively narrow elongated ridge of the heat-sink between the grooves. The ridge has a width about equal to or narrower that the width of the emitter. The diode-laser is mounted on the heat-sink such that thermal communication between the emitter and heat-sink is essentially limited to thermal communication with the ridge.
Combined active and passive imaging system with radiation source unit and detector
Granted: July 24, 2012
Patent Number:
8227735
A combined active and passive imaging system comprises a radiation source unit configured to output a radiation beam towards a detector and an object in a scene. The system further comprises the detector configured to record a first instance of an intensity pattern of an interference between at least a portion of the radiation beam and at least a portion of a return radiation from the object. The detector may further be configured to record ambient light reflected from the scene. The…
Execution of hardware description language (HDL) programs
Granted: July 24, 2012
Patent Number:
8230408
In one embodiment, a hardware implementation of an electronic system may be realized by compiling the HDL description into an executable form and executing the processor instructions. By applying data flow separation technique, the operations of the system can be effectively mapped into the instruction set of complex processors for efficient logic evaluation, in some implementations. An array of interconnected processors may be deployed, in some embodiments, to exploit the inherent…
Compensation for transient heating of laser mirrors
Granted: June 19, 2012
Patent Number:
8201954
A mirror assembly for a carbon dioxide (CO2) slab laser resonator includes a center section having a rectangular cross-section and a pair of thermal balancing bars. A concave reflecting surface formed on a front edge of a center section. The side-bars are attached to either side of the center section and extend forward of the reflective surface. Dimensions of the center section and side bars are selected to position the thermal neutral plane of the assembly close to the reflective…
Arrangement for RF power delivery to a gas discharge laser with cascaded transmission line sections
Granted: June 12, 2012
Patent Number:
8199789
RF power is transmitted to a CO2 gas discharge laser form a source of RF power via a series combination of transmission line sections. The lengths and characteristic impedances of the transmission line sections are selected to transform the impedance of the RF power source to the operating impedance of the laser.
Electrodes for generating a stable discharge in gas laser systems
Granted: June 5, 2012
Patent Number:
8192790
Arcing is minimized in a discharge chamber of a gas laser system by utilizing an electrode which comprises a surface portion capable of functioning as one of an anode and a cathode in order to energize a gas mixture in a discharge chamber of the gas discharge laser system, a shoulder portion being positioned on either side of the surface portion and being exposed to the gas mixture, and a coating layer made of electrically insulating material, wherein the coating layer is attached to the…
Switchable hybrid receiver for coherent and direct optical detection
Granted: May 29, 2012
Patent Number:
8188418
Embodiments of the present invention provide a switchable dual-mode detection system that can be electronically or optically switched between direct and coherent detection. The dual-mode detection system comprises a photo detector and one or more switching elements used in conjunction with the photo detector to electronically or optically switch the detection system between direct and coherent detection. The switching elements may include a switchable detector driver that selectively…
Two frequency resonantly excited MEMS mirror for diode-laser marker
Granted: May 8, 2012
Patent Number:
8174751
Apparatus for marking a bitmap image on tape includes a scanning mirror which is incorporated in a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS). The MEMS is torsionally resonant at two frequencies one being about three time the other. The MEMS is excited to resonance by applying an AC signal to the actuators, causing the mirror to oscillate. The AC signal has components at the two frequencies. The magnitude and phase-relationship of the components can be selected such that the mirror…
Converting portions of a software program executing on a processing system to hardware descriptions
Granted: May 1, 2012
Patent Number:
8171436
System and method for developing an ASIC. A software program may be stored which includes program instructions which implement a function. The software program may be executed on a processing system at a desired system speed and may be validated based on the execution. A first hardware description of at least a portion of the processing system may be stored and may specify implementation of at least a portion of the processing system. A second hardware description may be generated that…
Optically-pumped external-cavity surface-emitting semiconductor lasers with front-cooled gain-structures
Granted: May 1, 2012
Patent Number:
8170073
A semiconductor gain-structure functions as a gain-element in a laser-resonator. The gain-structure is bonded to a diamond heat-spreader that is peripherally cooled by a heat-sink configured to allow access to the gain-structure by laser-radiation circulating in the laser-resonator. In one example, the gain-structure is used as a transmissive gain-structure in a traveling-wave ring-resonator. In another example, the gain-structure surmounts mirror-structure which functions as an…
Two-dimensional diode-laser array with broad-band output
Granted: April 17, 2012
Patent Number:
8160115
It is demonstrated that substantial operating-parameter-dependent temperature-differences can exist between diode-laser bars in pulsed operation of a stack of such bars arranged to provide a two-dimensional array of diode-laser emitters. These differences can produce distortion of the aggregate output spectrum of the stack. By selecting particular nominal emitting wavelengths of the diode-laser bars for specific positions in the stack, the aggregate emission-spectrum can be tailored to a…
Mobile television broadcast system
Granted: April 3, 2012
Patent Number:
8151305
A digital television broadcast system with transmission and/or reception of digital television signals for improved mobile reception. The communication layers in the transmit and receive portions of the transmission system can be dynamically modified, e.g., based on usage patterns or current channel characteristics. The transmission system also provides for cross layer control, whereby parameters in various of the communication layers are analyzed to determine appropriate updates to the…
Detection of hidden objects by terahertz heterodyne laser imaging
Granted: March 6, 2012
Patent Number:
8129684
A THz-frequency heterodyne imaging method is used to remotely detect objects concealed in or under a person's clothing. One THz-frequency beam is scanned over a person being examined. A portion of the beam penetrates the persons clothing and is reflected by an object concealed under the person's clothing. The reflected portion the beam is mixed with another beam of THz-frequency radiation having a different frequency to provide a signal having an intermediate frequency (IF) including…
COlaser output power control during warm-up
Granted: February 14, 2012
Patent Number:
8116346
A CO2 gas discharge laser includes a housing enclosing spaced-apart electrodes and a lasing gas. A laser resonator extends between the spaced-apart electrodes. An RF power supply provides RF power for creating a discharge in the lasing gas, causing laser radiation to be delivered by the laser resonator. The power of the output radiation is directly dependent on the RF power provided to the electrodes and inversely dependent of the temperature of the gas discharge. A signal representative…
Processing system with interspersed processors using selective data transfer through communication elements
Granted: February 7, 2012
Patent Number:
8112612
A processing system comprising processors and the dynamically configurable communication elements coupled together in an interspersed arrangement. The processors each comprise at least one arithmetic logic unit, an instruction processing unit, and a plurality of processor ports. The dynamically configurable communication elements each comprise a plurality of communication ports, a first memory, and a routing engine. For each of the processors, the plurality of processor ports is…
Sensing using polarization diversity and wavelength dependent backscatter
Granted: December 13, 2011
Patent Number:
8078410
Provided herein are systems and methods capable of detecting and discriminating and/or classifying hazardous biological agents or other hazardous agents. In one aspect, a system measures electromagnetic energy scattered by a material at the different polarizations states and wavelengths. The system then combines the measured electromagnetic wavelengths at the different polarization states and wavelengths into different combinations to produce input parameters for a classifier. The input…
Beam dump for a very-high-intensity laser beam
Granted: November 1, 2011
Patent Number:
8047663
A beam terminator for a high-power laser beam comprises a thermally conductive body including a beam-trapping chamber. A tapered spiral channel extends into the conductive body for guiding the beam. The beam is partially absorbed while propagating along the channel to the trapping chamber. What remains of the beam is absorbed in the trapping chamber.
Acousto-optically Q-switched COlaser
Granted: November 1, 2011
Patent Number:
8050306
A pulsed CO2 laser is Q-switched by an intracavity acousto-optic (AO) Q-switch including an AO material transparent at a fundamental wavelength of the laser. In one example the AO material is germanium.
Apparatus for measuring a volume flow rate of a controlled medium in a pipeline
Granted: September 20, 2011
Patent Number:
8020452
A device for measuring the volume flow rate of the controlled medium in a pipeline comprises first and second transmitting-receiving radiators installed and spaced on the pipeline and alternately fed with ultrasonic signals. Received after they have passed in and counter the direction of the flow, the signals are digitized and stored. Times of signal transmission in and counter the direction of the flow of the medium and the difference of the times are calculated. Providing an additional…
