Fluence monitoring apparatus for pulsed-laser corneal reshaping system
Granted: September 11, 2001
Patent Number:
6287299
Fluence monitoring apparatus is disclosed for a system for modifying curvature of the cornea of an eye by selective laser photoablation of corneal tissue by delivery of pulses of laser radiation to the cornea in an overlapping pattern. The system includes a scanner for directing the pulses to form the overlapping pattern, the movement of which is modified by an eye-tracker. A beamsplitter is located between the scanner and the cornea for directing a fraction of each of the pulses to a…
High-power external-cavity optically-pumped semiconductor laser
Granted: September 4, 2001
Patent Number:
6285702
External-cavity optically-pumped semiconductor lasers (OPS-lasers) including an OPS-structure having a mirror-structure surmounted by a surface-emitting, semiconductor multilayer (periodic) gain-structure are disclosed. The gain-structure is pumped by light from diode-lasers. The OPS-lasers can provide fundamental laser output-power of about two Watts (2.0 W) or greater. Intracavity frequency-converted arrangements of the OPS-lasers can provide harmonic laser output-power of about…
Apparatus for ultrashort pulse transportation and delivery
Granted: August 7, 2001
Patent Number:
6272156
Apparatus for transporting a laser-pulse from a pulsed-laser to a receiver includes a pulse-expander, an optical-fiber, and a pulse-compressor. The pulse-expander is arranged to receive and temporally-expand the laser-pulse from the pulsed laser. The optical-fiber at its proximal end to receive the laser-pulse from the pulse-expander and transport the laser-pulse to the pulse-compressor. The pulse-compressor is arranged to receive the laser-pulse from the optical-fiber,…
Ultrasonic transducer
Granted: June 12, 2001
Patent Number:
6246154
An ultrasonic transducer having a unique design that can withstand changes in temperature and pressure and will operate in corrosive environments. The transducer is used to detect the distance to an object being measured. The device includes a diaphragm from which is emitted a focused ultrasonic wave. The diaphragm and a capsule housing are machined from a single piece of metal and does not use adhesives or welded joints. The capsule housing is also filled with silicone oil and provided…
Bright diode-laser light-source
Granted: May 8, 2001
Patent Number:
6229831
A light-source includes a plurality of diode-laser bars. The diode-laser bars are arranged in a parallel array and arranged to emit laser-light in the same direction. The diode-laser bars are mounted on a planar surface of a common heat-sink and are spaced-apart from each other in the emission-direction. Each diode-laser bar has one optical waveguide associated therewith. The optical-waveguides collect laser-light emitted from the diode-laser bars with which they are associated and…
Group-delay-dispersive multilayer-mirror structures and method for designing same
Granted: April 24, 2001
Patent Number:
6222673
Negative Group-delay-dispersion mirror (NGDD-mirror) multilayer structures include a generally-orderly arrangement of layers or groups of layers in which the function of certain individual layers or groups of layers can be recognized and defined. The structures are broadly definable as a rear group of layers which are primarily responsible for providing a desired reflection level and reflection bandwidth together with a low and smoothly varying reflection phase-dispersion, and a front…
CW far-UV laser system with two active resonators
Granted: March 6, 2001
Patent Number:
6198756
A laser system includes two separate active laser-resonators. A first of the laser-resonators delivers laser-radiation at a first wavelength, and the second generates fundamental laser-radiation at second wavelength. The second resonator includes an optically-nonlinear crystal. The radiation delivered by the first laser-resonator is mixed in the optically-nonlinear crystal with the fundamental radiation circulating in the second resonator thereby generating radiation having the sum…
Rapid pulsed Er:YAG laser
Granted: February 27, 2001
Patent Number:
6193711
An Er:YAG laser system has a resonant cavity including an Er:YAG rod pulse-pumped by a pulsed flashlamp. The pump-pulse repetition rate and average power is selected to provide a known essentially constant thermal-lensing power in the Er:YAG rod. Design parameters of the Er:YAG rod and the resonant cavity are selected to compensate for this thermal-lensing power. A shutter in the resonant cavity, when closed or open, respectively prevents or allows a laser output-pulse to be generated in…
Three-dimensional masking method for control of coating thickness
Granted: January 2, 2001
Patent Number:
6168832
A method of vacuum depositing a layer or layers on a substrate includes controlling thickness distribution of the layer or layers over the substrate by a three-dimensional mask (64) located between the substrate 48 and a vapor source (56). In one example a circular mask (64R) is divided by radially-extending spaced-apart walls (90) dividing the mask into radially-extending apertures (98) for allowing passage of gaseous coating material through the mask from a source to the substrate. The…
Intracavity frequency-converted optically-pumped semiconductor laser
Granted: December 26, 2000
Patent Number:
6167068
An intracavity, frequency-doubled, external-cavity, optically-pumped semiconductor laser in accordance with the present invention includes a monolithic surface-emitting semiconductor layer structure including a Bragg mirror portion and a gain portion. An external mirror and the Bragg-mirror portion define a laser resonant-cavity including the gain-portion of the semiconductor layer structure. A birefringent filter is located in the resonant-cavity for selecting a frequency of the…
Method and apparatus for transurethral resection of the prostate
Granted: December 5, 2000
Patent Number:
6156049
A method and apparatus for transurethral resection of the prostate, which includes inserting a transurethral incisional device through the patient's urethra, incising off at least one piece of targeted prostatic tissue using the incisional device, inserting a morcellation probe through the patient's urethra, morcellating the excised piece of targeted prostatic tissue with the morcellation probe, and aspirating the morcellated prostatic tissue through the morcellation probe and out of the…
Group-delay-dispersive multilayer-mirror structures and method for designing same
Granted: November 28, 2000
Patent Number:
6154318
Negative Group-delay-dispersion mirror (NGDD-mirror) multilayer structures include a generally-orderly arrangement of layers or groups of layers in which the function of certain individual layers or groups of layers can be recognized and defined. The structures are broadly definable as a rear group of layers which are primarily responsible for providing a desired reflection level and reflection bandwidth together with a low and smoothly varying reflection phase-dispersion, and a front…
Bright diode-laser light-source
Granted: November 21, 2000
Patent Number:
6151342
A light-source includes a plurality of diode-laser bars. The diode-laser bars are arranged in a parallel array and arranged to emit laser-light in the same direction. The diode-laser bars are spaced-apart from each other in the emission-direction. Optical-waveguides are provided for collecting laser-light emitted from each of the diode-laser bars and delivering the collected laser-light to an output aperture of the light-source.
Aiming and focussing device for fiber-transported laser radiation
Granted: November 7, 2000
Patent Number:
6144787
Apparatus (20) for aiming and projecting laser radiation emitted from an output-face (56) at an output-end (52) of an optical-fiber transmitter (54), includes a target (26) surrounding the output-end of the optical-fiber transmitter and held in a fixed relationship therewith. One or more light sources (46) illuminate the target with visible light such that the target directs at least a portion of the visible light in the emission direction of the laser radiation whereby when the…
Low-noise frequency-multiplied laser
Granted: October 31, 2000
Patent Number:
6141369
An intracavity frequency-doubled laser has a standing-wave resonator including a gain medium and an optically-nonlinear crystal. The optically-nonlinear crystal has a large walkoff-angle between the fundamental laser-beam and the frequency-doubled beam created by passage of the fundamental laser-beam through the crystal. The optically-nonlinear crystal is arranged such that the walkoff-angle provides for lateral, spatial separation of a fundamental and a corresponding frequency-doubled…
Electronically pulsed laser system
Granted: October 24, 2000
Patent Number:
6135995
Typically, a laser emits significant energy after a control signal is generated to disable the power supply. The inherent delay between generation of a control signal for shutting off a laser power supply and actual termination of an output beam pulse in response to the control signal, is compensated in the context that the control signal is generated automatically upon coincidence of measured output beam power with a preset threshold value. Power supplied to a laser is modulated to…
Pulsed intracavity frequency-converted solid-state laser with long-pulse simulation
Granted: October 10, 2000
Patent Number:
6130900
In an intracavity frequency-converted pulsed laser, output-pulses having a duration longer than three milliseconds are simulated by a burst of temporally spaced-apart pulses having a shorter duration, the burst duration being about equal to the duration of the pulse being simulated. In an example of the laser including a KTP crystal providing frequency-doubling and having an Nd:YAG gain-medium for providing fundamental radiation at a wavelength of 1064 nm, a thin-etalon having a…
Control system for a laser with multiple solid state rods
Granted: September 5, 2000
Patent Number:
6115396
A pulsed solid state laser system is disclosed which utilizes a plurality of individual laser rods which are sequentially pumped and whose beans are combined into a single interleaved output bean. The individual laser rods are pumped at an average power level which is below that for maximum output power from each rod, thereby obviating the need for refrigeration cooling. A compact optical system is disclosed which permits a constant beam size even at different pump levels and other…
Solid-state laser having resonator configured for compensating for thermal lensing
Granted: September 5, 2000
Patent Number:
6115402
A laser resonator including a gain medium with strong thermal-lensing properties includes an arrangement for providing near real-time compensation for variations in the thermal-lensing effects in the gain-medium resulting from variations in resonator operating parameters.
High repetition rate erbium:YAG laser for tissue ablation
Granted: August 1, 2000
Patent Number:
6096031
A medical laser system is disclosed for ablating biological material. The system includes an Erbium:YAG gain medium capable of generating a pulsed output having a wavelength of 2.9 microns. The laser is optimized to generate a pulsed output having a repetition rate of at least 50 hertz and preferably at least 100 hertz. The output is delivered to the target tissue via an optical fiber. Preferably, a suction source is provided to aspirate the tissue as it is being ablated. The erbium…
