Diode-laser module with a bonded component and method for bonding same
Granted: July 27, 1999
Patent Number:
5930600
A method for bonding a component (14) to a substrate (18) via a thermally hardened or softened bonding medium, employs PTC or NTC thermistor (24) for heating the bonding medium during bonding of the component. In one disclosed example, the method is used for bonding an optical fiber to a substrate, via a solder layer (40), in alignment with a semiconductor laser (12) in a diode-laser module (10).
Method and apparatus for treating vascular lesions
Granted: June 15, 1999
Patent Number:
5911718
An apparatus and method is disclosed for treating vascular lesions. In the preferred embodiment, an intracavity, frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser is used to generate output pulses having a duration of 0.5 to 10.0 milliseconds. This laser output is used to irradiate the lesions. The laser energy is absorbed in the blood of the vein, causing it to coagulate and collapse. The long pulse duration helps to minimize bleeding while controlling thermal damage to surrounding tissue.
Repetitively-pulsed solid-state laser having resonator including multiple different gain-media
Granted: June 15, 1999
Patent Number:
5912912
A continuously-pumped, repetitively-pulsed, Q-switched laser resonator includes two different gain-media which lase at about the same wavelength. By separately and variably pumping the different gain-media, the laser resonator can efficiently generate output radiation having parameters which stay constant over a much wider range of pulse-repetition frequency than would be possible were either one of the gain-media solely deployed in the resonator. In one embodiment, the laser resonator…
Ultrafast laser with multiply-folded resonant cavity
Granted: June 15, 1999
Patent Number:
5912915
An ultrafast laser providing short output pulses having a pulse length in the femtosecond range includes a resonant cavity including a plurality folding mirrors for folding the resonant cavity to shorten its overall length. The fold-mirrors each include a plurality of layers deposited by ion-beam sputtering onto a substrate having a surface roughness of less than about 0.5 nanometers RMS. One or more of the folding mirrors may have a negative-group-velocity-dispersion mirror for allowing…
Compact speakerphone apparatus
Granted: April 20, 1999
Patent Number:
5896461
A compact speakerphone apparatus is provided with an angled housing for a speaker and a directional microphone. The speaker and microphone are mounted in the housing such that the directional characteristics of the microphone minimizes feedback from the speaker. Additionally, the speaker is mounted to direct sounds away from a horizontal surface upon which the speakerphone may be placed in a just configuration. In a second configuration, the speaker may be mounted upon an elevating…
Low-threshold high-efficiency laser diodes with aluminum-free active region
Granted: March 30, 1999
Patent Number:
5889805
Semiconductor diode lasers include an aluminum free active region including at least one active layer having a general composition In.sub.(1-x) Ga.sub.x As.sub.y P.sub.(1-y) where 0.ltoreq.y.ltoreq.1; two confinement layers bounding the active region and having a general composition In.sub.(1-x) (Ga.sub.(1-z) Al.sub.z)x P wherein aluminum content z may be zero; and a lower cladding layer, and at least one upper cladding layer adjacent the confinement layers. The cladding layers have the…
Laser power meter
Granted: March 23, 1999
Patent Number:
D407031
Speech detection system employing multiple determinants
Granted: March 16, 1999
Patent Number:
5884255
A speech detection system is provided with multiple speech detector sub-systems. The speech detection sub-systems employ distinct statistical methods for determining whether speech is present in an electronic communication signal received at an output terminal. For example, a first speech detection sub-system employs moving average peak signal filter, a second speech detection sub-system employing a moving average noise filter, and a third speech detection sub-system employs a variance…
Geometry for cylindrical shaped laser system gain medium
Granted: December 22, 1998
Patent Number:
5852626
A cylindrically shaped gain medium for a laser resonant cavity. The gain medium has an outer cylindrical side surface and two opposing end faces. An annular groove is formed in the side surface. An energy source excites the gain medium to create a laser beam inside the cavity. The laser beam passes longitudinally through the gain medium. The annular groove defines an annular aperture inside the gain medium for the laser beam. The annular aperture has a diameter that is smaller than a…
Tapered optical fiber delivery system for laser diode
Granted: December 22, 1998
Patent Number:
5852692
An optical fiber delivery system having a semiconductor light source that produces an optical output. A plurality of first optical fibers each has an input end and an output end. The input ends are optically coupled to the semiconductor light source to receive the optical output, and the output ends are bundled together. An optical connector positions the input end of a second fiber, relative to the first fiber output ends, to receive the optical output from the first fibers. Either each…
Insulated water cooled gain medium assembly for a laser system
Granted: December 8, 1998
Patent Number:
5848081
A gain medium assembly for a laser system that has or attaches to a cooling fluid source. The gain medium assembly includes a laser system gain medium, an insulating jacket disposed around the gain medium, a cooling jacket disposed around the insulating jacket, and an energy source for optically exciting and heating the gain medium. The cooling jacket defines a cooling channel between itself and the insulating jacket for guiding flowing cooling fluid from the cooling fluid source over…
Fiber-based ladar transceiver for range/doppler imaging with frequency comb generator
Granted: November 10, 1998
Patent Number:
5835199
The present invention provides a laser radar (ladar) imaging system in which both the range of an object being imaged and the velocity of the object can be measured simultaneously and accurately with superior range resolution and with minimal ambiguity. Use is made of a ladar system based on matched-filter cross-correlation of light pulse waveforms that have multiple, simultaneous frequency components with phase variation and incommensurate spectral frequency spacing between frequency…
Doublet pulse coherent laser radar for precision range and velocity measurements
Granted: September 29, 1998
Patent Number:
5815250
In a laser radar (lidar) system, a Doublet Pulse is generated by injection-seeded aborted cavity dumping of a solid-state laser. The doublet pulse provides coherent Doppler lidar systems a substantial time bandwidth product (TB) with a very modest processing requirement. The waveform format comprises a pair of pulselets, each of duration .tau., separated by T seconds. The range resolution is governed by the pulselet duration .tau., while the velocity precision is governed by one over the…
Laser diode facet coating
Granted: September 22, 1998
Patent Number:
5812580
A multi-layer high reflective dielectric optical coating deposited on a laser diode facet that shifts the high amplitude peak of the electric field associated with the reflection of light away from the interface between the semiconductor material and the reflective coating, and into the reflective coating itself. By shifting the electric field peak in this manner, the laser diode can operate at much higher optical output powers without inducing catastrophic optical damage at the…
Portable laser power measuring apparatus
Granted: September 8, 1998
Patent Number:
5805277
Apparatus for measuring power in a laser-beam includes a transmissive diffuser for diffusely expanding the laser-beam and a photon detector for receiving the diffusely-expanded laser-beam and generating an electrical signal in response thereto. Electronic circuitry including a microprocessor is provided for interpreting the electrical signal as a measure of power in the laser-beam. A display device is provided for displaying the interpreted signal.
Optical system for improving the symmetry of the beam emitted from a broad area laser diode
Granted: August 25, 1998
Patent Number:
5798877
An optical system is disclosed for improving the brightness symmetry of a beam emitted from a laser diode where the beam has a large width and a narrow height. The optical system includes a tilt plate for displacing one half of the width of the beam downwardly. A first beam steering prism functions to tilt the remaining, second half of the beam width in a plane parallel to the width dimension so that the second half travels towards the first half. A second beam steering prism is provided…
Telecommunications network management observation and response system
Granted: August 11, 1998
Patent Number:
5793753
A system for monitoring and managing the operations of a multi-technology telecommunications network is disclosed. The system includes programmable probes operatively connected to a network for monitoring data transfer activity on the network and collecting selected data relating to one or more relevant functions. A workstation interpreter is programmed for (1) receiving input from a system manager identifying the type or types of parameters that are to be monitored, (2) providing…
Optical parametric oscillator with delayed repumping
Granted: July 28, 1998
Patent Number:
5786929
An optical parametric oscillator (50) includes a resonator cavity (26) for laser light, and a gain medium (28) disposed in the resonant cavity for converting pump light to the laser light. The oscillator includes an optical arrangement for directing a pulse of the pump light pulse to make generally axially counterpropagating initial and return passes through the gain medium. The optical arrangement includes a pulse return reflector (37) for directing the pulse to make the return pass.…
Bi-directional asynchronous telecommunication audio signal processing
Granted: July 21, 1998
Patent Number:
5784361
An apparatus is provided for digital signal processing of telecommunication signals along respective transmit and receive paths of a two-way telecommunication link. The respective transmit and receive signals each include an audio data component and a timing component. Digital signal processing of at least one of the signals, such as an echo cancellation, employs information derived from the audio data component of the other signal. To compensate for differences between the respective…
Optical parametric oscillator with porro prism cavity
Granted: July 14, 1998
Patent Number:
5781571
An optical parametric oscillator or OPO (20) includes an elongated resonant cavity (22) for signal light, having a parametric gain medium (28) disposed therein for converting pump light to signal light. The resonant cavity has a output coupling device (26) at one end thereof and a Porro prism (24) at the opposite end thereof. The OPO includes an optical arrangement (30, 39 and 40) for directing pump light to make counterpropagating initial and return passes longitudinally through the…
