US3793541A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Optical stimulated emission devices employing optical guiding
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1970-12-21
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Granted: 1974-02-19
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Expires: 1990-12-21
Abstract
Abstract There is disclosed a coherent optical device in which a fluid active medium is included in a guiding structure and stimulated emission of coherent radiation is achieved by monochromatic light launched into the guiding structure with a power level several orders of magnitude less than that necessary for any previous such device or by a substantially less concentrated fluid active medium than previously used at prior art low power levels. The guiding structure typically includes an active fluid contained in a drawn capillary tube of internal diameter in the range from about 0.5 micron to about 50 microns or disposed about an optical fiber of comparable transverse dimension. The active fluid can be flowed in a direction either along or transverse to the axis of the guiding structure. The disclosed species include stimulated Raman emission devices and dye lasers.
Inventors
- 👤 A Ashkin
- 👤 E Ippen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-22 16:19
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01S; H01S3/00; H01S3/14; H01S3/20; H01S3/213; H01S3/02; H01S3/022; H01S3/30; H01S3/302; H01S3/307
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 35
Claim 1
Independent Claim
39 words
A device of the type claimed in claim 1, in which the active medium is a Raman-active medium and the launching means comprises a source of monochromatic radiant energy of intensity below the bulk oscillation threshold in said medium.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
20 words
A device of the type claimed in claim 1, in which the active medium is a dye laser active medium.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
112 words
An optical apparatus for the stimulated emission of radiation, comprising a liquid active medium both providing gain at a first frequency and undergoing damage when subjected to an optical pumping radiation at a second frequency, a guiding structure including a solid member disposed in contact with and coupled to a limited region of said liquid medium, said solid member having a higher index of refraction than said liquid medium, and means for stimulating the coherent emission of radiation at said first frequency in said limited region of said liquid medium, whereby the remainder of said liquid medium removes the effect of the damage occurring in said liquid medium in said limited region.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
54 words
An optical apparatus according to claim 4 in which the solid member has a transverse dimension in the range from about 0.1 micron to about 50 microns and the liquid medium in the limited region is replenished from the remainder to maintain a desired optical quality of the liquid medium in said limited region.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
An optical apparatus according to claim 4 in which the solid member and the liquid medium differ in index of refraction by an amount insuring that a substantial portion of the pumping radiation propagates in the liquid medium.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
An optical apparatus according to claim 4 in which the liquid medium is a Raman-active medium.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
124 words
An optical apparatus of the type comprising a liquid active medium both providing gain at a first frequency and undergoing damage when subjected to an optical pumping radiation at a second frequency, means for subjecting said liquid medium to said pumping radiation, and means for stimulating the coherent radiation at said first frequency from said liquid medium, said apparatus being improved to remove the effect of said damage in that said subjecting means includes a guiding structure having a solid member disposed in contact with and coupled to a minor portion of said liquid medium, the remainder of said liquid medium replenishing said minor portion, and said stimulating means stimulating the coherent emission of radiation principally in said minor portion of said liquid medium.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
60 words
An optical apparatus of the type claimed in claim 8, in which the solid member comprises a passive optical fiber surrounded by said liquid medium, said solid member having an index of refraction exeeding that of the liquid medium by an amount insuring that a substantial portion of the pumping radiation propagates in the minor portion of the liquid medium.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
102 words
A device of the type in which an active medium is contained in a guiding structure coupled to means for launching monochromatic radiant energy into said structure to enable the stimulated emission of radiation in said medium and including means for stimulating the emission of coherent radiation, characterized in that the guiding structure comprises a dielectric capillary tube having an internal diameter in the range from about the wavelength of the monochromatic radiant energy therein to about 100 times said wavelength, and the launching means comprises a source of monochromatic radiant energy of intensity below the bulk oscillation threshold in said medium.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
61 words
A device of the type claimed in claim 10, in which the dielectric Capillary tube has an internal diameter in the range from about twice the wavelength of the monochromatic radiant energy therein to about 40 times the wavelength, and the monochromatic radiant energy source supplies monochromatic radiant energy in the frequency range from about 100 kilogigahertz to about 1,000 kilogigahertz.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
62 words
A device of the type claimed in claim 10, in which the active medium is a Raman-active medium and the monochromatic radiant energy source supplies coherent monochromatic radiant energy with an intensity in the medium in the tube more than one order of magnitude below the level at which the energy forms filamentary regions of elevated index of refraction in said medium.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
79 words
A super-radiant device comprising a fluid Raman-active medium having a bulk Raman-oscillation threshold, a guiding structure comprising a dielectric capillary tube containing said medium throughout a length of said tube for which said medium is super-radiant and having an internal diameter between about 0.5 micron and about 50 microns, and means for launching pumping radiation in said structure to generate super-radiance of said medium, comprising a source of coherent monochromatic visible light of intensity below said bulk oscillation threshold.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
57 words
A super-radiant device of the type claimed in claim 13, in which the dielectric capillary tube contains the fluid Raman-active medium throughout a length exceeding 50 centimeters and has an internal diameter between about 0.5 micron and about 20 microns, and the coherent monochromatic light source supplies coherent substantially monochromatic light of a frequency exceeding 500 kilogigahertz.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
47 words
A super-radiant device of the type claimed in claim 14, in which the coherent monochromatic source supplies coherent substantially monochromatic light of intensity more than an order of magnitude below the level at which the energy forms filamentary regions of elevated index of refraction in said medium.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
96 words
A device of the type in which an active medium is included in a guiding structure coupled to means for launching monochromatic radiant energy into said structure to produce the stimulated emission of radiation in said medium, characterized in that the guiding structure includes a dielectric member having a transverse dimension in the range from about 0.1 micron to 50 microns, and the device includes means for storing a substantial quantity of said medium in a position facilitating flow contacting said member, and means for flowing said medium from said storing means to contact said member.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
48 words
A device of the type claimed in claim 16, in which the flowing means comprises a source of pressurized fluid forming a fluid interface with the active medium in the storing means, said interface being laterally displaced from the path of the emitted radiation through said storing means.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
30 words
A device of the type claimed in claim 17, including a second means for storing a substantial quantity of said medium after it has flowed from contact with said member.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
20 words
A device of the type claimed in claim 16 in which the active medium is a dye laser active medium.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
125 words
A frequency converter of the type in which a Raman-active medium is contained in a guiding structure disposed in an optical resonator and coupled to means for launching monochromatic radiant energy into said structure to produce in said medium Raman-scattering that can be resonated by said resonator, characterized in that the guiding structure comprises a dielectric capillary tube having an internal diameter in the range from about 0.5 micron to about 50 microns, the optical resonator comprises a pair of reflectors substantially separated from the ends of said capillary tube and adapted to resonate the Raman-scattered radiation, and the launching means comprises a source of the monochromatic radiant energy of intensIty at least an order of magnitude below the bulk oscillation threshold in said medium.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
66 words
A frequency converter of the type claimed in claim 20, in which the one of said reflectors closest to the launching means is substantially transmissive of the monochromatic radiation from said launching means and substantially totally reflective of the Raman-scattered radiation, and the other of said reflectors is substantially totally reflective of the monochromatic radiation from said launching means and partially transmissive of the Raman-scattered radiation.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
104 words
A frequency converter of the type claimed in claim 20, in which the optical resonator includes between one end of the dielectric capillary tube and one of said separate reflectors means for storing a substantial quantity of said medium at one end of said capillary tube in flow coupling with said tube, and means for pressurizing said medium in said storing means to flow said medium from said storing means into said tube, said optical resonator including between the other end of the dielectric capillary tube and the other separated reflector means for receiving a substantial quantity of said medium flowing from said tube.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
57 words
A frequency converter of the type claimed in claim 20, in which the optical resonator includes between one end of the dielectric capillary tube and the respective separated reflector a solid dielectric pin optically matched to the Raman-active medium and shaped to couple a selected mode of said guided structure into said structure and said medium therein.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
54 words
A frequency converter of the type claimed in claim 20, in which the dielectric capillary tube has a flexible coil-like configuration, and the optical resonator includes two containers containing fluid and separating respective ones of the pair of reflectors from respective ends of the capillary tube, said containers comprising rigid members of said converter.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
131 words
A radiant energy signal amplifier of the type in which a Raman-active medium is provided in a guided structure coupled to means for launching monochromatic radiant energy into said structure to produce Raman-scattering in said medium and coupled to means for introducing a signal into said structure at the frequency of the Raman-scattered radiation to stimulate said scattered radiation and for extracting an amplified signal from said structure, characterized in that the guiding structure comprises a dielectric capillary tube having an internal diameter in the range from about the wavelength of the monochromatic radiant energy therein to about 100 times said wavelength, and the launching means comprises a source of monochromatic radiant energy of intensity at least about several orders of magnitude below the bulk Raman oscillation threshold in said medium.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
46 words
A radiant energy signal amplifier of the type claimed in claim 25, further characterized in that the launching means is disposed at a first end of the dielectric capillary tube and the signal introducing and extracting means is disposed at a second end of said tube.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
57 words
A radiant energy signal amplifier of the type claimed in claim 26, in which the introducing and extracting means includes dichroic means for transmitting the monochromatic launched radiation at the first end of the tube while reflecting said scattered radiation at said first end, whereby the amplified signal is extracted at the opposite end of said tube.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
87 words
A device for guiding a beam of optical radiation, comprising a plurality of sections of a transparent hollow-core dielectric tubing of a first refractive index, a transparent liquid contained in said sections filling the cores thereof and having a second refractive index higher than said first index, and means for joining said sections including a transparent dielectric pin plugging adjacent ends of the cores of said sections and having said second index and a viscous liquid surrounding said pin betweEn said sections and having said first index.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
27 words
A device according to claim 28, in which the pin is shaped to couple a selected mode of optical radiation between the sections joined by said pin.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
20 words
A device according to claim 29, in which the transparent liquid in one of the sections comprises a Raman-active liquid.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
14 words
A device according to claim 28, in which the viscous liquid comprises a glue.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
22 words
An optical apparatus of the type claimed in claim 16, including means for flowing the liquid medium past the dielectric member transversely.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
21 words
An optical apparatus of the type claimed in claim 32 in which the active medium is a dye laser active medium.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
64 words
An optical apparatus of the type claimed in claim 32, in which the dielectric member comprises a passive optical fiber surrounded by said liquid medium, said optical fiber having an index of refraction exceeding that of the liquid by an amount insuring that a substantial portion of the pumping radiation propagates in the liquid medium, said liquid medium being a dye laser active medium.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
56 words
An optical apparatus of the type claimed in claim 32, in which the dielectric member comprises passive dielectric material of a first index supported by a dielectric support member of a second index, said first index exceeding said second index, said liquid medium being a dye solution of index of refraction equal to said second index.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
70 words
An optical apparatus of the type claimed in claim 35, including means for flowing the dye first past the passive dielectric member and then past the support member, said first index exceeding said second index by an amount sufficiently small to insure that the guided pumping radiation has a field distributed substantially throughout the portion of the dye solution in the plane in which it is passing said dielectric member.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-02-18 | 1977-08-20 | 1978-02-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-02-18 | 1981-08-20 | 1982-02-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-02-18 | 1985-08-20 | 1986-02-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |