Tailored index single mode optical amplifiers and devices and systems including same
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A semiconductor laser device, comprising:
- an optical phased array having N optical power amplifiers optically coupled to one another in parallel,wherein each of the N power amplifiers comprises a tailored index single mode guided power amplifier,wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to 2,wherein each of the N tailored index single mode power amplifiers comprises a buried rib structure, andwherein each of the N tailored index single mode power amplifiers exhibits a continuous taper in the index profile.
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Abstract
A semiconductor laser device includes a tailored index single mode power amplifier. A high-power laser system can be produced by connecting several of the tailored index single mode power amplifiers in parallel. In an exemplary case, a phase shifting device can be optically coupled to each of the tailored index single mode power amplifiers; the phase shifting devices can be controlled to ensure that the laser beams output by the tailored index single mode power amplifiers are both phase aligned and wavefront matched.
57 Citations
38 Claims
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1. A semiconductor laser device, comprising:
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an optical phased array having N optical power amplifiers optically coupled to one another in parallel, wherein each of the N power amplifiers comprises a tailored index single mode guided power amplifier, wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, wherein each of the N tailored index single mode power amplifiers comprises a buried rib structure, and wherein each of the N tailored index single mode power amplifiers exhibits a continuous taper in the index profile. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An integrated semiconductor device which generates N phase aligned, wavefront matched laser beams from N amplified laser beams, comprising:
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N phase modulators receiving an input beam from a master oscillator and generating N phase shifted laser beams; N tailored index single mode power amplifiers receiving the N phase shifted laser beams and generating the N amplified laser beams; a phase sensor generating N sensor signals indicative of the phase of the individual N amplified laser beams; and a controller for controlling the phase of each of the N amplified laser beams responsive to the N sensor signals, respectively, to thereby generate the N phase aligned, wavefront matched laser beams, wherein N comprises a positive integer. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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20. An integrated semiconductor device which generates N phase aligned, wavefront matched laser beams from N amplified laser beams, comprising:
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N-1 phase modulators receiving an input beam from a master oscillator and generating N-1 phase shifted laser beams; N tailored index single mode power amplifiers receiving the N-1 phase shifted laser beams and the input beam and generating the N amplified laser beams; a phase sensor generating N-1 sensor signals indicative of the phase of the individual N-1 amplified laser beams; and a controller for controlling the phase of each of the N-1 amplified laser beams responsive to the N-1 sensor signals, respectively, to thereby generate the N phase aligned, wavefront matched laser beams, wherein N comprises a positive integer greater than or equal to 2. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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22. A semiconductor laser system, comprising:
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N tailored index single mode power amplifiers; L phase modulators optically coupled to the input ports of L of the N tailored index single mode power amplifiers; an optical device which launches the output of the N tailored index single mode power amplifiers into an optical fiber to thereby generate a coherent beam; a phase sensor for generating respective electrical signals indicative of phase and wavefront characteristic each of L of the N coherent beams; and a controller electrically coupled to the L phase modulators for permitting the L phase modulators to match the phase and wavefront of the L of the N coherent beams to one another, wherein L and N are positive integers and N is greater than or equal to L. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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25. A two-dimensional semiconductor laser array, comprising:
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an optical phased array having N power amplifiers optically coupled to one another in parallel, wherein each of the N power amplifiers comprises a tailored index single mode guided power amplifier, wherein the N power amplifiers are disposed in R linear arrays of power amplifiers, each linear array including M power amplifiers, wherein M and R are both positive integers; and
N is equal to the product of M times R,wherein the N power amplifiers receive an input beam from a single master oscillator, and wherein the N output beams are coherent with respect to one another. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27)
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28. A semiconductor device comprising:
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an optical phased array having N output amplifiers, wherein each of the output amplifiers comprises a tailored index single mode power amplifier, the N output amplifiers are disposed on a single substrate, wherein N comprises an integer equal to or greater than 2, wherein each of the N tailored index single mode power amplifiers comprises a buried rib structure, and wherein each of the N tailored index single mode power amplifiers exhibits a continuous taper in the index profile.
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29. A laser system comprising:
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an optical phased array of N tailored index single mode amplifiers; at least one of N and N-1 phase modulators disposed upstream of selected ones of the N tailored index single mode amplifiers; an optical signal source producing an optical signal, said optical signal being sent to said at least one of N an N-1 phase modulators; a distribution network for distributing the optical signal to the selected ones of the at least one of N and N-1 phase modulators; a controller for generating at least one of N and N-1 control signals; interface circuitry for applying the at least one of N and N-1 control signals to the at least one of N and N-1 phase modulators to effect control; and means for measuring a parameter characteristic of selected ones of the output signals produced by the N tailored index single mode amplifiers, wherein N comprises an integer equal to or greater than 2, and wherein each of the N tailored index single mode power amplifiers comprises a buried rib structure. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification