Compact monolithic dispersion compensator

• US 8,498,538 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2009
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rayd LLC
• Original Assignee: Raydiance, Inc. (Coherent Corp.)
• Inventors: Greenberg, Michael, Chang, Kok Wai
• Primary Examiner(s): AMARI, ALESSANDRO V
• Application Number:
  US12/618,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20100149641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 359/566, 359/569, 359/572, 359/834, 398/84, 398/87
• US Class Current: 398/87
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/0856 comprising a refractive element with a reflective surface, the reflection taking place inside the element, e.g. Mangin mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0944 Diffractive optical elements, e.g. gratings, holograms gratings per se G02B5/18; holograms used as optical elements per se G02B5/32
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/4233 having a diffractive element [DOE] contributing to a non-imaging application diffusers having a diffractive element G02B5/0252; filters having a diffractive element G02B5/203; systems for controlling the direction of light having diffractive elements G02B26/0808; scanning systems having diffractive elements G02B26/106; beam shaping systems using diffractive optical elements G02B27/0944; beam splitting or combining systems operating by diffraction G02B27/1086
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0057 Temporal shaping, e.g. pulse compression, frequency chirping soliton generation and propagation G02F1/3513, H01S3/063 and H01S3/108

Abstract

An optical signal control system is constructed from a portion of a material and allows for controlled amount of negative dispersion to be generated across a broadband input signal. The block may be made of a single portion of the material and have surfaces with reflective, transmissive, and/or diffractive optical characteristics. By adjusting the physical dimensions of the block substrate and the line pitch of a diffraction grating etched into a surface of the block, the magnitude of the dispersion can be varied. Laser systems that utilize the optical signal control system may have reduced size and weight as compared to existing compressors and be more robust against misalignment.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an optical signal, comprising:

receiving an optical signal by a block of material, the block having a plurality of sides and able to propagate an optical signal within the block;

diffracting the optical signal within the block by a diffraction surface of the block;

reflecting the diffracted optical signal within the block by a first reflective surface;

reflecting within the block the diffracted optical signal directed by the first reflective surface by a second reflective surface; and

retro-reflecting the twice reflected signal by a third reflective surface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second reflective surfaces reflects the optical signal using total internal reflection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second reflective surfaces reflects the optical signal using a reflective coating.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

refracting the twice reflected signal by an outer surface of the block.