IP Library Granted Patent US 7,738,522
Granted Patent B2
US 7,738,522 · App. 12/009,755 · Granted Jun 15, 2010

Optical phase conjugation laser diode

View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,738,522
App. No.
12/009,755
Granted
Jun 15, 2010
Kind
B2
Abstract

A phase-conjugating resonator that includes a semiconductor laser diode apparatus that comprises a phase-conjugating array of retro-reflecting hexagon apertured hexahedral shaped corner-cube prisms, an electrically and/or optically pumped gain-region, a distributed bragg reflecting mirror-stack, a gaussian mode providing hemispherical shaped laser-emission-output metalized mirror. Wherein, optical phase conjugation is used to neutralize the phase perturbating contribution of spontaneous-emission, acoustic phonons, quantum-noise, gain-saturation, diffraction, and other intracavity aberrations and distortions that typically destabilize any stimulated-emission made to undergo amplifying oscillation within the inventions phase-conjugating resonator. Resulting in stabilized high-power laser-emission-output into a single low-order fundamental transverse cavity mode and reversal of intra-cavity chirp that provides for high-speed internal modulation capable of transmitting data at around 20-Gigabits/ps.

Claims (54)

1. An optical phase conjugating laser diode, comprising:

a) a stimulated-emission source of photons, defining a gain-medium for the optical phase conjugating resonant-cavity of said laser;

b) an optical feedback reflector assembly comprising a pseudo phase-conjugate mirror as a first reflector, which comprises a plurality of retro-reflecting elements that provide for an optical phase conjugated reflection, and a conventional mirror as second reflector, which provides for a partial reflection and

c) an electrical pumping source, defining an energy source for pumping said gain-medium of said laser,

whereby, said phase-conjugated reflection provides for a high-power laser-emission output into a single fundamental transverse spatial mode of said cavity, and

whereby, said phase-conjugated reflection provides for a neutralization of the perturbation causing contribution of spontaneous emission.

2. An optical phase conjugating laser-diode, comprising:

a first reflector comprising a phase-conjugating array, wherein said array comprises a plurality of retro-reflecting elements, which is used to provide for an optical phase conjugation;

a gain-medium sandwiched between said first reflector and a second reflector, which is used to provide for a stimulated-emission and amplification; and

a second reflector, which is used to provide for a partial reflection and laser-emission output.

3. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 2 , wherein the second reflector comprises a distributed bragg mirror-stack assembly.

4. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 2 , further comprising a third reflector providing for a gaussian mode laser-emission output.

5. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 2 , wherein the retro-reflecting elements of the phase conjugating array comprise corner-cube prisms.

6. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 5 , wherein the corner-cube prisms comprise tetrahedral-shaped corner-cubes.

7. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 2 , wherein the retro-reflecting elements of the phase conjugating array comprise hemispherical shaped reflecting structures.

8. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 2 , wherein the retro-reflecting elements of the phase conjugating array comprises pyramid-shaped reflectors.

9. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 2 , wherein the retro-reflecting elements of the phase conjugating array comprises tetragon-shaped reflectors.

10. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 2 , wherein the retro-reflecting elements of the phase conjugating array comprises cone-shaped reflectors.

11. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 2 , wherein the retro-reflecting elements of the phase conjugating array comprises polyhedral-shaped reflectors.

12. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 2 , wherein the phase conjugating array comprises a planar array of retro-reflecting polyhedral-shaped reflectors.

13. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 12 , further comprising a beam expander and collimation lense, which are sandwiched between the gain-medium and the phase-conjugating array.

14. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 2 , wherein the phase conjugating array comprises a curved array of retro-reflecting polyhedral-shaped reflectors.

15. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 4 , wherein the third reflector is deformable.

16. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 15 , further comprising a processor and a detector for controlling the curvature of the third reflector.

17. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 2 , wherein the gain-medium comprises of an organic light-emitting diode material.

18. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 17 , wherein the organic light-emitting diode material further comprises a first layer of triphenyldiamine.

19. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 18 , wherein the organic light-emitting diode material further comprises a second layer of 2-naphtyl-4, 5-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)-1 , 3-oxazole.

20. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 19 , wherein the organic light-emitting diode material further comprises a third layer of 8-hydroxyguinolinato aluminum.

21. The optical chase conjugation laser-diode of claim 5 , wherein the corner-cube prisms comprise hexagon-shaped corner-cubes.

22. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 21 , wherein the corner-cubes have an aperture diameter size that is equal to or slightly less than one wavelength of the desired laser-emission output of the optical phase conjugation laser-diode, minus the refractive index of the material comprising the retro-reflecting corner-cubes.

23. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 2 , further comprising an electro-absorption modulator, wherein the second reflector lies sandwiched between the gain-medium and said modulator.

24. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 23 , wherein said electro-absorption modulator lies sandwiched between the gain-medium and said second reflector.

25. The optical phase conjugation laser-diode of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of retro-reflecting elements comprise:

a first group of retro-reflecting elements that provide a first cavity length; and

a second group of retro-reflecting elements that provide a second cavity length that is different from the first cavity length.

26. The optical phase conjugation of claim 25 , wherein the first group of retro-reflecting elements will provide for a first cavity length, and the second group of retro-reflecting elements will provide for a second cavity length slightly shorter than said first cavity length, such that stimulated emissions reflected from said first group and said second group of retro-reflecting elements are phase-locked.

27. An optoelectronic circuit, comprising:

an optical phase conjugation laser-diode; and

a heterojunction transistor that is electrically connected to the optical phase conjugation laser-diode, wherein the optical phase conjugation laser-diode comprises:

a first reflector comprising a phase-conjugating mirror, which comprises a plurality of retro-reflecting polhedral shaped elements;

a second reflector;

a gain-medium sandwiched between the first reflector and the second reflector, which is used to provide a stimulated-emission source of photons, wherein said first reflector provides for optical phase conjugation and said second reflector provides for partial reflection.

28. The optoelectronic circuit of claim 27 , wherein the second reflector comprises a distributed bragg mirror-stack assembly.

29. The optoelectronic circuit of claim 27 , further providing a third reflector that provides transverse spatial mode control of laser-emission output.

30. The optoelectronic circuit of claim 27 , wherein the heterojunction transistor comprises a heterojunction bipolar transistor.

31. The optoelectronic circuit of claim 27 , wherein the heterojunction transistor comprises a high-electron mobility transistor.

32. The optoelectronic circuit of claim 27 , wherein the optical phase conjugation laser-diode and the heterojunction transistor are formed on a common semiconductor substrate using lattice matched semiconductor material.

33. An optical transceiver comprising:

a transceiver housing;

a circuit mount base assembly connected to the housing;

an optical phase conjugation laser-diode optoelectronic circuit connected to the base assembly, wherein the optical phase conjugation laser-diode optoelectronic circuit comprises:

a photodetector; and

an optical phase conjugation laser-diode, wherein the optical phase conjugation laser-diode comprises:

a first reflector comprising a phase-conjugating mirror that comprises a plurality of retro-reflecting elements; a second reflector; and a gain-medium sandwiched between the first reflector and the second reflector, which is used to provide for a stimulated-emission source of photons, wherein the second reflector is partially reflecting; a mux/demux lens assembly located inside the housing; and an optical fiber extending into said housing, such that the mux/demux lens assembly is located between the fiber output and the laser-emission output.

Continuity (2)
Continuation 1107434200 · Mar 7, 2005
Related Publication 20080205461A1 · Aug 28, 2008