Bonding optical materials
AssigneeGamdan Optics, Inc.
InventorsWilliam M. Grossman, Dennis J. Garrity, Hui Cai
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In one embodiment, the present disclosure includes a method of making an optical component. Planes of optical materials are diffusion bonded to make a single larger nonlinear optical device. The bond plane may be configured at an angle to an input wave passing through the diffusion bonded structure. In one embodiment, the optical material is Lithium triborate (LBO). In some embodiments, a plurality of optical materials are diffusion bonded in one or more dimensions to produce a larger optical device. In some embodiments, the larger optical device is used in a laser system. In one embodiment, the present disclosure includes a fusion reactor including a laser system comprising diffusion bonded nonlinear optical materials.
Claims44
A method comprising:
- receiving, in a heating system, at least a first optical crystal material and a second optical crystal material having a same material type, wherein the first optical crystal material and the second optical crystal material each have a crystal orientation and at least one planar surface;
- positioning the first optical crystal material and the second optical crystal material so that a first planar surface of the first optical crystal material is in contact with a first planar surface of the second optical crystal material, the first optical crystal material and the second optical crystal material forming an input surface, and the crystal orientation of the first optical crystal material is aligned with the crystal orientation of the second optical crystal material;
- and
- heating the first optical crystal material and the second optical crystal material to diffusion bond the first planar surface of the first optical crystal material with the first planar surface of the second optical crystal material, the diffusion bond forming a composite optical crystal material comprising the input surface,
- wherein the diffusion bond between the first planar surface and second planar surface is configured at an angle to a phase matched k-vector inside the composite optical crystal material.
An optical crystal material comprising;
- a plurality of optical crystal materials having a same material type and aligned crystal orientations,
- wherein the plurality of optical crystal materials comprise planar surfaces diffusion bonded along one or more dimensions to form a composite optical crystal material having one or more diffusion bonds, the composite optical crystal material comprising an input surface,
- wherein the one or more diffusion bonds between the planar surfaces of the plurality of optical crystal materials are configured at an angle to a phase matched k-vector inside the composite optical crystal material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.