Semiconductor optical amplifier laser diode system
OwnerJoseph G. LaChapelle, Robert D. Stillinventors
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Abstract
A system includes a laser diode configured to produce seed light, a capacitor configured to charge from a voltage source, a transistor configured to control current flowing through a semiconductor optical amplifier via a controlled discharge of the capacitor, the semiconductor optical amplifier configured to amplify at least a temporal portion of the seed light in response to the current flowing through the semiconductor optical amplifier to emit an output pulse of light, and a receiver configured to detect at least a portion of the output pulse of light scattered by a target object located at a distance from the system.
Claims20
A system, comprising:
- a laser diode configured to produce seed light;
- a capacitor configured to charge from a voltage source;
- a transistor configured to control current flowing through a semiconductor optical amplifier via a controlled discharge of the capacitor;
- the semiconductor optical amplifier configured to amplify at least a temporal portion of the seed light in response to the current flowing through the semiconductor optical amplifier to emit an output pulse of light;
- and
- a receiver configured to detect at least a portion of the output pulse of light scattered by a target object located at a distance from the system.
A method, comprising:
- producing seed light using a laser diode;
- charging a capacitor from a voltage source;
- using a transistor to control current flowing through a semiconductor optical amplifier via a controlled discharge of the capacitor;
- using the semiconductor optical amplifier to amplify at least a temporal portion of the seed light in response to the current flowing through the semiconductor optical amplifier to emit an output pulse of light;
- and
- using a receiver to detect at least a portion of the output pulse of light scattered by a target object located at a distance from the receiver.
A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:
- producing seed light using a laser diode;
- charging a capacitor from a voltage source;
- using a transistor to control current flowing through a semiconductor optical amplifier via a controlled discharge of the capacitor;
- using the semiconductor optical amplifier to amplify at least a temporal portion of the seed light in response to the current flowing through the semiconductor optical amplifier to emit an output pulse of light;
- and
- using a receiver to detect at least a portion of the output pulse of light scattered by a target object located at a distance from the receiver.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.