摘要:
A pyrotechnic ignition method in which a semiconductor laser bar or bars containing a number of independent laser array sources deliver optical power in a specified sequence through optical fibers to a set of pyrotechnic elements in order to initiate a sequence of pyrotechnic events, such as a fireworks display, building demolition, emergency ejection sequence, satellite launch, etc. A command signal is transmitted and received, typically by a remote station from the user. The signal is decoded to generate a set of electrical signals representing addresses of individual laser arrays on the laser bar. The laser arrays are activated in the desired sequence in response to the set of electrical signals and emit laser light. This light is transmitted along optical fibers coupled to the individual laser arrays and terminating in pyrotechnic elements. The pyrotechnic elements are ignited in response to optical power received from the optical fibers, typically by direct heating of a detonator. The detonator may also be ignited photochemically or by electric current produced by a photoelectric sensor in response to sensing of the laser light.
摘要:
A split contact phased array laser comprising a plurality of parallel emitters under phase locked operation and productive of an output beam having a preferred emission wavelength and preferred far field mode of operation. The charge distribution profile in the laser is changed to cause the output beam to deflect and scan in the far field. The improvement in the laser is the provision of at least three independently current pumped segments formed transversely of said emitters wherein at least one of the segments is current pumped above threshold level sufficient to primarily determine the emission wavelength and mode of operation of the laser while the current supplied to the remaining segments is below this level and is varied relative to one another to cause the output beam to deflect and scan in the far field without substantial change to the emission wavelength and mode of operation. This is because the charge density is essentially clamped under the one dominant contact segment and is only minimally influenced by further changes in the pumping current.
摘要:
A semiconductor laser array having a single lobe far field intensity pattern radiating normal to the laser's light emitting facet. The laser array has a plurality of semiconductor layers disposed over a substrate, at least one of the layers forming an active region for lightwave generation and propagation under lasing conditions. A plurality of adjacent spaced apart optical waveguides defined by waveguides and interconnecting waveguides directly couples lightwaves propagating in each waveguide into an adjacent waveguide. The waveguides are characterized by separations which are not equal at the light emitting facet but are selectively varied so that the sampling function has only a single central lobe. In the preferred embodiment, separations are greatest for edge located and smallest for centrally located waveguides. Interconnecting waveguides connect adjacent waveguides at respective Y-shaped junctions, the junctions being symmetric at least on the output side of the laser.
摘要:
A monolithic laser device produces a plurality of spatially displaced emitting cavities in an active layer of a semiconductor body acting as a waveguide for light wave propagation under lasing conditions. Various means are disclosed to deflect and directly couple a portion of the optical wave propagation into one or more different spatially displaced emitting cavities to improve coherence and reduce beam divergence.
摘要:
A semiconductor injection laser is mounted on a silicon substrate. An optical detector is integral to the substrate and aligned at oblique angles relative to the path of the light from one of the light emitting facets of the laser. The detector may be connected to the current control circuit for the laser to provide a feedback signal which is proportional to the light deflected from the facet. The transversely disposed detector may also function to detect light from another source as part of an optical communication system. The detector may be a Schottky barrier or a p-n junction.
摘要:
A light beam scanner of the moving interference fringe pattern type which includes a body of semiconductor material having a source of coherent radiation and wave guides for guiding the coherent radiation along a plurality of spatially displaced paths which are optically uncoupled, and means associated with the spatially displaced paths for producing relative phase changes between radiation in the different paths whereby interference fringes in the far field are spatially scanned. In addition, wavelength modulation of the laser over a range of about 80 A can be achieved. The source of the coherent radiation can be a single laser or a plurality of optically coupled lasers, and the optical uncoupling can be achieved by spatial displacement of the paths or by insertion of a high loss medium between the paths.
摘要:
Mode control both for longitudinal and fundamental transverse modes can be achieved by employing a mesa structure on the laser substrate during fabrication. The mesa will provide significant variations in the thickness of one or more heterostructure waveguiding layers that may be fabricated on the mesa formed substrate. As a result, the equivalent index of refraction for each waveguiding layer will be different. For longitudinal mode operation, a branching directional coupler can be directly fabricated during preferential LPE growth due to the presence of the mesa formed on the substrate. For fundamental transverse mode operation, oscillation can be restricted to a high gain region in a waveguiding layer due to the presence of the mesa and thickness variation and curvature in the active layer. Connected or juxtaposed stripe contact geometry can also be employed to provide a multicavity effect in a light waveguiding layer to enhance longitudinal mode selectivity.
摘要:
A heterojunction diode laser which produces a highly collimated, polarized light beam perpendicular to the plane of the PN junction of the laser rather than through cleaved end faces in the plane of the PN junction. The diode laser includes a periodic structure which is buried at a heterojunction interface and in contact with a light waveguide layer. The periodic structure acts to produce the feedback necessary for lasing. If the spacing of the teeth of the periodic structure are an integer number of wavelengths of the light photons produced in the laser, the light beam exits at an angle perpendicular to the plane of the PN junction. If a tooth spacing is chosen that is not equal to an integer number of wavelengths of the light photons produced in the laser, the light beam may emerge from the diode at an angle other than the normal with the specific angle determined by the particular tooth spacing. To increase output intensity, the ends of the laser perpendicular to the plane of the PN junction and parallel to the teeth of the periodic structure may be cleaved and coated with a highly light reflective film.
摘要:
An electrically pumped, distributed feedback laser having all side surfaces of the active laser medium cleaved and a periodic structure at a 45.degree. angle to all of the cleaved surfaces. Current confining channels restrict pumping current to selected regions of the active laser medium to provide sufficient feedback such that two parallel filamentary areas of the active medium lase. By having multiple lasing filaments the divergence of the output beam in the direction of the width of the filaments is reduced by a factor proportional to the number of filamentary lasing areas.
摘要:
A diode laser of the type having an array of laser emitters in a Talbot cavity in which edge reflectors are added to enhance feedback to edgemost emitters. In one embodiment, a transparent slab with reflectively coated sides is present between the phase plane of the emitted light and the Talbot cavity reflector. The phase plne is defined by a lenticular array placed a focal length in front of the laser emitters. In another embodiment, the Talbot cavity reflector has an increased reflectivity toward its edges. In all embodiments the Talbot cavity reflector is preferably spaced a distance na.sup.2 /.lambda. from the phase plane, where n is a positive integer, a is separation between adjacent emitters and .lambda. is the wavelength of emitted light. An integrated embodiment has the array and cavity reflectors defined ina single semiconductor body divided into active and ransparent region. Side mirrors are etched into the semiconductor body. The laser array may also be extended to two dimensions with individual lasers or laser bars fiber coupled to a lens surface, with an edge reflector and Talbot cavity reflector coated on an otherwise transparent slab.