Did You Know...
...that Thomas Edison's patent application on his phonograph was approved by the Patent Office in just seven weeks? In contrast, it took Gordon Gould, the inventor of the laser, 30 years to obtain his patent -- finally awarded in 1988!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7397600 | Laser pulse multiplier A device for generating a plurality of laser pulses from a recirculating single laser pulse in an optical delay line that is capable of partially transmitting the trapped pulse out of the delay line. The energy of the partially reflected trapped pulse is restored be... | 07/08/2008 |
| 7221495 | Thin film precursor stack for MEMS manufacturing This invention provides a precursor film stack for use in the production of MEMS devices. The precursor film stack comprises a carrier substrate, a first layer formed on the carrier substrate, a second layer of an insulator material formed on the first layer, and a ... | 05/22/2007 |
| 6577435 | Optical wavelength converter based on cross-gain modulation with wide input power dynamic range An optical wavelength converter based on cross-gain modulation with wide input dynamic range, the converter including a semiconductor optical amplifier, a continuous wave source, and a probe beam controller. The semiconductor optical amplifier modulates p... | 06/10/2003 |
| 6483629 | Optical window signal generator An optical window signal generator which begins generation of an optical output signal in response to an optical activation pulse, and terminates generation of the optical output signal in response to an optical deactivation pulse. The rise time of the op... | 11/19/2002 |
| 6288659 | Data conversion using time manipulation A method and apparatus for data conversion using time manipulation is disclosed. Ultrafast analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion and digital-to-analog I/A) conversion are achieved by optoelectronic time-stretching or time-compression, respectively. A pulsed ... | 09/11/2001 |
| 6275327 | All-optical pulse generating and amplifying system The all-optical pulse generating and amplifying system utilizes a phosphor that is excited by input light of a first wavelength and, in response, emits light of a second wavelength. The light emitted by the phosphor illuminates a bistable element which, a... | 08/14/2001 |
| 5721637 | Wavelength converter apparatus The invention relates to a wavelength conversion apparatus for transmitting data carried by an incident pump wave beam of wavelength λ to a probe wave of wavelength λs. The apparatus has two semiconductor optical amplifiers and means for spli... | 02/24/1998 |
| 5353146 | Optical signal regenerator and optical communications system incorporating same An optical signal regenerator has a semiconductor laser in a resonant cavity defined by a mirror and a semireflective facet of the laser to form a resonant, non-linear, optical amplifier. A polarization beam splitter allows resonance in one polarization m... | 10/04/1994 |
| 5128800 | Gain switchable optical fiber amplifier An optical fiber amplifier has a lossy nonlinear medium connected between its input port and its output port. The resultant optical feedback loop permits remote gain switching of the optical amplifier.... | 07/07/1992 |
| 5111153 | Non-linear optical amplification An optical amplifier having a saturable absorption region is operated below the lasing threshold for the device. Non-linear effects and bistability are observable at temperatures above room temperature. A selected input wavelength λi within th... | 05/05/1992 |
| 4812776 | System for amplifying and shaping optical pulses A bistable laser for realizing a waveshaping function, having a drive current which during normalcy biases the bistable laser to the middle point of the hysteresis region thereof. When input light exceeds a threshold level, the bistable laser is switched ... | 03/14/1989 |
| 4772854 | All optical repeater An all-optical device containing saturable gain, saturable loss and unsaturable loss regions which functions to transform weak, distorted optical pulses into uniform standard-shape pulses. The device performs thresholding, amplification and pulse shaping ... | 09/20/1988 |
| 4764739 | Light-induced unidirectional light switch A light induced unidirectional light switch is described wherein a unidirectionally emitting medium is obtained using the method of Doppler compensation by light-induced velocity-dependent light shifts. The emission in the emitting medium can be switched ... | 08/16/1988 |
| 4196396 | Interferometer apparatus using electro-optic material with feedback A nonlinear interferometer apparatus is disclosed wherein a Fabry-Perot cavity is substantially filled with an electro-optic material having terminals to which a potential can be applied. A single frequency, single mode, linearly polarized source of optic... | 04/01/1980 |
| 4121167 | Amplifying characteristics of a cavity-enclosed nonlinear medium A device is disclosed which is capable of amplifying optical signals. The absorptive and dispersive properties of a cavity-enclosed nonlinear medium are combined with the transmission properties of the cavity to yield an input-output characteristic curve ... | 10/17/1978 |
| 4071831 | Amplifying characteristics of a cavity-enclosed nonlinear medium A device is disclosed which is capable of amplifying optical signals. The absorptive and dispersive properties of a cavity-enclosed nonlinear medium are combined with the transmission properties of the cavity to yield an input-output characteristic curve ... | 01/31/1978 |
| 4038610 | Luminosity control system employing semiconductor lasers A luminosity control device comprises a first semiconductor laser operable in a spontaneous mode to emit noncoherent light and in a laser mode different from its inherent laser mode to emit coherent light. The first semiconductor laser is electrically bia... | 07/26/1977 |
| 4012699 | Amplifying characteristics of a cavity-enclosed nonlinear medium A device is disclosed which is capable of amplifying optical signals. The absorptive and dispersive properties of a cavity-enclosed nonlinear medium are combined with the transmission properties of the cavity to yield an input-output characteristic curve ... | 03/15/1977 |
