David B Welch Deceased1003 269Th Ave SE, Sammamish, WA 98075

6335941, Jan 1, 2002

May 15, 2000

09/571711

Stephen G. Grubb - Fremont CA
David F. Welch - Menlo Park CA
Raymond Zanoni - Fremont CA

SDL, Inc. - San Jose CA

H01S 330

372 6, 359179, 359341

A high power laser optical amplifier system for material processing comprises multiple stage fiber amplifiers with rejection of propagating ASE buildup in and between the amplifier stages as well as elimination of SBS noise providing output powers in the range of about 10 J to about 100 J or more. The system is driven with a time varying drive signal from a modulated semiconductor laser signal source to produce an optical output allowing modification of the material while controlling its thermal sensitivity by varying pulse shapes or pulse widths supplied at a desire repetition rate via modulation of a semiconductor laser signal source to the system to precisely control the applied power application of the beam relative to the thermal sensitivity of the material to be processed. The high power fiber amplifier system has particular utility in high power applications requiring process treatment of surfaces, such as polymeric, organic, ceramic and metal surfaces, e. g. , material processing, surface texturing, heat treatment, surface engraving, fine micro-machining, surface ablation, cutting, grooving, bump forming, coating, soldering, sealing, surface diffusion and surface conversion to a compound.

6347007, Feb 12, 2002

Jun 2, 2000

09/586405

Stephen G. Grubb - Fremont CA
David F. Welch - Menlo Park CA
Raymond Zanoni - Fremont CA

SDL, Inc. - San Jose CA

H01S 300

35933721, 359124, 3593372, 359347, 372 18

A high power laser optical amplifier system for material processing comprises multiple stage fiber amplifiers with rejection of propagating ASE buildup in and between the amplifier stages as well as elimination of SBS noise providing output powers in the range of about 10 J to about 100 J or more. The system is driven with a time varying drive signal from a modulated semiconductor laser signal source to produce an optical output allowing modification of the material while controlling its thermal sensitivity by varying pulse shapes or pulse widths supplied at a desire repetition rate via modulation of a semiconductor laser signal source to the system to precisely control the applied power application of the beam relative to the thermal sensitivity of the material to be processed. The high power fiber amplifier system has particular utility in high power applications requiring process treatment of surfaces, such as polymeric, organic, ceramic and metal surfaces, e. g. , material processing, surface texturing, heat treatment, surface engraving, fine micro-machining, surface ablation, cutting, grooving, bump forming, coating, soldering, sealing, surface diffusion and surface conversion to a compound.

6356574, Mar 12, 2002

Jan 29, 1999

09/240361

Richard R. Craig - Victoria, CA
Robert L G. Waarts - Fremont CA
David F. Welch - Menlo Park CA
John G. Endriz - Belmont CA
Dirk J. Kuizenga - Sunnyvale CA
Steven Sanders - Palo Alto CA

SDL, Inc. - San Jose CA

H01S 30933

372 75, 372 50

A multistage optical amplifier pumping system with built-in redundant reliability for lightwave communication system provides plural levels of redundancy. A first level of redundancy deals with redundancy in the form of plural primary laser diode sources for pumping a single fiber laser pump source. A second level of redundancy deals with redundancy of a plurality of fiber laser pump sources for pumping a plurality of serially connected injection signal fiber amplifiers forming the multistage amplifier system. If one of fiber pump sources should fail, increased pumping power is available from the remaining fiber pump sources via their respectively connected amplifier stages. A third level of redundancy deals with redundancy in the employment of multiple single mode laser emitters on the same chip or bar sufficiently segmented and/or electrical isolated so as not to interfere with operation of or cause failure to adjacent or neighboring emitters on the same chip or bar.

6404542, Jun 11, 2002

Jul 10, 2000

09/613519

Mehrdad Ziari - Pleasanton CA
David F. Welch - Menlo Park CA
Vincent G. Dominic - Fremont CA
Bardia Pezeshki - San Jose CA
Robert J. Lang - Pleasanton CA

SDL, Inc. - San Jose CA

H01S 300

3593413, 35934133

A pump source for rare earth and Raman amplifiers or for distributed amplification uses two or more light sources to generate two source beams that are combined by a beam combiner to form the output pump beam. In accordance with one embodiment, the light sources are a diode laser array having be two or more monolithic laser stripes providing dual output beams having substantially the same polarization, such as the TE mode. One of the polarized due outputs is rotated 90Â and both beams are applied to a birefringent crystal that combines the beams for insertion into an optical fiber or into a rare earth doped fiber or into a fiber capable of Raman amplification via SRS. The power output of each polarization in the combined beam can be measured and used to drive a feedback circuit that controls the current provided to each diode in order to maintain the power in the two polarization components of the output beam equal.

6411323, Jun 25, 2002

Dec 7, 2000

09/732477

Robert G. Waarts - Fremont CA
David F. Welch - Menlo Park CA

SDL, Inc. - San Jose CA

B41J 2700

347241, 347256, 385 37

Power scaling by multiplexing multiple fiber gain sources with different wave-lengths is useful in printing applications requiring higher optical powers to perform the printing function, such as through thermal inducement in thermal ablation, thermal fusion, thermal diffusion or thermal transfer. A marking system is disclosed using a plurality of laser sources operating at different wavelengths with their respective outputs coupled into a respective single mode fiber. At least one WDM combiner is coupled to receive and combine the laser source outputs into a single output. The combined power single output provides sufficient power intensity to induce thermal marking on a marking medium.

6433306, Aug 13, 2002

Jun 2, 2000

09/585262

Stephen G. Grubb - Fremont CA
David F. Welch - Menlo Park CA
Raymond Zanoni - Fremont CA

JDS Uniphase Corp. - San Jose CA

B23K 2606

21912173, 21912168, 21912165

A high power laser optical amplifier system for material processing comprises multiple stage fiber amplifiers with rejection of propagating ASE buildup in and between the amplifier stages as well as elimination of SBS noise providing output powers in the range of about 10 J to about 100 J or more. The system is driven with a time varying drive signal from a modulated semiconductor laser signal source to produce an optical output allowing modification of the material while controlling its thermal sensitivity by varying pulse shapes or pulse widths supplied at a desire repetition rate via modulation of a semiconductor laser signal source to the system to precisely control the applied power application of the beam relative to the thermal sensitivity of the material to be processed. The high power fiber amplifier system has particular utility in high power applications requiring process treatment of surfaces, such as polymeric, organic, ceramic and metal surfaces, e. g. , material processing, surface texturing, heat treatment, surface engraving, fine micro-machining, surface ablation, cutting, grooving, bump forming, coating, soldering, sealing, surface diffusion and surface conversion to a compound.

6433920, Aug 13, 2002

Sep 18, 2000

09/664986

David F. Welch - Menlo Park CA
Robert J. Lang - Pleasanton CA
Edward C. Vail - Menlo Park CA
Mehrdad Ziari - Pleasanton CA

JDS Uniphase Corporation - San Jose CA

H01S 300

359334, 3593371

An optical amplifier with a flattened wideband response is obtained by coupling counter-propagating pumping energy into an optical waveguide to cause Raman amplification in the optical waveguide, and by reflecting an amplified signal received from the optical waveguide into an output waveguide using a reflector having a spectral characteristic that is complementary to the spectral gain characteristic of the Raman amplification.

6580552, Jun 17, 2003

Aug 27, 2001

09/940186

David F. Welch - Menlo Park CA

JDS Uniphase Corporation - San Jose CA

H01S 300

35934132, 359349

An optical amplifier includes a plurality of optical paths each carrying an optical signal and each including active optical fiber. A shared pump laser is coupled to the plurality of optical paths and provides pump power to the plurality of optical paths to individually amplify the optical signals. The plurality of optical paths includes input and output optical isolators and a coupler for coupling the pump power to the optical path. The active optical fiber is doped with an implant selected from the group of rare earth metals, erbium, ytterbium, and both ytterbium and erbium. A variable attenuator can be connected between the pump laser and the coupler of at least one of the plurality of optical paths or adjacent to the output isolator of one of the optical paths. Another optical amplifier serially couples optical signals to the optical path on a common gain media.