Each one of multiple laser sources are independently separately mounted on a laser material processing platform and their beam paths are combined by a combiner which includes one or more optical elements mounted in the laser material processing platform which make the beam paths parallel and colinear. The combined beams are then moved in X and Y planes relative to a workpiece supported in the laser material processing platform under the control of a computer in the performance of work in accordance with a work program. The beam path of each laser source and the optical axis of the beam delivery system are each pre-aligned to the same predetermined reference and automatically coincide upon installation such that these components are rapidly and interchangeably interfaceable. The beams are orthogonally polarized and the optical elements of the combiner transmit one beam while reflecting another beam. While two laser beams are shown, an infinite number of laser beams may be used.

Apparatus and method for combining multiple laser beams in laser material processing systems

The beam path [80] of a laser source [10] is first pre-aligned to a predetermined reference, and then the optical axis [90] of the beam delivery system [40, 50] of a laser material processing platform [20] is pre-aligned to the pre-aligned beam path of the laser source such that the two coincide. If the laser beam [80] is invisible, a laser simulator [72] having a visible pre-aligned beam may be used instead. When every laser source and every laser material processing platform [20] in a predetermined population thereof are pre-aligned in this manner, then any one of the laser sources and any one of the laser material processing platforms in the population may be interchanged for any one of its kind in the population and interfaced with any one of the other kind in the population to form a laser material processing system without any additional alignment requirement during or after the interfacing operation and the laser beam paths [80] and beam delivery system optical axes [90] will be automatically aligned with each other after any laser source in the line is combined with any laser material processing platform in the line.

Apparatus and method for making laser sources and laser platforms interchangeable and interfaceable

Multiple beam output scanning is obtained from a single raster scanning system (ROS) with a rotating mirror, beneficially a polygon mirror, and a single set of scan optics for use in single or multiple station printers. A plurality of coaxially overlapping laser beams from the same spatial location, but of dissimilar polarization states and wavelengths, are deflected using a common mirror surface area and are subsequently separated by a plurality of optical polarized beam separators and optical dichroic beam separators. The separated laser beams are directed onto associated photoreceptors such that their optical path lengths from the source location to their respective photoreceptors are substantially the same.

Diode laser multiple output scanning system

An optical communication device comprises an input/output configured to be coupled to an optical communications line, and a passive optical loopback module coupled to the input and configured to receive optical signals from the input/output, the loopback module being further configured to reflect incoming signals of a test wavelength to the input/output.

Passive optical loopback

An apparatus for writing optical information, consisting of a stream of at least one of a plurality of characters, in photosensitive transparent medium, comprising: illuminating means for generating a first light beam for carrying encoded optical patterns and a second light beam for serving as a reference beam; optical encoding means for encoding the first light beam so as to carry optical signal comprising patterns corresponding to said stream of at least one of a plurality of characters and for encoding the second light beam so as to carry a reference optical signal; and directing means for directing said first beam and second beam substantially in counter-propagating directions and focusing them at a predetermined location within the medium so as to form a focal waist within said medium enabling interference between the two beams at a predetermined location within the medium, whereby the first encoded light beam and the second reference beam meet within the medium producing a distinct interference pattern corresponding to said at least one of a plurality of characters and locally changing at least one of the optical characteristics of the medium at that location thus causing distinct inhomogeneities in the medium.

Apparatus and method for 3-D storage of information and its retrieval

An apparatus (10) and method for testing the continuity of two optical fibers (12, 14) nonsimultaneously utilizing a single optical path. Two test light beams from a dual hybrid laser (30) are collimated and directed down a single optical path time-sequentially. The two light beams are linearly polarized in orthogonal planes. A quarter wave plate (42) converts the linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light, and an optical sequencer (22) directs the circularly polarized beams to a plurality of desired optical paths, each path comprising one or two optical fibers (12, 14). A second quarter wave plate (50) converts the circularly polarized light back into linearly polarized light, and a polarizing beamsplitter (24) reflects one of the beams and transmits the other. The two beams then enter the optical fibers (12, 14), where they are reflected by dichroic mirrors (26, 28) at the opposite end of the fibers (12, 14). The reflected beams retrace the original optical paths until they are reflected by a beamsplitter (38) which directs the beams onto a photodetector (58 ). The intensity of the light pulse detected by the photodetector (58) will indicate the continuity of the fibers (12, 14). Using this invention, measurements of the continuity of the two fibers (12, 14) can be made separately, resulting in increased sensitivity over methods which measure the two fibers (12, 14) simultaneously.

Dennis Rose

Papers

Separation of simultaneous events in a laser firing unit using a polarization technique