TECHNOLOGY/BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Optical Amplifier

Opportunity:

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), operated by the Lawrence Livermore National Security (LLNS), LLC under contract no. DE-AC52-07NA27344 (Contract 44) with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is offering the opportunity to enter into a collaboration to further develop and commercialize its Optical Amplifier technology.

Background:

Scaling laser output pulse to high energy levels requires large amounts of energy stored in and extracted from the gain medium. In the current art this is normally achieved by multi-passing the laser beam through the gain medium which requires considerably greater complexity in terms of the optical elements and alignment.

Description:

This invention is an optical amplifier, wherein the gain element is in the form of a frustum and a spherically diverging laser beam is introduced into the gain medium via the small face of the frustum. In one embodiment, the pump beam is generated by one or more chromium-lasers that are counter-propagating, having been introduced through the large face of the frustum. The gain medium may be, for example, comprised of a neodymium-doped crystal, glass or transparent ceramic. The frustum can be circular, square, hexagonal, etc. in shape. The design features a near constant fluence within the gain element, where the divergence of the laser beam (which decreases the fluence) is compensated by a special longitudinal gain profile that adds the desired amount of energy to the extraction beam to maintain approximate constancy of the fluence. As gain media are characterized by a quantity known as the saturation fluence (F-SAT), given by the photon energy divided by the gain cross section, practitioners versed in the art know that the extraction is efficient when the beam has a fluence of about 1.5-2x the value of F-SAT.

Advantages/Benefits: 

• Enables efficient energy extraction at constant fluence (optimally: 1.5-2x the value of F-SAT).
• Enables highest energy levels to be achieved from a laser amplifier without inducing damage.
• Can be optimized to minimize parasitic amplified stimulated emission (ASE) losses and nonlinear distortions.

Potential Applications: 

• Scaling solid-state lasers to higher average powers and energies.

Development Status: 

Current stage of technology development:  TRL 3-4

LLNL has filed for patent protection on this invention.

U.S. Patent Application No. 2023/0283036 Optical Amplifier published 9/7/2023

LLNL is seeking industry partners with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Moving critical technology beyond the Laboratory to the commercial world helps our licensees gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. All licensing activities are conducted under policies relating to the strict nondisclosure of company proprietary information. 

Please visit the IPO website at https://ipo.llnl.gov/resources for more information on working with LLNL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process.

Note:  THIS IS NOT A PROCUREMENT.  Companies interested in commercializing LLNL's Optical Amplifier technology should provide an electronic OR written statement of interest, which includes the following:

1. Company Name and address.
2. The name, address, and telephone number of a point of contact.
3. A description of corporate expertise and/or facilities relevant to commercializing this technology.

Please provide a complete electronic OR written statement to ensure consideration of your interest in LLNL's Optical Amplifier technology.

The subject heading in an email response should include the Notice ID and/or the title of LLNL’s Technology/Business Opportunity and directed to the Primary and Secondary Point of Contacts listed below.

Written responses should be directed to:

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Innovation and Partnerships Office

P.O. Box 808, L-779

Livermore, CA  94551-0808

Attention:   IL-13646