Hollow lensing duct

US6160934A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• The Regents of the University of California · US

Inventors

• Raymond J. Beach · Livermore, US
• Eric C. Honea · Seattle, US
• Camille Bibeau · Dublin, US
• Scott C. Mitchell · Tracy, US
• John Lang · Pittsburgh, US
• Dennis Maderas · Pleasanton, US
• Joel Speth · San Ramon, US
• Stephen A. Payne · Castro Valley, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 29, 1998
• Grant date: Dec 12, 2000
• Expiry date: Oct 29, 2018

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02B6/4206
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A hollow lensing duct to condense (intensify) light using a combination of focusing using a spherical or cylindrical lens followed by reflective waveguiding. The hollow duct tapers down from a wide input side to a narrow output side, with the input side consisting of a lens that may be coated with an antireflective coating for more efficient transmission into the duct. The inside surfaces of the hollow lens duct are appropriately coated to be reflective, preventing light from escaping by reflection as it travels along the duct (reflective waveguiding). The hollow duct has various applications for intensifying light, such as in the coupling of diode array pump light to solid state lasing materials.