Laser light source and image display based on quasi-phasematched nonlinear optical devices

US6480325B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University · US

Inventors

• Robert G. Batchko · San Francisco, US
• Robert L. Byer · Stanford, US
• Uwe Bader · Tuttlingen, DE
• Jan-Peter Meyn · Kaiserslautern, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: May 25, 2000
• Grant date: Nov 12, 2002
• Expiry date: May 25, 2020

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01S3/109
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An apparatus for generating three or more optical signals. The apparatus generally comprises a coherent source, an optical parametric generation device and a sum frequency generator. The coherent source generates a first optical signal having a first free-space wavelength. The optical parametric generation device interacts the first optical signal to produce an idler signal and a second optical signal having a second free-space wavelength while transmitting a portion of the first optical signal to the sum frequency generator. The sum frequency generator non-linearly combines part of the second portion of the first optical signal with the idler signal to produce a third optical signal characterized by a third free-space wavelength. The first, second, and third optical signals may comprise collinear red green and blue beams that may be modulated and scanned to produce an image. Furthermore, the optical parametric generation device and the sum frequency generator may be fabricated as a single monolithic device.