SPECIAL NOTICE
A -- TECHNOLOGY/BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY System to Prevent Laser Malfunction (Spectral Sentry) - Technical Article
- Notice Date
- 10/7/2009
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 238990
— All Other Specialty Trade Contractors
- Contracting Office
- Department of Energy, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (DOE Contractor), Industrial Partnerships & Commercialization, 7000 East Avenue, L-795, Livermore, California, 94550
- ZIP Code
- 94550
- Solicitation Number
- FBO216-09
- Archive Date
- 11/7/2009
- Point of Contact
- Connie L Pitcock, Phone: 925-422-1072
- E-Mail Address
-
pitcock1@llnl.gov
(pitcock1@llnl.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Science & Technology Review (S&TR) Article "Light-Speed Spectral Analysis" TECHNOLOGY/BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY System to Prevent Laser Malfunction (Spectral Sentry) Opportunity : Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), operated by the Lawrence Livermore National Security (LLNS), LLC under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is offering the opportunity to license and commercialize a system to prevent laser malfunction (and prevent the resulting damage to the laser system that results from a malfunction). LLNL calls this the "Spectral Sentry" system. Background : Modern high power lasers are "narrow bandwidth", which means that they provide output light which has a narrow range of frequencies. The initial seed pulses for these lasers are amplified trillions of times, to extreme levels that push laser materials to their physical limits. At upper thresholds, this laser energy can cause conditions that create intense shock waves, damaging expensive optical elements and ruining experiments by distorting pulses or scattering valuable laser light. Modern laser designs often add bandwidth to the initial single-color laser pulses, which eliminates narrow bandwidth amplification. However, once a laser system is designed this way, catastrophic damage can occur to the laser system if even a single pulse is generated without sufficient bandwidth. Description : LLNL has designed an optical system to prevent laser malfunction due to improperly formed laser pulses with insufficient bandwidth. LLNL calls this system the "Spectral Sentry". This system protects high-intensity lasers from potentially damaging pulses by determining if laser pulses have a minimum amount of bandwidth before they are amplified. Spectral Sentry can analyze a single laser pulse travelling at 186,000 miles per second (the speed of light) and stop that one pulse if it does not contain sufficient bandwidth (if it is not properly formed). Advantages : The Spectral Sentry can operate with high speed and reliability on many different types of lasers. It can prevent major damage and ensure "up-time" for the laser system which employs it. Potential Applications : The Spectral Sentry system is potentially applicable to many different types of lasers, including solid state and fiber lasers. Development Status: Researchers have demonstrated this technology, and LLNL has filed a Provisional Patent Application. In particular, this system is used in LLNL's Mercury laser, which is an advanced diode-pumped, solid-state laser designed for evaluating inertial fusion energy systems (for future updated versions of NIF (National Ignition Facility)). Mercury is currently the highest-average-power, 10-Hz, diode-pumped solid-state laser in the world, and has operated over 300,000 shots at an energy over 50 Joules per pulse. In addition, this technology won an R&D 100 award recently (2009). See attached S&TR article, "Light Speed Spectral Analysis". 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/?q=resources-industry-working_with_us 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 system to prevent laser malfunction (Spectral Sentry) should provide a 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 facilities relevant to commercializing this technology. Written responses should be directed to: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Industrial Partnerships Office P.O. Box 808, L-795 Livermore, CA 94551-0808 Attention: FBO 216-09 Please provide your written statement within thirty (30) days from the date this announcement is published to ensure consideration of your interest in LLNL's system to prevent laser malfunction (Spectral Sentry).
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOE/LLNL/LL/FBO216-09/listing.html)
- Record
- SN01981783-W 20091009/091007235845-a8ffe5baebcaf6f66089f2d2f350ff11 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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