TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OPPORTUNITY - Increased Efficiency Nonlinear Optical Interactions: LAR-17709-1

NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA solicits inquiries from companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture and market the following technology. License rights may be issued on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use. NASA provides no funding in conjunction with these potential licenses. THE TECHNOLOGY: Scientists at NASA Langley Research Center have developed a method to introduce a passive optical element to improve the efficiency of nonlinear optics. The additional optical element is used to compensate for the temporal and lateral separation of pulses commonly caused by a nonlinear crystal. These separations result in significant loss of efficiency in the nonlinear interaction. By choosing an appropriate optical element for a system, both spatial and temporal separation problems can be addressed by altering the pulses before they reach the nonlinear crystal. Decreased separation for both lateral and temporal components of a pulse maximizes pulse overlap inside the crystal, rather than the input, to maximize interaction efficiency. The optical element is designed so that the pulses completely overlap in the center of the nonlinear crystal, resulting in optimized efficiency of the nonlinear interaction. This technique has been demonstrated with an Yttrium Orthovanadate (YV04) passive element and a KTP (potassium titanyl phosphate) crystal for second harmonic generation, but the concept can be applied to any nonlinear optical interaction where two input beams have different polarizations. Although second harmonic generation is most common, this method can be used with third and fourth harmonic generation as well. In addition, although KTP nonlinear crystals are commonly used, this method could be applied to other crystal types as well. NASA is seeking to license this technology commercially. US Patent 7,912,101. To express interest in this opportunity, please respond to [email protected] with the title of this Technology Transfer Opportunity as listed in this FBO notice and your preferred contact information. Please also provide the nature of your interest in the technology along with a brief background of your company. For more information about licensing other NASA-developed technologies, please visit the NASA Technology Transfer Portal at http://technology.nasa.gov/. These responses are provided to members of NASA Langley's Office of Strategic Analysis and Business Development "OSACB" for the purpose of promoting public awareness of NASA-developed technology products, and conducting preliminary market research to determine public interest in and potential for future licensing opportunities. If direct licensing interest results from this posting, OSACB will follow the required formal licensing process of posting in the Federal Register. No follow-on procurement is expected to result from responses to this Notice.