Patent US4917087A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0105706A2
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EP
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Flexible dielectric waveguide for high efficiency middle IR wavelength transmission
Assignee: LAAKMANN ELECTRO-OPTICS Inc
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Filing: 1983-09-28
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2003-09-28
Abstract
Abstract @ A flexible cylindrical cable enclosing an optical waveguide for the transmission of infrared laser light by means of a multiplicity of elongated solid rods disposed in a liquid medium. Both the material for the rods and the liquid medium are dielectrics selected for their ability to efficiently transmit infrared energy at a wavelength of 10.6 micrometers. Losses at the interface between the solid rods and the liquid medium are minimized by matching the respective materials' indices of refraction. In a preferred embodiment the rods are fabricated from ZnSe, the liquid is CS 2 and the outer diameter of the cable is sufficiently small to permit passage through the human throat.
Inventors
- 👤 Katherine Dexter Laakmann
- 👤 Peter Laakmann
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 17:06
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B18/00; A61B18/18; A61B18/20; A61B18/22; G; G02; G02B; G02B3/00; G02B3/12; G02B6/00; G02B6/10; G02B6/102; A61B2018/206; A61B2018/2205; A61B2018/2222; A61B2018/2233; A61B2018/2244
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
143 words
A dielectric waveguide for use with a C0 2 laser to transmit infrared light at a prescribed wavelength of 10.6 p m, which comprises: a) a flexible cylindrical sleeve having an outer diameter not substantially greater than 2 millimeters; b) an infrared transmissive liquid disposed within said sleeve and having a first refractive index, said liquid having a transmission loss of infrared energy at the prescribed wavelength not substantially greater than 10.0 percent per millimeter; and c) a plurality of elongated solid rods having a second refractive index and disposed within said sleeve in a closely packed arrangement allowing for some motion within said liquid, said rods having a transmission loss of infrared energy at the prescribed wavelength no more than 0.5 percent per centimeter of length, said second refractive index at the prescribed wavelength being no less than said first refractive index.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
143 words
A dielectric waveguide for use with a C0 2 laser to transmit infrared light at a prescribed wavelength of 10.6 p m, which comprises: a) a flexible cylindrical sleeve having an outer diameter not substantially greater than 2 millimeters; b) an infrared transmissive liquid disposed within said sleeve and having a first refractive index, said liquid having a transmission loss of infrared energy at the prescribed wavelength not substantially greater than 10.0 percent per millimeter; and c) a plurality of elongated solid rods having a second refractive index and disposed within said sleeve in a closely packed arrangement allowing for some motion within said liquid, said rods having a transmission loss of infrared energy at the prescribed wavelength no more than 0.5 percent per centimeter of length, said second refractive index at the prescribed wavelength being no less than said first refractive index.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
41 words
A dielectric waveguide according to claim 1 wherein said second index of refraction is higher than said first index of refraction and further comprising means for providing for close to zero reflection of infrared light between said liquid and said rods.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
37 words
A dielectric waveguide according to claim 2 wherein said solid rods are coated with a material having a third index of refraction which is approximately the square root of the product of the first and second indices.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
A dielectric waveguide according to claim 1 wherein said infrared transmissive liquid comprises a mixture of two misable components of different refractive indices and combined in such proportion that their combined refractive index matches that of the elongated solid rods.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
28 words
A dielectric waveguide according to claim 4 wherein said rods are of CsI and the infrared transmissive liquid comprises a mixture of CSe 2 and CS 2 .
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
A dielectric waveguide according to any of claims 1 to 3 wherein said flexible cylindrical sleeve surrounds a substantially non-hygroscopic dielectric core.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
14 words
A dielectric waveguide according to claim 6 wherein said solid rods are of ZnSe.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
23 words
A dielectric waveguide according to claim 7 wherein said infrared transmissive liquid is CS 2 , ether, GeCl 4 , or molten selenium.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
24 words
A dielectric waveguide according to any of claims 1 to 8 wherein a meter length section of said waveguide may be deflected 90 degrees.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
19 words
A dielectric waveguide according to any of claims 1 to 9 wherein said infrared transmissive liquid is relatively non-toxic.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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