US4951297A
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Chemical process yielding stimulated emission of visible radiation via fast near resonant energy transfer
Assignee: Georgia Tech Research Corp
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Filing: 1989-01-12
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Granted: 1990-08-21
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Expires: 2009-01-12
Abstract
Abstract A chemical process yielding stimulated emission of visible radiation via fast rear resonant intermolecular energy transfer comprising the steps of reacting a first metal or semimetal vapor with a reactant to produce a metastable excited state reaction product and transferring energy stored in the metastable excited state of the reaction product to a second metal or semimetal vapor by means of near resonant energy transfer to form electronically excited receptor atoms in a population inversion relative to a lower level of excitation of the receptor atoms. In the preferred form of the process, the first metal or semimetal vapor is a group IIIA or IVA element. The second metal or semimetal vapor is of a group IIA or IVA element and the reactant is either ozone, nitrogen oxide, nitrogen dioxide or a halide.
Inventors
- 👤 James L. Gole
- 👤 James R. Woodward
- 👤 Stephen H. Cobb
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 03:36
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01S; H01S3/00; H01S3/09; H01S3/095
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 30
Claim 1
Independent Claim
214 words
A chemical process yielding stimulated emission of visible radiation via fast near resonant intermolecular energy transfer comprising the steps of: (a) providing a first source of vapor selected from the group consisting of metal and semimetal vapor to be reacted with an appropriate reactant to produce a metastable excited state reaction product which serves as an energy storage medium; (b) providing a second source of atomic vapor selected from the group consisting of metal and semimetal vapor to serve as receptor atoms to receive the energy from said metastable excited state of the reaction product; (c) providing a source of reactant to react with the first source of vapor generating a highly exothermic reaction which liberates energy exceeding 2.5 EV; said reactant being selected from the group consisting of ozone, nitrogen oxide, nitrogen dioxide, and halides; (d) chemically reacting the reactant and the first source of vapor to form metastable states of a final oxide or halide reaction product; and (e) transferring energy stored in the metastable states of the oxide or halide reaction product to the second source of atomic vapor serving as receptor atoms by means of near resonant energy transfer to form electronically excited receptor atoms in a population inversion relative to a lower level of excitation of said receptor atoms.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
214 words
A chemical process yielding stimulated emission of visible radiation via fast near resonant intermolecular energy transfer comprising the steps of: (a) providing a first source of vapor selected from the group consisting of metal and semimetal vapor to be reacted with an appropriate reactant to produce a metastable excited state reaction product which serves as an energy storage medium; (b) providing a second source of atomic vapor selected from the group consisting of metal and semimetal vapor to serve as receptor atoms to receive the energy from said metastable excited state of the reaction product; (c) providing a source of reactant to react with the first source of vapor generating a highly exothermic reaction which liberates energy exceeding 2.5 EV; said reactant being selected from the group consisting of ozone, nitrogen oxide, nitrogen dioxide, and halides; (d) chemically reacting the reactant and the first source of vapor to form metastable states of a final oxide or halide reaction product; and (e) transferring energy stored in the metastable states of the oxide or halide reaction product to the second source of atomic vapor serving as receptor atoms by means of near resonant energy transfer to form electronically excited receptor atoms in a population inversion relative to a lower level of excitation of said receptor atoms.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
A process as defined in claim 1 wherein the receptor atoms are non-reactive with the selected reactant.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
39 words
A process as defined in claim 1 wherein the receptor atoms are selected from the group consisting of atoms capable of receiving gas kinetic or greater near resonant energy transfer from the metastable states of the oxide or halide.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
A process as defined in claim 1 wherein the receptor atoms are selected from the group consisting of thallium, gallium, indium, lead, tin, alkali, and alkaline earth metals, scandium, vanadium, iron, nickel, yttrium, titanium, chromium, barium and strontium.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
23 words
A process as defined in claim 1 wherein said first source of vapor is selected from the group consisting of germanium and silicon.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
A process as defined in claim 1 wherein said first source of vapor is silicon and the reactant is selected from the group consisting of nitrogen oxide and nitrogen dioxide.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
A process as defined in claim 1 wherein said first source of vapor is silicon and the reactant is nitrogen dioxide.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
A process as defined in claim 1 wherein said first source of vapor is germanium and the reactant is ozone.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
A process as defined in claim 1 wherein said first source of vapor is selected from the group consisting of scandium, yttrium, and lanthanum and the reactant is a halogen.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
43 words
A process as defined in claim 1 wherein step (a) includes first providing a source of a first element selected from the group consisting of metals and semimetals and heating said first element to form the first source of vapor to be reacted.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
27 words
A process as defined in claim 10, wherein said first element is heated to a temperature producing a vapor pressure of approximately 10 -1 to 2 Torr.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
45 words
A process as defined in claim 1 wherein step (b) includes first providing a source of a second element selected from the group consisting of metals and semimetals and heating said second element to form said second source of vapor to serve as receptor atoms.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
26 words
A process as defined in claim 11, wherein said second element is heated to a temperature producing approximately a 10 -1 to 10 Torr vapor pressure.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
18 words
A process as defined in claim 1, wherein said first source of vapor is provided from precursor compounds.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
14 words
A process as defined in claim 14, wherein said precursor compounds are highly volatile.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
25 words
A process as defined in claim 15, wherein said precursor compounds are selected from the group consisting of metal and semimetal hydrides and methyl compounds.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
21 words
A process as defined in claim 14, wherein the precursor compounds are selected from the group consisting of silanes and germanes.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
21 words
A process as defined in claim 1, wherein the receptor atoms are selected from the group consisting of Group IIIA elements.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
21 words
A process as defined in claim 1, wherein the receptor atoms are selected from the group consisting of Group IA elements.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
21 words
A process as defined in claim 1, wherein the receptor atoms are selected from the group consisting of Group IIA elements.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
25 words
A process as defined in claim 1, wherein the first source of vapor is selected from the group consisting of Group IIIB and IVA elements.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
29 words
A process as defined in claim 1, wherein the first source of vapor is elemental germanium, the second source of vapor is elemental thallium and the reactant is ozone.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
30 words
A process as defined in claim 1, wherein the first source of vapor is elemental silicon, the second source of vapor is elemental lead and the reactant is nitrogen dioxide.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
54 words
A process as defined in claim 1, wherein the transfer of energy of step (e) from the metastable states of the oxide or halide reaction product to the receptor atoms populates the 2 S 1/2 excited state of the receptor atoms creating a population inversion which subsequently provides the basis for a superfluorescent event.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
36 words
A process as defined in claim 1, wherein the first source of vapor includes a carrier gas, said carrier gas being non-reactive with the first source of vapor, the second source of vapor and the reactant.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
36 words
A process as defined in claim 1, wherein the second source of vapor includes a carrier gas, said carrier gas being non-reactive with the first source of vapor, the second source of vapor and the reactant.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
67 words
A process as defined in claim 1, wherein the second source of vapor is selected from the group consisting of Group IIIA metal elements and the step of transferring energy stored in the metastable states of the oxide to the second source of atomic vapor serving as receptor atoms, includes providing said receptor atoms at a flux ranging from 10 17 to 5×10 20 cm 2 -sec.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
24 words
A process as defined in claim 1, wherein said source of reactant is provided having a vapor pressure of about 1 Torr or less.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
27 words
A process as defined in claim 1, wherein the ratio of the receptor atoms to the oxide or halide reaction product is about 1:1 to about 1.5:1.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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