BOZEMAN, MT, May 7 -- Aerospace technology originally developed by NASA for remote sensing of Earth's atmosphere has been licensed to a Montana company to increase the reliability of lasers. Uses include medical applications, product fabrication, and detection of gas leaks.

NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, has licensed the technology to Big Sky Laser Technologies, Inc., of Bozeman, MT. The patented laser protection circuit is entitled "Method and apparatus for detection and control of prelasing in a Q-switched laser."

Big Sky Laser has already begun modifying its CFR 800 line of miniaturized lasers with the NASA technology. According to the company, the CFR 800 is performs well in real-world applications because it is compact, rugged, and offers turnkey operation. Big Sky Laser has been marketing the CFR 800, which is about 1/8th the size of comparable systems, for a wide range of applications. These include LIDAR, remote sensing, eyesafe illumination, ablation, laser marking, and laser splitting of molecules for observation of light emission. The CFR 800 is designed to deliver 800 mJ energy per pulse at 1064 nm and is ruggedized for reliable field operations.

"With laser heads up to 90 percent smaller and 75 percent lighter than scientific lasers, the CFR series allows users to take lasers where they could not go before," said Ed Teppo, president of Big Sky Laser.

The NASA agreement will allow Big Sky Laser to offer a new level of protection against undesired prelasing, which can severely damage optical components. Prelasing occurs when uncontrolled laser energy leaks from a laser cavity prematurely; it is sometimes caused by unexpected reflections from the target back into the device. NASA's laser-protection circuit can detect such prelasing and terminate operation before damage to the laser occurs.

When engineers at Big Sky Laser determined that NASA Langley's laser-protection circuit technology would benefit their product lines, they contacted NASA-MSU TechLink, a technology transfer and commercialization partnership between NASA and Montana State University. TechLink provided contacts with the relevant personnel at Langley. As a result, Big Sky Laser applied for a non-exclusive license to practice Langley's U.S. Patent No. 5355383 for the company's CFR-800 laser unit. TechLink continues to assist Big Sky Lasers in commercial development and incorporation of the technology into other company products.

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