Appeal No. 1998-0181
Application NO. 08/566,222
said method comprising a step of providing plural
localized imperfection regions in said mirror means, each
imperfection region causing light interacting therewith to be
attenuated or shifted in phase relative to light that does not
interact with said imperfection region to induce filamentation
adjacent thereto.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein said step of providing plural
localized regions includes a step of forming localized regions
of different refractive index in said mirror means.
The reference relied upon by the examiner is:
Kapon et al. (Kapon) 5,086,430 Feb. 4, 1992
Claims 4 and 5 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102 as
anticipated by Kapon.
The respective positions of the examiner and the appellants with
regard to the propriety of this rejection are set forth in the
examiner’s answer (Paper No. 21) and the appellants’ brief (Paper No.
20).
Appellants’ Invention
The SEL is illustrated in Figure 3. The invention introduces
imperfections 151, 152 in the coherent reflection of light at the top
boundary of the SEL. The imperfections may be generated by removing
small areas of electrode 122. When the laser is energized at
electrodes 122 and 127, lasing filaments form preferentially in the
areas adjacent to such imperfections.
The Prior Art
In Figure 1, Kapon discloses an SEL having imperfections between
adjacent pieces of four-piece electrode 28. Material 30 of lower
2
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