Sandia desires to license its patent "Variable Focal Length Deformable Mirror" (US 7,229,178) to companies that are positioned to develop this technology into a market-ready product. The technology is used to correct for distortions in laser beams by using pressure to deform a single mirror to change the convexity or concavity of the reflecting surface. It offers a viable way to correct for low order beam distortions (focus or de-focus) and can serve as an alternative to more expensive adaptive optics systems, which correct for higher order aberrations. The technology has been implemented internally in Sandia's Z-Beamlet and Z-Petawatt Laser http://www.z-beamlet.sandia.gov/research/optics.html

The focal length of the deformable mirror is variable from many meters to a few cm and can be used in any application requiring the focusing or de-focusing of light, including both coherent and incoherent sources, for both on- and off-axis focusing. The technology has been featured in the world news section of Laser Focus World, vol. 43(2) as well as several peer reviewed papers, e.g. Applied Physics B, vol. 82, pp. 275-281, 2006.

Sandia is making the technology available to companies interested in licensing or participating in a cooperative research and development agreement to advance a specific application. For consideration, please contact Jack Euske, ph (925) 294-2646, [email protected] by email no later than June 30, 2010

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