Patent · US Expired

High energy laser-to-waveguide coupling devices and methods

US4842360A · kind A · utility

34Cited by
10References
33Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 18, 1987
Grant dateJun 27, 1989
Priority date—
Expiry dateJun 18, 2007

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S359/90
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Laser-to-waveguide coupling devices and methods are disclosed employing an aperture, and an imaging lens. The aperture clips the beam edges to flatten the spatial intensity profile, and the lens mirror-images the plane of the aperture onto the waveguide face with appropriate magnification or demagnification to match the input beam dimensions to those of the waveguide. In one preferred embodiment, a first focusing lens is also employed in conjunction with a pinhole aperture and a second imaging lens. The first focusing lens focuses the laser beam onto the aperture and thereby reduces the optical path length. The second imaging lens images the plane of the aperture onto the waveguide.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.