Claddings for single crystal optical fibers and devices and methods and apparatus for making such claddings

US5037181A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University · US

Inventors

• Robert L. Byer · Stanford, US
• Cordova Amado · Calabasas, US
• Michael J. F. Digonnet · Palo Alto, US
• Martin M. Fejer · Menlo Park, US
• Celestino John Gaeta · Carlsbad, US
• Herbert J. Shaw · Stanford, US
• Shoichi Sudo · Tokyo, JP

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 25, 1988
• Grant date: Aug 6, 1991
• Expiry date: Apr 25, 2008

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01S3/06708
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are shown for cladding grown single crystal optical fibers. Neodymium YAG fibers are clad with a high index glass, either melted around the fiber in a trough or extruded over the fiber surface. Lithium niobate fibers are clad through an impregnation process. The lithium niobate fiber is first coated with magnesium oxide and then heated to a temperature and for a time sufficient for the magnesium oxide dopant material to diffuse into the fiber. The dopant lowers the intrinsic refractive indices of the fiber material around its circumference, creating a cladding region around the fiber core. Single crystal fibers clad by these methods and combined with suitable pumping means or with deposited electrodes provide low-loss single mode optical components useful for amplification, electro-optical effects and acousto-optical effects.