Tapered fiber bundles for coupling light into and out of cladding-pumped fiber devices
US5864644A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 21, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jan 26, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 21, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S3/06708
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
In accordance with the invention, light is coupled from a plurality of semiconductor emitters to a cladding-pumped fiber via tapered fiber bundles fusion spliced to the cladding-pumped fiber. Individual semiconductor broad stripe emitters can be coupled to individual multimode fibers. The individual fibers can be bundled together in a close-packed formation, heated to melting temperature, drawn into a taper and then fusion spliced to the cladding-pumped fiber. Advantageously, the taper is then overcoated with cladding material such as low index polymer. In addition, a fiber containing a single-mode core can be included in the fiber bundle. This single-mode core can be used to couple light into or out of the single-mode core of the cladding-pumped fiber.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.