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US 12,066,673 B2Granted
Optical fiber structures and methods for beam shaping
AssigneePanasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
InventorsWang-Long Zhou, Francisco Villarreal-Saucedo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In various embodiments, optical fibers have arrangements of core, annular core, and cladding regions enabling variation of beam shape and/or beam parameter product and may be utilized for the processing (e.g., welding, cutting, drilling, etc.) of various workpieces.
Claims43
A method of processing a workpiece with a laser beam, the method comprising:
- providing an optical fiber having an input end and an output end opposite the input end, wherein the optical fiber comprises (i) a center core having a first refractive index, (ii) surrounding the center core, a first cladding having a second refractive index smaller than the first refractive index, (iii) surrounding the first cladding, an annular core, and (iv) surrounding the annular core, a second cladding having a third refractive index smaller than the first refractive index, wherein the annular core comprises (a) a first region having a fourth refractive index greater than the second refractive index and smaller than the first refractive index, (b) a second region having a fifth refractive index greater than the second refractive index, and (c) a third region, disposed between the first and second regions, having a sixth refractive index smaller than the fourth and fifth refractive indices;
- disposing a workpiece proximate the output end of the optical fiber;
- determining at least one of a beam parameter product or a numerical aperture for processing of the workpiece based at least in part on at least one of (i) a type of processing to be performed on the workpiece, (ii) a property of the workpiece, or (iii) a processing path along which the workpiece is to be processed;
- directing a laser beam onto one or more in-coupling locations on the input end of the optical fiber to select the at least one of the beam parameter product or the numerical aperture of the laser beam emitted from the output end of the optical fiber;
- and
- processing the workpiece with the laser beam emitted from the output end of the optical fiber.
3 more elements
A method of processing a workpiece with a laser beam, the method comprising:
- providing an optical fiber having an input end and an output end opposite the input end, wherein the optical fiber comprises (i) a center core having a first refractive index, (ii) surrounding the center core, a first cladding having a second refractive index smaller than the first refractive index, (iii) surrounding the first cladding, an annular core, and (iv) surrounding the annular core, a second cladding having a third refractive index smaller than the first refractive index, wherein the annular core comprises (a) a first region having a fourth refractive index greater than the second refractive index, (b) a second region having a fifth refractive index greater than the second refractive index and greater than the fourth refractive index, and (c) a third region, disposed between the first and second regions, having a sixth refractive index smaller than the fourth and fifth refractive indices;
- disposing a workpiece proximate the output end of the optical fiber;
- determining at least one of a beam parameter product or a numerical aperture for processing of the workpiece based at least in part on at least one of (i) a type of processing to be performed on the workpiece, (ii) a property of the workpiece, or (iii) a processing path along which the workpiece is to be processed;
- directing a laser beam onto one or more in-coupling locations on the input end of the optical fiber to select the at least one of the beam parameter product or the numerical aperture of the laser beam emitted from the output end of the optical fiber;
- and
- processing the workpiece with the laser beam emitted from the output end of the optical fiber.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.