High-brightness combiner with shaped capillary
AssigneeLumentum Operations LLC
InventorsRichard D. Faulhaber, Martin H. Muendel, Jeff Gregg
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Abstract
In some implementations, a high-brightness combiner comprises a fiber bundle that comprises a plurality of optical fibers associated with a packing geometry that defines a shape of an outer periphery of the fiber bundle. The high-brightness combiner further comprises a capillary structure, comprising a glass enclosure surrounding the fiber bundle, wherein the capillary structure includes an outer periphery, and an inner periphery with a shape that corresponds to the shape of the outer periphery of the fiber bundle.
Claims20
A high-brightness combiner, comprising:
- a fiber bundle that comprises a plurality of optical fibers associated with a packing geometry that defines a shape of an outer periphery of the fiber bundle;
- and
- a capillary structure, comprising a glass enclosure surrounding the fiber bundle, wherein the capillary structure includes:
- an outer periphery, and
- an inner periphery with a shape that corresponds to the shape of the outer periphery of the fiber bundle,
- wherein the inner periphery is hollow within the shape that corresponds to the shape of the outer periphery of the fiber bundle.
A shaped capillary, comprising:
- a glass enclosure to surround a fiber bundle that comprises a plurality of optical fibers associated with a packing geometry that defines a shape of an outer periphery of the fiber bundle, wherein the glass enclosure comprises:
- an outer periphery, and
- an inner periphery with a shape that corresponds to the shape of the outer periphery of the fiber bundle,
- wherein the inner periphery is hollow within the shape that corresponds to the shape of the outer periphery of the fiber bundle.
A method for fabricating a high-brightness combiner, comprising:
- loading, into a capillary structure, a plurality of optical fibers associated with a packing geometry that defines a shape of an outer periphery of a fiber bundle that includes the plurality of optical fibers, wherein the capillary structure is a glass enclosure, surrounding the fiber bundle, that includes:
- an outer periphery, and
- an inner periphery with a shape that corresponds to the shape of the outer periphery of the fiber bundle,
- wherein the inner periphery is hollow within the shape that corresponds to the shape of the outer periphery of the fiber bundle;
- tapering the capillary structure while a heat source is applied along a length of the outer periphery of the capillary structure;
- and
- cleaving the tapered capillary structure at a waist.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.