Optical systems utilizing optical fibers transmitting high power signal and a method of operating such systems
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsDonnell Walton, Ji Wang, Luis Alberto Zenteno, Ming-Jun Li
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical system comprises an optical fiber with gain producing core with an index of refraction n1, surrounded by at least one cladding with an index of refraction n2, said cladding including at least one index reduced area with an index of refraction n2, such that n1>n2>n2, the core propagating signal at a spatial fundamental mode at a signal wavelength λ1 and at a power level sufficient to generate optical power at a wavelength λ2, where λ2>λ1, and the optical fiber has at least one cut-off fundamental spatial mode wavelength λC, and λ1<λC and λ2>λC.
Claims20
An optical system comprising:
- (i) an optical fiber with gain producing core with an index of refraction n1, surrounded by at least one cladding with an index of refraction n2, said cladding including at least one index reduced area with an index of refraction n2, such that n1>n2>n2, said core propagating signal at a spatial fundamental mode at a signal wavelength λ1 and at a power level sufficient to generate optical power at a wavelength λ2, where λ2>λ1, and said optical fiber has at least one cut-off fundamental spatial mode wavelength λC, and λ1<λC and λ2>λC.
A method of operating an optical system, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing optical fiber with (i) gain producing core having an index of refraction n1, (ii) at least one cladding surrounding the core and having an index of refraction n2, the cladding including at least one index reduced area with an index of refraction n2, such that n1>n2>n2, the optical fiber having at least one cut-off fundamental spatial mode wavelength λC;
- (b) optically pumping the core and generating optical gain at a signal wavelength λ1 in the core of the optical fiber, and propagating signal at a spatial fundamental mode at the signal wavelength through said core λ1 at a power level sufficient to generate optical power at a wavelength λ2, where λ2>λ1, and λ2<λC;
- (c) preventing propagation of signal at the fundamental spatial mode at the wavelength λ2, while propagating signal at the fundamental spatial mode at the wavelength λ1, thereby minimizing power loss due to power shift from the signal of wavelength λ1 to signal of wavelength λ2.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.