Optical Fiber Combiner and Method of Manufacturing Thereof
AssigneeCorelase Oy
InventorArto SALOKATVE
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Abstract
The invention relates to an optical fiber combiner and a method for the manufacture thereof. The combiner has a tapering support preform with a plurality of capillary bores, a plurality of input fibers including a core and a cladding around the core and being arranged in parallel in the capillary bores of a support preform, and an output fiber coupled to the tapered end of the support preform in optical connection with the input fibers. The cladding thickness to core thickness ratio of at least one of the input fibers is decreased at the region of the support preform. The invention provides an optically high quality fiber combiner.
Claims24
An optical fiber combiner comprising:
- a tapering support preform comprising a plurality of capillary bores,
- a plurality of input fibers comprising a core and a cladding around the core and being arranged in parallel in the capillary bores of a support preform, and
- an output fiber coupled to the tapered end of the support preform in optical connection with the input fibers,
- wherein the cladding thickness to core thickness ratio of at least one of the input fibers is decreased at the region of the support preform.
A method for manufacturing an optical coupler for combining radiation from a plurality of input fibers to a single output fiber using a preform supporting the input fibers, the preform comprising a plurality of capillary bores, the method comprising
- providing a plurality of input fibers having a core and a cladding around the core,
- inserting the input fibers into the capillary bores, and
- optically connecting ends of the input fibers within the support preform to the output fiber,
- wherein cladding material in removed from at least one of the input fibers in order to reduce its thickness before inserting the input fiber into a capillary bore.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.