Microstructured Fiber End
OwnerJasbinder S. Sanghera, Catalin M. Florea +4inventors
InventorsJasbinder S. Sanghera, Catalin M. Florea, Ishwar D. Aggarwal, Leslie Brandon Shaw, Lynda E. Busse, Frederic H. Kung
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Abstract
An optical fiber having microstructured terminal end suitable for reducing Fresnel losses. In an exemplary embodiment, the microstructured surface includes a plurality of protrusions, recesses or combinations thereof that effectively and incrementally change the refractive index of the terminal end of the optical fiber such that the refractive index is gradually drawn closer to the refractive index value of the surrounding environmental medium.
Claims21
An optical fiber comprising:
- an elongated body and
- a terminal end having a plurality of microstructures selected from the group consisting of protrusions, recesses and combinations thereof, defined on or in a surface of said terminal end, said optical fiber being capable of transmitting light over at least a portion of an infrared wavelength range.
An optical fiber comprising:
- an elongated body and
- a terminal end having a plurality of microstructures selected from the group consisting of protrusions, recesses and combinations thereof, directly formed on or in a surface of said terminal end to provide an effective incremental change in the refractive index along a length of the microstructures extending from the terminal end to an apex of said microstructure of from about 1 to about 3.
A method for enhancing the transmission of light at the interface of an optical fiber, wherein the method comprises forming a plurality of microstructures directly onto the terminal end of the optical fiber, wherein the microstructures incrementally change the refractive index of the terminal end, drawing it closer to the refractive index of the environmental medium surrounding said terminal end of the optical fiber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.