High power fiber laser system
AssigneeTextron Systems Corporation
InventorJason Edward Langseth
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A tapered fiber bundle device couples optical power from an optical power source into an output fiber. The tapered fiber bundle device includes a tapered fiber bundle including a set of bundled fibers having a near end and a distal end. The near end of the tapered fiber bundle is configured to collect the optical power from the optical power source. Each fiber k in the set of bundled fibers has a first cross-sectional area Ak(1) at the near end and a second cross-sectional area Ak(2) at the distal end such that Ak(2) is substantially smaller than Ak(1). Each fiber also has a substantially uniform core and a substantially uniform numerical aperture value NAin. A cross-sectional area of the set of bundled fibers at the distal end has a cross-sectional area value Adist substantially equal to Aout.
Claims10
A system configured to transform an input optical beam having an input wavelength, an input brightness, and an input optical power into an output optical beam, the output optical beam having an output wavelength distinct from the input wavelength, the system comprising:
- an optical power device configured to provide the input optical beam;
- an output fiber device including an output fiber, the output fiber device configured to transform a pump optical signal having an intermediate wavelength into the output optical signal, the output fiber having a cross-sectional area value Aout and a numerical aperture value NAout;
- a set of input fiber devices configured to receive the input optical beam and to generate a pump optical beam therefrom, the input fiber devices including respective input fibers having respective first cross-sectional areas Ak(1), the input fibers having respective cores for carrying the pump optical beam;
- and
- a tapered fiber bundle including a set of bundled fibers at a near end and an output at a distal end, the near end of the tapered fiber bundle configured to collect the pump optical beam from the input fibers and to provide the pump optical signal to the output fiber, each fiber k in the set of bundled fibers:
- being optically coupled to a corresponding one of the input fibers;
- having a respective core aligned with and substantially the same diameter as the core of the input fiber to which the fiber k is coupled;
- and
- having a second cross-sectional area Ak(2) substantially smaller than Ak(1);
- a cross-sectional area of the output of the tapered fiber bundle having a cross-sectional area value Adist substantially equal to Aout.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.