Back to results
US 2017/0363810 A1Published application
Multimode beam combiner
AssigneeOFS Fitel, LLC
InventorsWilliam R. Holland, Cassandra Thalman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An up-taper is applied by a mode adapter to increase a signal mode area prior to tapering and combining.
Claims15
A fiber combining system, comprising:
- (a) mode adapters, each mode adapter comprising:
- (a1) a core, comprising:
- (a1A) a core input end having an input fundamental mode field diameter (MFD);
- and
- (a1B) a core output end having an output fundamental MFD, the output fundamental MFD being larger than the input fundamental MFD;
- (a1C) a mode expander between the core input end and the core output end;
- and
- (a1D) a core index of refraction;
- and
- (a2) a cladding surrounding the core, the cladding comprising a cladding index of refraction, the cladding index of refraction being less than the core index of refraction;
- and
- (b) a combiner, comprising:
- (b1) a combiner input end optically coupled to the adapters' core output ends;
- (b2) a combiner output end;
- and
- (b3) a down-tapered region between the combiner input end and the combiner output end.
13 more elements
A system, comprising:
- a mode adapter comprising a mode expander that progressively increases a mode area of an optical beam as the optical beam travels through the mode expander;
- and
- a combiner optically coupled to the mode adapter, the combiner comprising a down-tapered region that progressively decreases the mode area of the optical beam as the optical beam travels through the down-tapered region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.