Superluminescent optical source
AssigneeGeneral Instrument Corporation
InventorDavid R. Huber
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical source particularly suitable as a pump is provided. A gain medium such as a thulium doped fiber has an input end and an output end. The input end is optically coupled to a reflector to cause spontaneous emissions within a predetermined band exiting the input of the gain medium to be reflected back into the medium. Spontaneous emissions outside of the predetermined band are lost. An optical isolator can be provided to prevent the optical source from lasing, resulting in a moderate bandwidth optical pump. A cascaded embodiment is disclosed, in which the gain medium is followed by an optical amplifier for increased power.
Claims20
An optical source comprising:
- a thulium doped optical fiber having an input end and an output end;
- means for pumping said doped fiber to cause spontaneous emission therein for output from said output end;
- reflector means for selectively reflecting light over a limited bandwidth encompassing a desired wavelength of said spontaneous emission;
- and
- means for optically coupling the input end of said doped fiber to said reflector means to reflect spontaneous emissions within said limited bandwidth exiting the input end of said doped fiber back into said doped fiber for output from said output end, without reflecting light outside of said bandwidth back into said doped fiber.
An optical source in accordance with claim further comprising:
- optical isolator means coupled to the output end of said doped fiber for preventing the fiber from lasing.
An optical source comprising:
- a doped optical fiber having an input end and an output end;
- means for pumping said doped fiber to cause spontaneous emission therein for output from said output end, said spontaneous emission having a bandwidth .beta.;
- reflector means for selectively reflecting light over a limited bandwidth encompassing a desired wavelength of said spontaneous emission, said limited bandwidth being no more than about ten percent of the bandwidth .ANG.;
- and
- means for optically coupling the input end of said doped fiber to said reflector means to reflect spontaneous emissions within said limited bandwidth exiting the input end of said doped fiber back into said doped fiber for output from said output end, without reflecting light outside of said bandwidth back into said doped fiber.
An optical source comprising:
- a doped optical fiber having an input end and an output end;
- means for pumping said doped fiber to cause spontaneous emission therein for output from said output end;
- reflector means for selectively reflecting light over a limited bandwidth encompassing a desired wavelength of said spontaneous emission;
- means for optically coupling the input end of said doped fiber to said reflector means to reflect spontaneous emissions within said limited bandwidth exiting the input end of said doped fiber back into said doped fiber for output from said output end, without reflecting light outside of said bandwidth back into said doped fiber;
- and
- an optical amplifier coupled to the output end of said doped fiber for increasing the power provided by said optical source.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.