Apparatus for injecting high power laser light into a fiber optic cable
AssigneeSandia Corporation
InventorWilliam C. Sweatt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
High intensity laser light is evenly injected into an optical fiber by the combination of a converging lens and a multisegment kinoform (binary optical element). The segments preferably have multi-order gratings on each which are aligned parallel to a radial line emanating from the center of the kinoform and pass through the center of the element. The grating in each segment causes circumferential (lateral) dispersion of the light, thereby avoiding detrimental concentration of light energy within the optical fiber.
Claims12
Apparatus for injecting light into an input face of an optical fiber comprising:
- a converging lens, and
- a multisegment kinoform wherein the BOE grating on each segment is aligned parallel to a radial line emanating from the center of the kinoform and passing through that segment with the grating adapted to cause circumferential dispersion to the light transmitted from the segment to the input face of the fiber, the combination of the lens and the kinoform being aligned between the source of the light and the fiber.
Apparatus for injecting light into an input face of an optical fiber comprising:
- a converging lens, and
- a multisegment kinoform wherein the BOE grating on each segment is a multi-order grating aligned parallel to a radial line emanating from the center of the kinoform and passing through that segment with the grating adapted to cause circumferential dispersion to the light transmitted from the segment to the input face of the fiber, the combination of the lens and the kinoform being aligned between the source of the light and the fiber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.