Tapered optical fiber delivery system for laser diode
AssigneeCoherent, Inc.
InventorsJohn Lawrence Nightingale, Michael Jansen, Ronii Chris Mehl, Michael Hmelar
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An optical fiber delivery system having a semiconductor light source that produces an optical output. A plurality of first optical fibers each has an input end and an output end. The input ends are optically coupled to the semiconductor light source to receive the optical output, and the output ends are bundled together. An optical connector positions the input end of a second fiber, relative to the first fiber output ends, to receive the optical output from the first fibers. Either each of the first fibers, or the second fiber, have a tapered segment with a core and a cladding tapered down smoothly in diameter to reduce the spot size of optical output.
Claims20
An optical fiber delivery system, comprising:
- a semiconductor light source that produces an optical output;
- a first optical fiber having an input end and an output end, said input end positioned to receive the optical output;
- a second optical fiber having an input end and an output end;
- a quick disconnect optical connector that removably butt couples said second fiber input end to said first fiber output end to receive the optical output from said first fiber;
- and
- one of said first and second fibers having a tapered segment with a core and a cladding tapered down smoothly in diameter, wherein diameters of said core and cladding at said input end of the one of said first and second fibers are larger than core and cladding diameters respectively at said output end of the one of said first and second fibers.
An optical fiber delivery system, comprising:
- a semiconductor light source that produces an optical output;
- a plurality of first optical fibers each having an input end and an output end, said input ends optically coupled to said semiconductor light source to receive the optical output, said output ends are bundled together;
- a second optical fiber having an input end and an output end;
- an optical connector for positioning said second fiber input end, relative to said first fiber output ends, to receive the optical output from said first fibers;
- and
- at least each of said first fibers, or said second fiber, having a tapered segment with a core and a cladding tapered down smoothly in diameter.
An optical fiber delivery system, comprising:
- a plurality of laser diode assemblies, each laser diode assembly including:
- a laser diode having a plurality of emitters that each emit an optical beam, and
- a plurality of first optical fibers with input ends each positioned to receive one of said optical beams from said emitters, and output ends bundled together;
- a plurality of second optical fibers each having an input end and an output end, said second fiber output ends are bundled together;
- a plurality of first optical connectors each of which butt coupling one of said second fiber input ends to one of the bundles of said first fiber output ends of one of said plurality of laser diode assemblies;
- and
- each of said second fibers having a tapered segment with a core and a cladding tapered down smoothly in diameter, wherein diameters of said core and cladding at each of said second fiber input ends are larger than core and cladding diameters respectively at each corresponding second fiber output end.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.