Achromatic fiber-optic power splitter and related methods
AssigneeThe Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.
InventorReinhardt L. Willig
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An achromatic power splitter is formed from multiple optical fibers. The achromatic power splitter operates single mode, which permits the power splitter to operate substantially insensitive to changes in wavelength of the input light, to changes in the polarization of the input light, to changes in the temperature of the device, and to exposure to ionizing radiation.
Claims28
A method of forming an optical device, the method comprising:
- fusing portions of a plurality of optical fibers to form a fused fiber region;
- cleaving the fused fiber region to form a fused end;
- forming a spliced fiber by splicing an end of an independent optical fiber to the fused end such that the independent optical fiber is in optical communication with the plurality of optical fibers;
- and
- reducing a cross-section of the spliced fiber to form an optical device propagating light with a lowest-order even mode.
A method of forming an optical device, the method comprising:
- forming a hybrid fiber by splicing a coreless optical fiber to a first optical fiber;
- fusing a portion of a second optical fiber to a portion of the hybrid fiber to form a fused fiber region;
- and
- reducing a cross-section of the fused fiber region to form an optical device propagating light with a lowest-order even mode.
An optical device comprising:
- an input region, the input region comprising a portion of a first optical fiber and a portion of a coreless optical fiber;
- a fused fiber region in optical communication with the input region, a portion of the fused fiber region having a diameter less than that of the input region;
- and
- an output region in optical communication with the fused fiber region, the output region comprising a portion of the first optical fiber and a second optical fiber;
- wherein the input region, the fused fiber region, and the output region propagate a lowest-order even mode.
An apparatus comprising a first optical fiber spliced to a fused end of at least two optical fibers, the first optical fiber and the fused end forming a spliced fiber region, the optical fibers only propagating light with a lowest-order even mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.