Selective numerical aperture cladding light stripper

Abstract

The invention relates to a selective numerical aperture cladding light stripper. In some implementations, a clad light stripper includes: an optical fiber including a core and an outer cladding; and a light removal component. The outer cladding of the optical fiber circumferentially surrounds the core of the optical fiber. The outer cladding includes a first portion, a second portion, and an intermediate portion disposed between the first portion and the second portion. The middle portion is bidirectionally tapered. The light removal components are disposed on one or more regions of the central section of the intermediate portion.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 510,844, entitled “SELECTIVE NUMERICAL APERTURECLADDING LIGHT STRIPPER,” filed on June 28, 2023. The disclosure of that prior application is considered a part of and is incorporated by reference into this patent application. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to cladding light strippers and to selective numerical aperture cladding light strippers. Background Art

[0004] An optical fiber may include a core that carries light and a cladding surrounding the core and configured to confine the light within the core. A cladding light stripper is used to remove or extract light in the cladding of an optical fiber. Summary of the invention

[0005] In some implementations, a cladding light stripper includes: an optical fiber, the optical fiber including a core and an outer cladding; and a light removal component, wherein: the outer cladding of the optical fiber circumferentially surrounds the core of the optical fiber, the outer cladding includes a first portion, a second portion, and a middle portion disposed between the first portion and the second portion, the middle portion is bidirectionally tapered, and the light removal component is disposed on one or more regions of a central segment of the middle portion.

[0006] In some implementations, the intermediate portion includes a first segment, a second segment, and a center segment disposed between the first segment and the second segment, wherein: the first segment is tapered; the second segment is reverse tapered; and the center segment is not tapered.

[0007] In some implementations, the intermediate portion further includes a first segment and a second segment, wherein: the first segment is tapered according to a first taper ratio; and the second segment is reverse tapered according to a second taper ratio.

[0008] In some implementations, the first taper ratio matches the second taper ratio.

[0009] In some implementations, the first section is adiabatically tapered; and the second section is adiabatically tapered.

[0010] In some implementations, the light removal component has a numerical aperture NA, and wherein the other section of the intermediate portion is tapered according to a taper ratio, the taper ratio being associated with the NA of the light removal component.

[0011] In some implementations, the taper ratio is equal to the maximum selected NA for cladding light propagating through the middle portion divided by the NA of the light removal component.

[0012] In some implementations, a first portion of an outer cladding of an optical fiber is configured to propagate cladding light to a first segment of a middle portion of the outer cladding, wherein the cladding light has a numerical aperture (NA) distribution, and wherein a portion of the cladding light is associated with an NA greater than a maximum selected NA for the cladding light; the first segment is configured to change the NA distribution of the cladding light and propagate the cladding light to a central segment of the middle portion of the outer cladding, wherein the first segment is configured to cause a portion of the cladding light to be associated with an NA greater than a NA of a light removal component, and the central segment is configured to propagate the cladding light to a second segment of the middle portion of the outer cladding; the light removal component is configured to remove greater than a first threshold percentage of the cladding light from the portion of the cladding light when the cladding light propagates to the second segment; and the second segment is configured to change the NA distribution of the cladding light and propagate the cladding light to a second portion of the outer cladding of the optical fiber, wherein the second segment is configured to cause a second threshold percentage of the cladding light to have a maximum NA less than or equal to the maximum selected NA.

[0013] In some implementations, the first threshold percentage and the second threshold percentage are each greater than or equal to 99.5%.

[0014] In some implementations, cladding light propagates within the outer cladding, wherein: a maximum numerical aperture NA associated with a threshold percentage of cladding light within a first portion of the outer cladding of the optical fiber of the cladding light stripper is greater than a maximum select NA; and a maximum NA associated with a threshold percentage of cladding light within a second portion of the outer cladding of the optical fiber of the cladding light stripper is less than or equal to the maximum select NA.

[0015] In some implementations, a cladding light stripper includes: an optical fiber; and a light removal component, wherein: an outer cladding of the optical fiber surrounds a core of the optical fiber, the outer cladding includes a first portion, a second portion, and an intermediate portion disposed between the first portion and the second portion, the intermediate portion includes a tapered first portion and a reverse-tapered second portion, and a central segment disposed between the first portion and the second portion, and the light removal component is disposed on one or more regions of the central segment of the intermediate portion.

[0016] In some implementations, a first section of the intermediate portion is tapered according to a first taper ratio; and a second section of the intermediate portion is reverse tapered according to a second taper ratio that does not match the first taper ratio.

[0017] In some implementations, a first section of the intermediate portion is tapered according to a first taper ratio; and a second section of the intermediate portion is reverse tapered according to a second taper ratio, the second taper ratio matching the first taper ratio.

[0018] In some implementations, each of the first section and the second section of the intermediate portion is tapered or reverse-tapered according to a taper ratio, the taper ratio being associated with a numerical aperture NA of the light removal component.

[0019] In some implementations, the taper ratio is equal to the maximum selected NA divided by the NA of the light removal component.

[0020] In some implementations, a cladding light stripper includes: an optical fiber; and a light removal component, wherein: a middle portion of the outer cladding of the optical fiber includes a tapered first portion and a reverse-tapered second portion, and the light removal component is disposed on one or more regions of the untapered section of the middle portion.

[0021] In some implementations, the first section and the second section are tapered according to different taper ratios, respectively.

[0022] In some implementations, a first section of the middle portion is tapered according to a first taper ratio; and a second section of the middle portion is tapered according to a second taper ratio, the second taper ratio matching the first taper ratio.

[0023] In some implementations, cladding light propagates within the external cladding from an input end of the cladding light stripper via a middle portion of the external cladding to an output end of the cladding light stripper, wherein: a maximum numerical aperture NA associated with the cladding light at the input end of the cladding light stripper is greater than a maximum selection NA; and a maximum NA associated with 99.5% of the cladding light at the output end of the cladding light stripper is less than or equal to the maximum selection NA.

[0024] In some implementations, each of the first section and the second section of the intermediate portion is tapered according to a taper ratio, the taper ratio being associated with a numerical aperture (NA) of the light removal component. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1A-Figure 1C is a diagram of an example implementation described in this article.

[0026] Figure 2A-2C is a graph of example numerical aperture distributions of cladding light at different points of the outer cladding of an optical fiber of a cladding light stripper as described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The following detailed description of example implementations refers to the accompanying drawings.The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements.

[0028] In many cases, such as for high power (e.g., kilowatt-class or higher) applications, a laser may include an optical fiber that includes a polymer coating (e.g., a cladding circumferentially surrounding the optical fiber). The polymer coating may have a low refractive index to guide light (e.g., cladding light) within the cladding of the optical fiber (e.g., light in addition to core light propagating within the core of the optical fiber). Due to the low melting point, polymer coatings are generally considered to be a weak point in the construction and operation of high power lasers. For example, the packaging process that forms a high power laser may cause the optical fiber to be manipulated (e.g., bent or twisted) so that high power light propagating through the optical fiber then leaks out of the cladding of the optical fiber in an uncontrolled manner. This leaking high power light then overheats the polymer coating of the optical fiber, which degrades the performance of the optical fiber (and the high power laser including the optical fiber) and causes the optical fiber (and the high power laser) to fail. Therefore, particularly for high power applications, there is a need to mitigate and / or manage cladding light leaking from the optical fiber.

[0029] A cladding light stripper can remove excess and / or unwanted cladding light (e.g., cladding light that leaks from the cladding of an optical fiber) in a controlled manner. For example, a cladding light stripper can be formed by patterning or etching the bare glass of the cladding of an optical fiber, or by re-coating the optical fiber with a polymer, ceramic, or glass. When forming a cladding light stripper, it is often desirable to target and remove a specific portion of light propagating through the optical fiber (e.g., a portion that would otherwise leak from the cladding of the optical fiber). However, limitations on current cladding light stripper forming techniques and available materials for forming cladding light strippers (e.g., due to discrete numerical apertures (NAs) of materials) often make it possible to remove too much or too little light from the optical fiber. In particular, a cladding light stripper cannot be reliably formed to remove cladding light associated with an NA greater than a specific NA (e.g., a selected NA), especially when the specific NA is different from the NA of a corresponding material that can be used to form the cladding light stripper.

[0030] As used herein, a component (or a material of a component) may be described as "having a NA" or "with a NA". This refers to the properties of the interface between the component and another component (e.g., comprising another material) (or air), and is based on the respective refractive indices of the component and the other component (or air). The NA of the component characterizes the angular range over which light is reflected or transmitted through the interface. In a specific example, for an optical fiber, the NA of the optical fiber describes the angular range over which light incident into the optical fiber is transmitted along the optical fiber (e.g., within the optical fiber) rather than leaking out of the optical fiber. When a component is described as having an X NA, the maximum NA that the component can support is X (e.g., such that total internal reflection may occur within the component). Additionally, as used herein, light (e.g., cladding light) may be described as "having a NA", which characterizes the angular range over which the light propagates (e.g., through the optical fiber). When light is described as having a Y NA, the maximum NA of the light is Y.

[0031] Some implementations described herein include selective NA cladding light strippers that can be formed by manipulating the dimensions of the outer cladding of an optical fiber of the cladding light stripper (e.g., by bidirectionally tapering a portion of the outer cladding) and by including a light removal component (e.g., disposed on a portion of the outer cladding). By combining the selective manipulation of the dimensions of the outer cladding, in conjunction with selecting a material with a particular NA to be included in the light removal component, cladding light associated with one or more particular NAs (e.g., greater than a maximum selected NA) can be removed (e.g., by the light removal component). In this manner, some implementations allow for the selective stripping of unwanted cladding light of a particular range of NAs from an optical fiber.

[0032] In one example, a cladding light stripper includes an optical fiber and a light removal assembly. The optical fiber has a core and an outer cladding, wherein the outer cladding circumferentially surrounds the core. The outer cladding includes a first portion, a second portion, and an intermediate portion disposed between the first portion and the second portion along the length of the cladding light stripper. The intermediate portion includes a first section, a second section, and a central section disposed between the first section and the second section. The light removal assembly is disposed on one or more regions of the central section of the intermediate portion.

[0033] The middle portion is bidirectionally tapered. For example, the first section is tapered according to a first taper ratio, and the second section is reversely tapered according to a second taper ratio. The central section is not tapered. The first taper ratio can match the second taper ratio (for example, the first taper ratio and the second taper ratio can be equal to each other within a tolerance range, but can be in opposite directions). In some implementations, each of the first section and the second section can be adiabatically tapered. It is worth noting that at least one of the first section or the second section can be tapered (or reversely tapered) according to a taper ratio associated with the NA of the light removal component (for example, the NA of the material constituting the light removal component). For example, the taper ratio can be equal to the maximum selected NA (for example, for cladding light propagating through the middle section) divided by the NA of the light removal component.

[0034] In this manner, a light removal component is enabled to remove or "strip" cladding light associated with an NA greater than a maximum selected NA from a cladding light stripper. For example, cladding light propagating from a first portion of an outer cladding to a first segment of a middle portion of an outer cladding can have an NA distribution in which a portion of the cladding light is associated with an NA greater than a maximum selected NA. The first portion (e.g., due to being tapered according to a first taper ratio) is configured to change the NA distribution of the cladding light as the cladding light propagates through the first segment of the middle portion to the central segment. Thus, the first segment causes a portion of the cladding light to be associated with an NA greater than the NA of the light removal component. Thus, the light removal component (e.g., due to the NA of the light removal component and due to the light removal component being disposed on one or more regions of the central segment) is configured to remove a portion of the cladding light (e.g., the portion associated with an NA greater than the NA of the light removal component) as the cladding light propagates through the central segment of the middle portion to the second segment of the middle portion. The second segment is configured to change the NA distribution of the cladding light (e.g., “restore” the NA distribution of the cladding light) as the cladding light propagates through the second segment (e.g., propagates to a second portion of the outer cladding of the cladding light stripper) (e.g., by being reverse tapered according to a second taper ratio). Thus, the second segment causes the maximum NA of the cladding light (e.g., after a portion of the cladding light is removed by the light removal component) to be less than or equal to the maximum selected NA.

[0035] After the cladding light propagates from the second section of the middle portion, the cladding light can exit the cladding light stripper (e.g., via an output end of the cladding light stripper associated with a second portion of the outer cladding of the cladding light stripper). For example, at a junction associated with the output end of the cladding light stripper, the optical fiber can be spliced ​​to an output optical fiber, and a maximum selected NA can be selected to prevent or minimize leakage of the cladding light as it propagates from the optical fiber of the cladding light stripper to the output optical fiber via the junction. When used for high power applications, this reduces the likelihood of high power cladding light leakage (e.g., in a region associated with the junction) and overheating of the polymer coating of the output optical fiber. Thus, this improves the performance of the optical output optical fiber and reduces the likelihood of failure of the output optical fiber. This thereby improves the performance of a laser including the cladding light stripper and the output optical fiber and reduces the likelihood of failure of the laser.

[0036] Figure 1A-Figure 1C is a schematic diagram of an example implementation 100 described herein. Figure 1A-Figure 1C As shown in FIG. 1 , the example implementation 100 includes a cladding light stripper 102. The cladding light stripper 102 may include an optical fiber 104, which may include a core 106, an outer cladding 110, and optionally one or more inner claddings 108. The cladding light stripper 102 may also include a light removal component 112 (e.g., Figure 1B-Figure 1C ). Figure 1A shows a cross-sectional view of the cladding light stripper 102 (eg, at a first end of the cladding light stripper 102, such as an input end of the cladding light stripper 102), Figure 1B-Figure 1C The cut I through the cladding light stripper 102 is shown respectively. Figure 1A ) are top views of different example configurations of the cladding light stripper 102.

[0037] like Figure 1A As shown in FIG. 1 , the optical fiber 104 may include a core 106 and an outer cladding 110. In some implementations, the optical fiber 104 may also include one or more inner claddings 108. Figure 1A As further shown in FIG. 1 , the outer cladding 110 can surround (e.g., circumferentially surround) the core 106. In some embodiments, when the optical fiber 104 includes one or more inner claddings 108, the outer cladding 110 can surround the one or more inner claddings 108, and the one or more inner claddings 108 can surround the core 106. Thus, the outer cladding 110 can surround the one or more inner claddings 108 and the core 106.

[0038] In some implementations, the optical fiber 104 can be configured to propagate core light (e.g., from an input end of the optical fiber 104 to an output end of the optical fiber 104). For example, the core 106 can be configured to propagate core light (e.g., within the core 106). The one or more inner claddings 108 and / or the outer claddings 110 can be configured to confine the core light within the core 106 (e.g., confine the light inside, such as confined within an inner diameter of one of the one or more inner claddings 108 and / or within an inner diameter of the outer cladding 110). The core light can be generated by a core light source (e.g., a laser light source, or Figure 1A-Figure 1C Another type of light source not shown in the figure is provided.

[0039] Additionally or alternatively, the optical fiber 104 can be configured to propagate cladding light (e.g., from an input end of the optical fiber 104 to an output end of the optical fiber 104). For example, the outer cladding 110 can be configured to propagate cladding light (e.g., within the outer cladding 110). The one or more inner claddings 108 and / or the core 106 can be configured to confine the cladding light within the outer cladding (e.g., confine the light outside, such as outside the outer diameter of one of the one or more inner claddings 108 and / or outside the outer diameter of the core 106). The cladding light can be generated by a cladding light source (e.g., a laser light source, or Figure 1A-Figure 1C The inner cladding 108 may be provided by another type of light source (not shown) or may be "leakage" core light from the core 106 (e.g., core light that is not coupled into the core 106 and / or propagates out of the core 106). In some implementations, the one or more inner claddings 108 may be configured to additionally propagate cladding light (e.g., in addition to the outer cladding 110) or may be configured to propagate additional cladding light (e.g., different from the cladding light).

[0040] In some implementations, the optical fiber 104 can include glass (e.g., silica-based glass, quartz-based glass, doped glass, or other types of glass). In some implementations, the core 106, the one or more inner claddings 108, and / or the outer cladding 110 can include the same type of glass, such as silica-based glass. Alternatively, the core 106, the one or more inner claddings 108, and / or the outer cladding 110 can include different types of glass. For example, the core 106 can include doped silica-based glass (e.g., doped with germanium, fluorine, or other dopants), and each of the one or more inner claddings 108 and / or the outer cladding 110 can include undoped silica-based glass (or vice versa).

[0041] Figure 1B The cladding light stripper 102 is shown along the Figure 1A A top-down view of an example configuration in which the cutout 114 is shown cutting through the outer cladding 110. Thus, Figure 1BA top-down view of an interior portion of the outer cladding 110 is shown according to an example configuration.

[0042] like Figure 1B As shown in , the outer cladding 110 may include a first portion 116, a second portion 118, and an intermediate portion 120. The first portion 116 may be associated with a first end of the cladding light stripper 102 (e.g., an input end of the cladding light stripper 102), the second portion 118 may be associated with a second end of the cladding light stripper 102 (e.g., an output end of the cladding light stripper 102), and the intermediate portion 120 may be disposed between the first portion 116 and the second portion 118 and may be associated with an intermediate portion of the cladding light stripper 102 (e.g., disposed between the first end and the second end of the cladding light stripper 102). Thus, the outer cladding 110 can extend from the first portion 116 to the middle portion 120 and then to the second portion 118, such as along a propagation axis 122 of the cladding light stripper 102 (e.g., a direction in which core light or cladding light propagates through the cladding light stripper 102, such as a direction from a first end of the cladding light stripper 102 to a middle portion of the cladding light stripper 102 and then to a second end of the cladding light stripper 102).

[0043] like Figure 1B As further shown in FIG. 1 , the middle portion 120 of the outer cladding 110 may include a first segment 124, a second segment 126, and a central segment 128 (e.g., disposed between the first segment 124 and the second segment 126). For example, the middle portion 120 may extend from the first segment 124 to the central segment 128 and then to the second segment 126, such as along the propagation axis 122 of the cladding light stripper 102.

[0044] The middle portion 120 may be bi-directionally tapered. For example, the first section 124 may be tapered, while the second section 126 may be reverse tapered (e.g., tapered in a direction opposite to the tapering direction of the first section 124). In a specific example, as Figure 1B, the first segment 124 can be tapered downward, while the second segment 126 can be tapered upward. The first segment 124 can be tapered according to a first taper ratio, while the second segment 126 can be reverse tapered according to a second taper ratio. In some implementations, the first taper ratio can match the second taper ratio (e.g., the first taper ratio and the second taper ratio can be equal to each other within a tolerance range (such as 1%, 2%, or 3%), but with opposite taper directions), such as to allow corresponding dimensions (e.g., corresponding circumferences, diameters, or other dimensional measurements) of a first end of the cladding light stripper 102 (e.g., an input end of the cladding light stripper 102 associated with the first portion 116 of the cladding light stripper 102) and a second end of the cladding light stripper 102 (e.g., an output end of the cladding light stripper 102 associated with the second portion 118 of the cladding light stripper 102) to be the same or similar. Alternatively, the first taper ratio may not match the second taper ratio (e.g., the difference between the first taper ratio and the second taper ratio may be greater than 3% of the first taper ratio, second portion 118), such as to allow the respective dimensions of the first end of the cladding light stripper 102 and the second end of the cladding light stripper 102 to be different (e.g., to allow the dimensions of the optical fiber 104 at the second end of the cladding light stripper 102 to be the same or similar to the output optical fiber spliced ​​to the optical fiber at a splice point associated with the output end of the cladding light stripper 102).

[0045] In some implementations, the first section 124 may be adiabatically tapered (e.g., according to a first taper ratio) and may be referred to as a first adiabatically tapered section 124. Additionally, the second section 126 may be adiabatically tapered (e.g., according to a second taper ratio) and may be referred to as a second adiabatically tapered section 126. The center section 128 may not be tapered (e.g., may not be associated with a taper ratio) and may be referred to as an untapered center section 128.

[0046] Figure 1C The cladding light stripper 102 is shown along the Figure 1A A top-down view of another example configuration of the cutout 114 cutting through the outer cladding 110. Thus, Figure 1C A top-down view of an interior portion of the outer cladding 110 is shown according to another example configuration.

[0047] like Figure 1C As shown in FIG. 1 , the outer cladding 110 may include a first portion 116, a second portion 118, and an intermediate portion 120, as described herein with respect to Figure 1B In addition, the middle portion 120 of the outer cladding 110 may include a first segment 124, a second segment 126, and a center segment 128, as described herein with respect to Figure 1B described.

[0048] like Figure 1C As further shown in FIG. 1 , the intermediate portion 120 may be bi-directionally tapered such that the first section 124 is tapered and the second section 126 is reverse tapered. In a specific example, as shown in FIG. Figure 1C As shown in FIG. 1 , the first section 124 may be tapered upward, while the second section 126 may be tapered downward. The first section 124 may be tapered according to a first taper ratio (e.g., may be different from the first taper ratio described above). Figure 1B The first taper ratio described above) can be tapered, while the second section 126 can be tapered according to a second taper ratio (e.g., can be different from the first taper ratio described above). Figure 1B In some implementations, the first taper ratio can be matched to the second taper ratio (e.g., the first taper ratio and the second taper ratio can be equal to each other within a tolerance range (such as 1%, 2%, or 3%), but with opposite taper directions), such as to allow the corresponding dimensions of the first end of the cladding light stripper 102 and the second end of the cladding light stripper 102 to be the same or similar. Alternatively, the first taper ratio can be mismatched to the second taper ratio (e.g., the difference between the first taper ratio and the second taper ratio can be greater than 3% of the first taper ratio, the second portion 118), such as to allow the corresponding dimensions of the first end of the cladding light stripper 102 and the second end of the cladding light stripper 102 to be different (e.g., to allow the dimensions of the optical fiber 104 at the second end of the cladding light stripper 102 to be the same or similar to the output optical fiber spliced ​​to the optical fiber at a splice point associated with the output end of the cladding light stripper 102).

[0049] In some implementations, the first section 124 may be adiabatically tapered (e.g., according to a first taper ratio) and may be referred to as a first adiabatically tapered section 124. Additionally, the second section 126 may be adiabatically tapered (e.g., according to a second taper ratio) and may be referred to as a second adiabatically tapered section 126. The center section 128 may not be tapered (e.g., may not be associated with a taper ratio) and may be referred to as an untapered center section 128.

[0050] Although Figure 1B and Figure 1C The middle portion 120 is shown as being bi-directionally tapered, but the middle portion 120 may be tapered in other ways. For example, the first section 124 and the second section 126 may each be tapered in the same direction (e.g., each may be tapered upward or downward). That is, the first section 124 may be tapered according to a first taper ratio, and the second section 126 may be tapered according to a second taper ratio, wherein the first taper ratio may match the second taper ratio, or alternatively may not match.

[0051] In addition, a portion of the core 106 associated with the middle portion 120 of the outer cladding 110 (e.g., a portion surrounded by the middle portion 120) can be tapered in the same or similar manner as the middle portion 120 is tapered. For example, the portion of the core 106 can include a first segment and a second segment that are tapered in the same or similar manner as the first segment 124 and the second segment 126, respectively (e.g., having the same or similar respective taper ratios), and the portion of the core 106 can include a center segment that is not tapered (e.g., disposed between the first segment and the second segment). Alternatively, the portion of the core 106 associated with the middle portion 120 of the outer cladding 110 can be untapered (e.g., can have a uniform circumference and / or diameter) along the length of the middle portion 120 of the outer cladding 110.

[0052] like Figure 1B and Figure 1C As shown in and indicated by the dashed box, the light removal component 112 can be disposed on (e.g., can be in direct contact with) the outer cladding 110 (e.g., the outer surface of the outer cladding 110) of the optical fiber 104 of the cladding light stripper 102. The light removal component 112 can be disposed on one or more regions of the central section 128 of the middle portion 120. For example, Figure 1B and Figure 1C As shown in , the light removal assembly 112 may be disposed on a single area of ​​the central section 128 .

[0053] The light removal assembly 112 may include glass (e.g., silica-based glass, quartz-based glass, doped glass, or other types of glass). Thus, the light removal assembly 112 may have a numerical aperture (NA) (e.g., the material comprising the light removal assembly 112 may have an NA). The NA of the light removal assembly 112 may be selected and / or configured to allow the light removal assembly 112 to remove or "strip" cladding light having an NA greater than the NA of the light removal assembly 112 from one or more regions of the central segment 128 of the middle portion 120 of the outer cladding 110, where the light removal assembly 112 is disposed on the central segment, as further described herein.

[0054] In some implementations, the tapered segments (e.g., first segment 124 and / or second segment 126) of the outer cladding 110 may be tapered (or reverse tapered) according to a taper ratio associated with the NA of the light removal component 112. For example, the taper ratio may be described using the following formula: TR = NA selected / NA LRC , where TR is the taper ratio, NA selected represents a selected NA (eg, a maximum selected NA) for cladding light propagating through the middle portion 120 of the outer cladding 110, and NA LRCrepresents the NA of the light removal component 112 (e.g., the NA of the material constituting the light removal component 112). That is, the taper ratio can be equal to the maximum selected NA divided by the NA of the light removal component 112 (or can be equal to a constant value (or another value) multiplied by the maximum selected NA divided by the NA of the light removal component 112). In this way, the segment can be configured to change the NA distribution of the cladding light propagating through the segment, as further described herein.

[0055] As mentioned above, reference Figure 1A , the optical fiber 104 can be configured such as to propagate cladding light within the outer cladding 110 (eg, from the input end of the optical fiber 104 to the output end of the optical fiber 104). Figure 1B and Figure 1C , the first portion 116 can be configured to propagate cladding light to a first section 124 (eg, a first adiabatic tapered section 124 ) of the intermediate portion 120 .

[0056] The first segment 124 may be configured to change the NA distribution of the cladding light (eg, based on a first taper ratio of the first segment 124). For example, the first segment 124 may change the NA distribution of the cladding light. selected The portion associated with a NA greater than NA (e.g., the maximum selected NA for cladding light) is associated with a portion associated with a NA greater than NA LRC In addition, the first segment 124 can be configured to propagate the cladding light to a central segment 128 (eg, an untapered central segment 128 ) of the intermediate portion 120 .

[0057] The central segment 128 can be configured to propagate the cladding light to the second segment 126 (e.g., the second adiabatic tapered segment 126). Additionally, when disposed on one or more regions of the central segment 128, the light removal assembly 112 can be configured to remove the portion of the cladding light (e.g., the portion of the cladding light associated with a range of NA distribution resulting from the first taper ratio of the first segment 124, the range including greater than NA 100) when the cladding light propagates to the second segment 126. LRC For example, the threshold percentage may be greater than or equal to 99%, 99.5%, 99.6%, 99.7%, 99.8%, or 99.9%.

[0058] The second segment 126 can be configured to change the NA distribution of the cladding light (e.g., based on a second taper ratio of the second segment 126). For example, the second segment 126 can make the range of the NA distribution of the cladding light (e.g., the cladding light that no longer includes the portion of the cladding light removed by the light removal component 112 greater than a threshold percentage) include less than or equal to the NA selectedThus, after the NA distribution is changed by the second section 126, the maximum NA of a threshold percentage of the cladding light (e.g., where the threshold percentage is greater than or equal to 99%, 99.5%, 99.6%, 99.7%, 99.8%, or 99.9%) is less than or equal to NA selected .

[0059] Additionally, the second segment 126 can be configured to propagate the cladding light to a second portion 118 of the outer cladding 110, which can be configured to propagate the cladding light to an output end of the optical fiber 104. The cladding light can then propagate to an output optical fiber (e.g., at a splice associated with an output end of the cladding light stripper 102).

[0060] Thus, the maximum NA associated with the threshold percentage of cladding light within the first portion 116 of the outer cladding 110 of the optical fiber 104 of the cladding light stripper 102 is greater than the NA selected , and the maximum NA associated with the threshold percentage of cladding light within the second portion 118 of the outer cladding 110 of the optical fiber 104 of the cladding light stripper 102 is less than or equal to NA selected Furthermore, the maximum NA associated with the cladding light at the input of the cladding light stripper 102 is greater than NA selected , and the maximum NA associated with the threshold percentage of cladding light at the output of the cladding light stripper is less than or equal to NA selected .

[0061] Figure 1A-Figure 1C are provided as examples. Other examples may be related to Figure 1A-Figure 1C Different than described.

[0062] Figure 2A-2C Graph 200 is an example NA distribution of cladding light at different points of the outer cladding (eg, outer cladding 110) of an optical fiber (eg, optical fiber 104) of a cladding light stripper (eg, cladding light stripper 102) described herein.

[0063] Figure 2A Graph showing an example NA distribution of cladding light in a first portion (e.g., first portion 116) of the outer cladding of an optical fiber of a cladding light stripper. Figure 2A As shown in FIG. 2 , the NA distribution of the cladding light is 0 to 0.48 (e.g., greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.48). The first power 202 of the cladding light is associated with a first range of the NA distribution, which includes less than or equal to the maximum selected NA for the cladding light (shown as NA selected, equal to 0.3). The second power 204 of the cladding light is associated with a second range of the NA distribution, which includes a maximum selected NA for the cladding light (e.g., NA selected ) is large.

[0064] Figure 2B A diagram showing an example NA distribution of cladding light in a middle portion (e.g., middle portion 120) of an outer cladding of an optical fiber of a cladding light stripper. For example, the example NA distribution of the cladding may have been altered by a first segment (e.g., first segment 124) of the middle portion, e.g., to be consistent with the NA distribution of the optical fiber of the present invention. Figure 1A-Figure 1C In a similar manner as described above. Figure 2B As shown in FIG. 1 , the NA distribution of the cladding light is 0 to 0.5 (e.g., greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.5). The first power 202 of the cladding light has been changed to be associated with a third range of NA distributions, the third range including less than or equal to the NA (shown as NA ) of the light removal component (e.g., light removal component 112) of the cladding light stripper. LRC , equal to 0.37). The second power 204 of the cladding light has been changed to be associated with a fourth range of NA distribution, which includes a NA greater than the NA of the light removal component 112 (eg, NA LRC ) is large.

[0065] Figure 2C A diagram showing an example NA distribution of cladding light in a second portion (e.g., second portion 118) of an outer cladding of an optical fiber of a cladding light stripper. For example, the example NA distribution of the cladding may have been altered by a second segment (e.g., second segment 126) of the middle portion, e.g., to be consistent with the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1A-Figure 1C In a similar manner as described above. Figure 2C , the NA distribution of the cladding light is 0 to 0.3 (e.g., greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.3), and only the first power 202 of the cladding light is included (e.g., which is again changed to include less than or equal to the maximum selected NA for the cladding light (e.g., NA selected )). Therefore, if Figure 2C As shown in , after the cladding light propagates through the cladding light stripper, only cladding light including a NA less than or equal to the maximum selected NA for the cladding light exists.

[0066] Figure 2A-2C are provided as examples. Other examples may be related to Figure 2A-2C Different than described.

[0067] The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the implementations to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made in accordance with the foregoing disclosure or may be obtained from the practice of the implementations. In addition, unless the foregoing disclosure clearly provides a reason why one or more implementations cannot be combined, any implementation described herein may be combined.

[0068] As used herein, satisfying a threshold may refer to a value being greater than a threshold, greater than or equal to a threshold, less than a threshold, less than or equal to a threshold, equal to a threshold, not equal to a threshold, etc., depending on the context.

[0069] Even though specific combinations of features are described in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of various implementations. In fact, many of these features can be combined in ways that are not specifically described in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claim listed below may be directly dependent on only one claim, the disclosure of various implementations includes the combination of each dependent claim with all other claims in the claim set. As used herein, the phrase "at least one" referring to a list of items refers to any combination of these items, including single members. For example, "at least one of: a, b, or c" is intended to cover a, b, or c, ab, ac, bc, and abc, as well as any combination with multiple identical items.

[0070] Unless clearly described, any element, action or instruction used herein should not be interpreted as key or necessary. In addition, as used herein, the articles "one" and "an" are intended to include one or more projects, and can be used interchangeably with "one or more". In addition, as used herein, the article "the" is intended to include one or more projects related to the article "the", and can be used interchangeably with "one or more". In addition, as used herein, the term "set" is intended to include one or more projects (for example, a combination of related projects, unrelated projects, or related and unrelated projects), and can be used interchangeably with "one or more". If only intended to a project, the phrase "only one" or similar language is used. In addition, as used herein, the term "have", "have", "have" etc. are intended to be open terms. In addition, unless otherwise clearly stated, the phrase "based on" is intended to represent "at least partially based on". In addition, as used herein, the term "or" is intended to be inclusive when used in a series, and can be used interchangeably with "and / or", unless otherwise clearly stated (for example, if used in combination with "either" or "only one").

Claims

1. A cladding light stripper, comprising: An optical fiber, including a core and an outer cladding; as well as A light removal assembly, wherein: The outer cladding of the optical fiber circumferentially surrounds the core of the optical fiber, The outer cladding includes a first portion, a second portion, and an intermediate portion, wherein the intermediate portion is disposed between the first portion and the second portion, The middle section is bi-directionally tapered, and The light removal assembly is disposed on one or more regions of a central section of the intermediate portion.

2. The cladding light stripper according to claim 1, wherein the middle portion comprises a first segment, a second segment, and the central segment, the central segment being disposed between the first segment and the second segment, wherein: The first section is tapered; The second section is reverse tapered; and The central section is not tapered.

3. The cladding light stripper of claim 1, wherein the intermediate portion further comprises a first segment and a second segment, wherein: The first section is tapered according to a first taper ratio; and The second section is reverse tapered according to a second taper ratio. The cladding light stripper of claim 3 , wherein the first taper ratio matches the second taper ratio.

5. The cladding light stripper according to claim 3, wherein: The first section is adiabatically tapered; and The second section is adiabatically tapered.

6. The cladding light stripper of claim 1, wherein the light removal component has a numerical aperture NA, and Wherein another section of the intermediate portion is tapered according to a taper ratio, the taper ratio being associated with the NA of the light removal component.

7. The cladding light stripper of claim 6, wherein the taper ratio is equal to a maximum selected NA for cladding light propagating through the intermediate portion divided by the NA of the light removal component.

8. The cladding light stripper according to claim 1, wherein: The first portion of the outer cladding of the optical fiber is configured to propagate cladding light to a first section of the intermediate portion of the outer cladding, wherein the cladding light has a numerical aperture NA distribution, and wherein a portion of the cladding light is associated with a NA that is greater than a maximum selected NA for the cladding light; The first section is configured to change the NA distribution of the cladding light and propagate the cladding light to the central section of the middle portion of the outer cladding, wherein the first segment is configured to cause the portion of the cladding light to be associated with a NA greater than a NA of the light removal component, The central segment is configured to propagate the cladding light to a second segment of the intermediate portion of the outer cladding; The light removal component is configured to remove greater than a first threshold percentage of the cladding light from the portion of the cladding light as the cladding light propagates to the second segment; and the second segment being configured to change the NA distribution of the cladding light and propagate the cladding light to the second portion of the outer cladding of the optical fiber, The second segment is configured to cause a second threshold percentage of the cladding light to have a maximum NA less than or equal to the maximum selected NA.

9. The cladding light stripper of claim 8, wherein the first threshold percentage and the second threshold percentage are each greater than or equal to 99.5%.

10. The cladding light stripper of claim 1, wherein cladding light propagates within the outer cladding, wherein: a maximum numerical aperture NA associated with a threshold percentage of the cladding light within the first portion of the outer cladding of the optical fiber of the cladding light stripper that is greater than a maximum selected NA; and A maximum NA associated with the threshold percentage of the cladding light within the second portion of the outer cladding of the optical fiber of the cladding light stripper is less than or equal to the maximum selected NA.

11. A cladding light stripper, comprising: optical fiber; as well as A light removal assembly, wherein: The outer cladding of the optical fiber surrounds the core of the optical fiber, The outer cladding includes a first portion, a second portion, and an intermediate portion, wherein the intermediate portion is disposed between the first portion and the second portion, The intermediate portion includes a first section, a second section, and a central section, the first section is tapered, the second section is reverse tapered, the central section is disposed between the first section and the second section, and The light removal assembly is disposed on one or more regions of the central section of the intermediate portion.

12. The cladding light stripper according to claim 11, wherein: The first section of the intermediate portion is tapered according to a first taper ratio; and The second section of the intermediate portion is reverse tapered according to a second taper ratio that does not match the first taper ratio.

13. The cladding light stripper according to claim 11, wherein: The first section of the intermediate portion is tapered according to a first taper ratio; and The second section of the intermediate portion is reverse tapered according to a second taper ratio that matches the first taper ratio.

14. The cladding light stripper of claim 11, wherein each of the first and second segments of the intermediate portion is tapered or reverse-tapered according to a taper ratio associated with a numerical aperture NA of the light removal component.

15. The cladding light stripper of claim 14, wherein the taper ratio is equal to: a maximum selected NA divided by the NA of the light removal component.

16. A cladding light stripper, comprising: optical fiber; as well as A light removal assembly, wherein: The intermediate portion of the outer cladding of the optical fiber includes a tapered first section and a tapered second section, and The light removal assembly is disposed on one or more regions of the un-tapered section of the intermediate portion.

17. The cladding light stripper of claim 16, wherein: The first section and the second section are tapered according to different taper ratios, respectively.

18. The cladding light stripper of claim 16, wherein: The first section of the intermediate portion is tapered according to a first taper ratio; and The second section of the intermediate portion is tapered according to a second taper ratio that matches the first taper ratio.

19. The cladding light stripper of claim 16, wherein cladding light propagates within the outer cladding from an input end of the cladding light stripper via the middle portion of the outer cladding to an output end of the cladding light stripper, wherein: a maximum numerical aperture NA associated with the cladding light at the input end of the cladding light stripper that is greater than a maximum select NA; and A maximum NA associated with 99.5% of the cladding light at the output of the cladding light stripper is less than or equal to the maximum selected NA.

20. The cladding light stripper of claim 16, wherein each of the first and second segments of the intermediate portion is tapered according to a taper ratio associated with a numerical aperture NA of the light removal component.

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