Optical fiber jumper for high power laser transmission and method of manufacturing an optical fiber jumper

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an optical fiber jumper for high power laser transmission, comprising a transmission optical fiber and two segments of solid protection optical fibers, the transmission optical fiber is configured as a hollow-core optical fiber having an optical transmission channel, suitable for guiding laser to propagate along the extension direction of the transmission optical fiber. The two segments of solid protection optical fibers are respectively fused to the two ends of the transmission optical fiber, configured to block the optical transmission channel of the transmission optical fiber and allow laser to pass through to enter the transmission optical fiber.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of optical fiber and laser transmission, and more particularly, to an optical fiber jumper for high-power laser transmission and a manufacturing method of the optical fiber jumper. BACKGROUND

[0002] In recent years, high-power laser technology has made significant progress, with increasing output power and expanding application fields. In the field of industrial processing, it is mainly applied to laser cutting, welding, punching and surface treatment, etc., with the advantages of high precision, high efficiency, small heat-affected zone, etc. In the medical field, it is mainly applied to laser surgery, laser beauty, laser treatment, etc., with the advantages of small trauma, less bleeding, and quick recovery. In the field of scientific research, it is mainly applied to laser nuclear fusion, laser accelerator, laser spectroscopy, etc. However, the transmission and control of high-power laser is still one of the key technical bottlenecks limiting its wide application.

[0003] Traditional optical fiber transmission methods are difficult to withstand the thermal effect and nonlinear effect of high-power laser, which can easily lead to fiber damage and beam quality degradation. Therefore, developing efficient, stable and reliable high-power laser transmission technology has become a current research hotspot. At present, there is a transmission method of free-space transmission, which transmits laser in air by using mirrors, lenses and other optical elements. Although the structure is simple, it is greatly affected by the environment and has limited transmission distance.

[0004] To overcome the limitations of free-space transmission, related technologies use hollow-core optical fibers to transmit high-power laser, which has low nonlinear effect, low thermal effect and high damage threshold, can realize longer distance and higher power transmission, and maintain beam quality. In the coupling process of high-power laser and hollow-core optical fiber, spatial light coupling is usually used, such as direct coupling with hollow-core optical fiber or using a large quartz end cap for fusion. The former cannot protect the hollow-core optical fiber, which can easily cause dust and gas to enter the fiber, causing increased fiber loss. The latter has a large volume, high fusion difficulty, and high end-face reflection, which adversely affects the normal operation of the device. SUMMARY

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure provides an optical fiber jumper for high-power laser transmission, which uses a hollow-core optical fiber as the main structure to realize low nonlinear transmission of high-power laser, and encapsulates both ends of the hollow-core optical fiber to effectively avoid the influence of impurities and other adverse environmental conditions and reduce the loss of the hollow-core optical fiber.

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure provides an optical fiber jumper cable for high power laser transmission, comprising a transmission optical fiber configured as a hollow-core optical fiber having a light transmission channel adapted to guide laser light to propagate along an extension direction of the transmission optical fiber; two solid protection optical fibers respectively fused to two ends of the transmission optical fiber and configured to block the light transmission channel in the transmission optical fiber and allow laser light to pass through to enter the transmission optical fiber.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a connector is further included between the transmission optical fiber and the protection optical fibers, the connector is configured as a hollow tubular structure, the transmission optical fiber is fused to a first end of the connector, and a first end of the protection optical fibers is embedded into and fused to a second end of the connector.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an outer diameter of the connector is equal to an outer diameter of the transmission optical fiber, and an inner diameter of the connector is equal to an outer diameter of the protection optical fibers.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a distance between a center of an end face of the first end of the protection optical fibers and a center of an end face of the transmission optical fiber is L1, a length of the protection optical fibers is L2, and L1+L2≤1mm.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an end face of the first end of the protection optical fibers and an end face of the transmission optical fiber form an included angle a, and the included angle a is an acute angle.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an end face of the second end of the protection optical fibers is parallel to the end face of the first end.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the protection optical fibers are configured as solid core tubular structures made of quartz material.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an inside of the light transmission channel of the transmission optical fiber is configured to have a vacuum medium or a gas medium with a refractive index less than or equal to an air refractive index.

[0014] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a manufacturing method of an optical fiber jumper cable for manufacturing the optical fiber jumper cable in any of the above embodiments, comprising: fusing two protection optical fibers to two ends of a transmission optical fiber, respectively.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises: fusing the transmission optical fiber to a first end of a connector; grinding or cutting a first end of the protection optical fibers to form an included angle a with an end face of the transmission optical fiber and embedding the first end of the protection optical fibers into a second end of the connector; fusing the connector to the first end of the protection optical fibers and grinding or cutting a second end of the protection optical fibers to be parallel to the first end.

[0016] The optical fiber jumper provided by the present disclosure for high-power laser transmission has the advantages of low nonlinear effect, low delay, low loss and high damage threshold when transmitting high-power laser by adopting a hollow optical fiber with an optical transmission channel as the main body of the optical fiber jumper. Meanwhile, the transmission optical fiber is encapsulated at both ends by a protective optical fiber, which can isolate the optical transmission channel of the transmission optical fiber from the outside world, avoid the influence of impurities or external pressure and other adverse factors on the transmission of laser in the optical transmission channel, and effectively reduce the loss of the transmission optical fiber. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments of the present disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0018] Figure 1 is an overall and enlarged schematic view of the optical fiber jumper for high-power laser transmission provided by the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 2 is an enlarged schematic view of the end of the optical fiber jumper for high-power laser transmission provided by the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 3 is a flowchart of the manufacturing method of the optical fiber jumper provided by the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 4 is a flowchart of the manufacturing method of the optical fiber jumper in another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] In the drawings, the meanings of the reference signs are as follows:

[0023] 1, transmission optical fiber;

[0024] 11, optical transmission channel;

[0025] 2, protective optical fiber;

[0026] 3, connecting piece. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that these descriptions are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that one or more embodiments can be practiced without these specific details. In addition, in the following description, descriptions of well-known structures and techniques have been omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the concept of the present disclosure.

[0028] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the term "includes" and tautological equivalents thereof, means that the named feature is present, but does not necessarily mean that one or more other features are present or added.

[0029] All terms used herein including technical and scientific terms have the meanings commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art unless otherwise defined. It should be noted that the terms used herein are defined as having a meaning that is consistent with the context of the specification in which the terms are utilized and that the terms should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense.

[0030] In instances where expressions such as "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." are used, it is generally intended that the expression be interpreted in the manner as would be generally understood by those of ordinary skill in the art (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" would include but not be limited to a system that has A alone, a system that has B alone, a system that has C alone, a system that has both A and B, a system that has both A and C, a system that has both B and C, and / or a system that has A, B, and C, etc.).

[0031] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall and end portion of the optical fiber jumper provided by the present disclosure for high-power laser transmission, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the end portion of the optical fiber jumper provided by the present disclosure for high-power laser transmission.

[0032] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an optical fiber jumper for high-power laser transmission, as shown in Figures 1 to 2 The optical fiber jumper includes a transmission optical fiber 1 and two solid protection optical fibers 2, the transmission optical fiber 1 is configured as a hollow core optical fiber having a light transmission channel 11, and is suitable for guiding laser to propagate along the extension direction of the transmission optical fiber 1. The two solid protection optical fibers 2 are respectively fused to the two ends of the transmission optical fiber 1, and are configured to block the light transmission channel 11 of the transmission optical fiber 1 and allow laser to pass through to enter the transmission optical fiber 1.

[0033] In such an embodiment, by using a hollow core optical fiber having a light transmission channel 11 as the main body of the optical fiber jumper, i.e., the transmission optical fiber 1, it has the advantages of low nonlinearity, low delay, low loss and high damage threshold when transmitting high-power laser (usually kilowatt-level or even higher power, which is enough to cause damage to ordinary optical fibers). At the same time, the two ends of the transmission optical fiber 1 are encapsulated by using the solid protection optical fibers 2, which can isolate the light transmission channel 11 of the transmission optical fiber 1 from the outside world, avoid the influence of impurities or external pressure on the transmission of laser in the light transmission channel 11, and effectively reduce the loss of the transmission optical fiber 1.

[0034] In an exemplary embodiment, the fiber jumper further comprises a connector 3 between the transmission fiber 1 and the protection fiber 2, the connector 3 is configured as a hollow tubular structure, the transmission fiber 1 is fused with a first end of the connector 3, and a first end of the protection fiber 2 is embedded in and fused with a second end of the connector 3.

[0035] In such an embodiment, each segment of the protection fiber 2 is connected to the transmission fiber 1 through the connector 3, so that the light transmission channel 11 of the transmission fiber 1 can be blocked while the end of the transmission fiber 1 is less damaged.

[0036] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the outer diameter of the connector 3 is equal to the outer diameter of the transmission fiber 1, and the inner diameter of the connector 3 is equal to the outer diameter of the protection fiber 2.

[0037] In such an embodiment, the outer diameter of the connector 3 is equal to the outer diameter of the transmission fiber 1, and the inner diameter of the connector 3 is greater than the diameter of the light transmission channel 11 of the transmission fiber 1 to avoid affecting the propagation of laser. For example, the connector 3 can be a thin-walled quartz glass tube with an outer diameter equal to the outer diameter of the transmission fiber 1 and an inner diameter equal to the outer diameter of the protection fiber 2. Since the side wall is thin, the outer diameter of the protection fiber 2 is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the transmission fiber 1, which not only reduces the difficulty of fusion, but also improves the compatibility of the fiber jumper.

[0038] In some other embodiments, the connector 3 can also be made of low-melting-point glass with a melting point lower than that of the transmission fiber 1 and the protection fiber 2, so as to reduce the fusion temperature and reduce the risk of collapse of the transmission fiber 1.

[0039] In some more specific embodiments, the outer diameter of the transmission fiber 1 can be 160 to 400 microns, the outer diameter of the protection fiber 2 can be 125 to 300 microns, and the outer diameter of the connector 3 can be 80 microns to 2 millimeters.

[0040] In an exemplary embodiment, the distance between the center of the end face of the first end of the protection fiber 2 and the center of the end face of the transmission fiber 1 is L1, the length of the protection fiber 2 is L2, and L1+L2≤1mm.

[0041] High-power laser is emitted from the first end of the transmission fiber 1 and exits from the second end, which will show a divergent trend. By setting L1+L2≤1mm, the dissipation of high-power laser from the side of the connector 3 or the protection fiber 2 is reduced as much as possible.

[0042] More specifically, the length of the connector 3 is preferably less than 1mm.

[0043] In an exemplary embodiment, an included angle α is formed between the end face of the first end of the protection fiber 2 and the end face of the transmission fiber 1, and the angle α is an acute angle.

[0044] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the end face of the second end of the protection optical fiber 2 is parallel to the end face of the first end.

[0045] In such an embodiment, by setting the first end and the second end of the protection optical fiber 2 to be at an acute angle with the end face of the transmission optical fiber 1, the incidence and reflection angles of the laser light are changed, the reflected light deviates from the original path, the amount of light returning to the light source system is reduced, the back reflection is reduced, and the probability of damaging the light source system is reduced. In addition, the end face with an oblique angle avoids excessive concentration of energy on the end face, reduces the formation of hot spots, and reduces the risk of damage to the end face of the protection optical fiber 2.

[0046] For example, the included angle α is preferably 6°-15° to achieve better back reflection reduction effect and improve optical coupling efficiency. If the included angle α is too small, the back reflection reduction effect is not obvious. If the included angle α is too large, the loss will increase and the optical coupling efficiency will decrease.

[0047] In an exemplary embodiment, the protection optical fiber 2 is configured as a solid core tubular structure made of quartz material.

[0048] In such an embodiment, the protection optical fiber 2 is made of solid core tubular quartz material, which has high mechanical strength and can first reduce or avoid physical damage. Further, the solid core tubular structure made of quartz material, such as a quartz glass rod, has a refractive index of about 1.45, while the optical transmission channel 11 of the hollow core optical fiber is usually vacuum or filled with negative pressure, normal pressure air, and has a refractive index of about 1. Therefore, the refractive index of the quartz glass rod itself is relatively close to the refractive index inside the hollow core optical fiber, and in addition, the two end faces of the quartz glass rod can be provided with an included angle α or an anti-reflection film as in the above embodiment, so that the refractive index of the quartz glass rod is closer to the refractive index of the hollow core optical fiber, thereby reducing reflection loss and improving optical coupling efficiency.

[0049] In addition, the quartz material has stable properties, good high temperature resistance and corrosion resistance, and a smooth surface, and good sealing performance after fusion packaging.

[0050] In an exemplary embodiment, the inside of the optical transmission channel 11 of the transmission optical fiber 1 is configured to have a vacuum medium or a gas medium with a refractive index less than or equal to the refractive index of air.

[0051] In such an embodiment, a vacuum medium or a gas medium with a refractive index less than or equal to the refractive index of air is used, which reduces the interaction between the laser and the medium and has low energy dissipation, thereby reducing transmission loss and improving transmission efficiency. In addition, the above medium can also significantly improve the nonlinear threshold of the transmission optical fiber, and effectively transmit high-power laser light.

[0052] Figure 3 is a flow chart of a manufacturing method of the optical fiber jumper provided by the present disclosure,Figure 4 is a manufacturing method flow chart of the fiber jumper in another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0053] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a manufacturing method of the fiber jumper, for manufacturing the fiber jumper in any of the above embodiments, such as Figure 3 as shown, comprising step S1.

[0054] S1, melt two segments of the protection optical fiber 2 to the two ends of the transmission optical fiber 1 respectively.

[0055] In such an embodiment, the end faces of the transmission optical fiber 1 and the protection optical fiber 2 need to be polished before melting, and the melting surface should be as flat and clean as possible.

[0056] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Figure 4 S1 further comprises steps S11-S13.

[0057] S11, melt the transmission optical fiber 1 with the first end of the connecting piece 3.

[0058] S12, grind or cut the first end of the protection optical fiber 2 to form an included angle α with the end face of the transmission optical fiber 1, and embed the second end of the connecting piece 3.

[0059] S13, melt the second end of the connecting piece 3 with the first end of the protection optical fiber 2, and grind or cut the second end of the protection optical fiber 2 to be parallel to the first end.

[0060] In some other embodiments, step S11 further comprises: cutting the connecting piece 3 to a preset length.

[0061] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, step S12 further comprises: embedding the first end of the protection optical fiber 2 into the second end of the connecting piece 3 until the distance between the center of the end face of the first end of the protection optical fiber 2 and the center of the end face of the transmission optical fiber 1 is L1.

[0062] Further, step S13 further comprises: grinding or cutting the protection optical fiber 2 to a length of L2, and ensuring that L1+L2≤1mm.

[0063] As preferred, the first end of the protection optical fiber 2 is cut, and the second end is ground.

[0064] According to the above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure, the preset length of the connecting piece 3 is selected based on at least ensuring that a reliable melting part is formed between the protection optical fiber 2, and the connecting piece 3 should not be too long to affect the cooperation of the protection optical fiber 2 with other elements, and the specific selection is made according to the actual situation.

[0065] Those skilled in the art can understand that the features described in various embodiments of the present disclosure can be combined and / or integrated in various combinations, even if such combinations or integrations are not explicitly described in the present disclosure. In particular, the features described in various embodiments of the present disclosure can be combined and / or integrated in various combinations without departing from the spirit and teachings of the present disclosure. All such combinations and / or integrations are within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0066] The above describes embodiments of the present disclosure. However, these embodiments are merely for illustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Although each embodiment is described above separately, this does not mean that the measures in various embodiments cannot be used advantageously in combination. Those skilled in the art can make various substitutions and modifications without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, and these substitutions and modifications should all fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An optical fiber jumper for high-power laser transmission, characterized in that: include: A transmission optical fiber (1), the transmission optical fiber (1) being constructed as a hollow-core optical fiber having a light transmission channel (11), and being suitable for guiding laser light to propagate along an extension direction of the transmission optical fiber (1); Two solid protective optical fibers (2) are fused to two ends of the transmission optical fiber (1), respectively, and are configured to block the light transmission channel (11) in the transmission optical fiber (1) and allow laser light to pass through and enter the transmission optical fiber (1); It also includes a connector (3) located between the transmission optical fiber (1) and the protection optical fiber (2), the connector (3) being configured as a hollow tubular structure, the transmission optical fiber (1) being fused to a first end of the connector (3), and the first end of the protection optical fiber (2) being embedded in a second end of the connector (3) and fused to the second end of the connector (3); The outer diameter of the connector (3) is equal to the outer diameter of the transmission optical fiber (1), and the inner diameter of the connector (3) is equal to the outer diameter of the protection optical fiber (2).

2. The optical fiber jumper according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the center of the end face of the first end of the protective optical fiber (2) and the center of the end face of the transmission optical fiber (1) is L1, the length of the protective optical fiber (2) is L2, and L1+L2≤1mm.

3. The optical fiber jumper according to claim 1, wherein: An angle α is formed between the end face of the first end of the protective optical fiber (2) and the end face of the transmission optical fiber (1), and α is an acute angle.

4. The optical fiber jumper according to claim 3, characterized in that: The end face of the second end of the protective optical fiber (2) is parallel to the end face of the first end.

5. The optical fiber jumper according to claim 1, wherein: The protective optical fiber (2) is constructed into a solid tubular structure made of quartz material.

6. The optical fiber jumper according to claim 1, wherein: The interior of the optical transmission channel (11) of the transmission optical fiber (1) is configured to have a vacuum medium or a gas medium with a refractive index less than or equal to the refractive index of air.

7. A method for manufacturing an optical fiber jumper, characterized in that: Used to manufacture the optical fiber jumper according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising: Two sections of protective optical fiber (2) are fused to the two ends of the transmission optical fiber (1) respectively.

8. The manufacturing method according to claim 7, characterized in that Also includes: Fusion-joining the transmission optical fiber (1) and the first end of the connector (3); Grinding or cutting the first end of the protective optical fiber (2) to form an angle α with the end face of the transmission optical fiber (1), and embedding the first end of the connector (3); The connector (3) is fused to the first end of the protective optical fiber (2), and the second end of the protective optical fiber (2) is ground or cut to be parallel to the first end.

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