Fiber laser

Abstract

The utility model provides an optical fiber laser, relates to the technical field of laser equipment, and is designed for solving the problem that the size and the weight of the laser are relatively large due to the existing multi-path laser beam combining scheme. The fiber laser comprises a pumping source module, a multi-path signal pumping beam combiner, a high-reflectivity fiber grating, a gain fiber disc, a low-reflectivity fiber grating, an energy beam combiner, a fiber jumper and a temperature control module, wherein the multi-path signal pumping beam combiner is used for coupling multiple paths of fibers of the pumping source module; the high-reflectivity fiber bragg grating is used for receiving the high-reflectivity laser output by the gain fiber disc; the low-reflectivity fiber bragg grating is used for receiving the low-reflectivity laser output by the gain fiber disc; the energy beam combiner is used for coupling the laser output by the low-reflection fiber bragg grating, and the optical fiber patch cord is used for outputting the laser coupled by the energy beam combiner; the high-reflection fiber grating and the low-reflection fiber grating are arranged at the temperature control end of the temperature control module. According to the utility model, the size and the weight are small while the same power output is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of laser equipment technology, and more specifically, to a fiber laser. Background Technology

[0002] The development of thulium fiber lasers is mainly limited by the large quantum defect, significant thermal effects, and pronounced photon darkening at high power in thulium fibers. Although a single thulium-doped fiber oscillator can achieve output power in the hundreds of watts, the severe thermal effects at high power operation restrict further increases in output power.

[0003] As power increases, the system generates a significant amount of heat, severely impacting output power and laser stability, and potentially even damaging the laser. Furthermore, the higher the laser's output power, the more pronounced the impact of nonlinear effects in the fiber on power enhancement. Besides temperature and nonlinear effects, the performance of the fiber optic components also limits output power; exceeding the maximum power handling capacity of the fiber optic components can lead to damage. Currently, in addition to improving the performance of individual components within a single cavity and employing co-band pumping, beam combining is a relatively easy way to achieve high power.

[0004] However, due to the immaturity of thulium-doped fiber and related device technologies, the achievable power is not high; co-band pumping is also relatively expensive, making it unsuitable for commercialization. Currently, the most stable technology is the multi-channel laser beam combining scheme. However, because the multi-channel laser beam combining scheme requires multiple independent laser modules, each consisting of multiple temperature control modules, multiple beam combining modules, and multiple gain fiber disk modules, and then integrating these modules with the beam combining module, the size and weight of the laser are both relatively large. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a fiber laser to solve the technical problem that existing multi-channel laser beam combining schemes result in large laser size and weight.

[0006] The fiber laser provided by this utility model includes a pump source module, a multi-channel signal pump combiner, a high-reflectivity fiber grating, a gain fiber disk, a low-reflectivity fiber grating, an energy combiner, fiber optic jumpers, and a temperature control module. The multi-channel signal pump combiner is used to couple multiple optical fibers of the pump source module. The high-reflectivity fiber grating is used to receive high-reflectivity laser light output from the gain fiber disk. The low-reflectivity fiber grating is used to receive low-reflectivity laser light output from the gain fiber disk. The energy combiner is used to couple the laser light output from the low-reflectivity fiber grating. The fiber optic jumpers are used to output the laser light coupled by the energy combiner. Both the high-reflectivity fiber grating and the low-reflectivity fiber grating are disposed at the temperature control end of the temperature control module.

[0007] Furthermore, the multi-signal pump combiner includes a package box, and the multi-signal optical fibers and multi-pump optical fibers output from the pump source module are coupled inside the package box.

[0008] Furthermore, the packaging box is made of aluminum.

[0009] Furthermore, the multi-channel signal pump combiner is a (1+1)×1 pump signal combiner or a (N+1)×1 pump signal combiner, where N>1 and N is an integer.

[0010] Furthermore, the input and output optical fibers of the gain fiber disk are arranged at intervals.

[0011] Furthermore, the temperature control module includes a thermally conductive metal block and an electronic cooling chip stacked together, with the side of the thermally conductive metal block facing away from the electronic cooling chip forming the temperature control terminal.

[0012] Furthermore, the temperature control module also includes a heat dissipation base plate, which is located on the side of the electronic cooling chip that is away from the heat-conducting metal block, and the heat dissipation base plate is provided with a heat dissipation structure.

[0013] Furthermore, the heat-conducting metal block is made of copper or aluminum.

[0014] Furthermore, the pump source module, the multi-channel signal pump combiner, the gain fiber disk, and the high-reflectivity fiber grating are arranged sequentially.

[0015] Furthermore, the pump source module, the multi-channel signal pump combiner, the high-reflectivity fiber grating, and the gain fiber disk are arranged sequentially.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this fiber laser are:

[0017] With the above configuration, the fiber laser can first couple the output fiber of the pump source module using a multi-channel signal pump combiner, and then simultaneously coil the coupled fiber onto a gain fiber disk. This allows multiple laser resonators of the fiber laser to share a single gain fiber disk, effectively improving the situation in the prior art where the fiber laser requires a large number of gain fiber disks, signal pump combiners, and pump source modules due to the separation and then combining of the fibers.

[0018] In addition, by placing both the high-reflection fiber grating and the low-reflection fiber grating at the temperature control end of the temperature control module, the temperature control module can simultaneously control the temperature of both the high-reflection fiber grating and the low-reflection fiber grating, thereby reducing the use of the temperature control module. This allows the fiber laser to achieve the same power output while significantly reducing the overall structural size and weight, thus solving the technical problem of the large size and weight of existing fiber lasers. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a fiber laser provided for existing technology;

[0021] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the fiber laser provided in this embodiment of the utility model;

[0022] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the principle of a (2+1)×1 pump signal combiner for a fiber laser provided in this embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating the principle of high-reflection fiber gratings and low-reflection fiber gratings of the fiber laser provided in this embodiment of the present invention being disposed at the temperature control end of the temperature control module.

[0024] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0025] 10 - High-reflectivity fiber Bragg grating; 20 - Gain fiber; 30 - Low-reflectivity fiber Bragg grating; 40 - Signal pump combiner; 50 - Pump source module; 60 - Energy combiner; 70 - Fiber optic patch cord;

[0026] 100 - Pump source module; 200 - Multi-channel signal pump combiner; 300 - High-reflectivity fiber optic grating; 400 - Gain fiber optic disc; 500 - Low-reflectivity fiber optic grating; 600 - Energy combiner; 700 - Fiber optic patch cord; 800 - Temperature control module;

[0027] 210 - Signal fiber; 220 - Pump fiber; 230 - Encapsulation box;

[0028] 810 - Thermally conductive metal block; 820 - Electronic cooling chip; 830 - Heat dissipation base plate. Detailed Implementation

[0029] Currently, multi-channel laser beam combining solutions require multiple independent laser modules. Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the principle of a fiber laser provided for the prior art, such as Figure 1 As shown, the fiber laser includes multiple sets of laser beams arranged in parallel. Each set of laser beams includes a high-reflectivity fiber grating 10, a gain fiber 20, a low-reflectivity fiber grating 30, a signal pump combiner 40, and a pump source module 50 arranged sequentially along the optical path. The multiple sets of laser beams together form a laser resonant cavity, and after being combined by the laser energy combiner 60, they are output by the fiber optic jumper 70.

[0030] Since the above-mentioned multi-channel laser beam combining scheme involves combining multiple discrete modules, it requires multiple temperature control modules, multiple beam combining modules, and multiple gain fiber disk modules, resulting in a large size and weight of the laser.

[0031] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this utility model more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments of this utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of this utility model and are not intended to limit it.

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the fiber laser provided in this embodiment. Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment provides a fiber laser, including a pump source module 100, a multi-channel signal pump combiner 200, a high-reflectivity fiber grating 300, a gain fiber disk 400, a low-reflectivity fiber grating 500, an energy combiner 600, fiber optic patch cords 700, and a temperature control module 800. The multi-channel signal pump combiner 200 is used to couple multiple optical fibers from the pump source module 100; the high-reflectivity fiber grating 300 is used to receive the high-reflectivity laser output from the gain fiber disk 400; the low-reflectivity fiber grating 500 is used to receive the low-reflectivity laser output from the gain fiber disk 400; the energy combiner 600 is used to couple the laser output from the low-reflectivity fiber grating 500; and the fiber optic patch cord 700 is used to output the laser coupled from the energy combiner 600. Both the high-reflectivity fiber grating 300 and the low-reflectivity fiber grating 500 are located at the temperature control end of the temperature control module 800.

[0033] With the above configuration, the fiber laser can first couple the output fiber of the pump source module 100 using the multi-channel signal pump combiner 200, and then simultaneously coil the coupled fiber around the gain fiber disk 400. This allows the multiple laser resonators of the fiber laser to share a single gain fiber disk 400, effectively improving the situation in the prior art where the fiber laser requires a large number of gain fiber disks 400, signal pump combiners, and pump source modules due to the first separation and then combining of the fibers.

[0034] In addition, by placing both the high-reflection fiber grating 300 and the low-reflection fiber grating 500 at the temperature control end of the temperature control module 800, the temperature control module 800 can simultaneously control the temperature of both the high-reflection fiber grating 300 and the low-reflection fiber grating 500, thereby reducing the use of the temperature control module 800. This allows the fiber laser to achieve the same power output while significantly reducing its overall structural size and weight, thus solving the technical problem of the large size and weight of existing fiber lasers.

[0035] In this embodiment, the multi-channel signal pump combiner 200 is a (1+1)×1 pump signal combiner or a (N+1)×1 pump signal combiner, where N>1 and N is an integer.

[0036] When the multi-channel signal pump combiner 200 is an (N+1)×1 pump signal combiner, the pump source module 100 includes a single-mode pump light source and N multi-mode pump light sources. The output end of the single-mode pump light source is connected to the signal end of the (N+1)×1 pump signal combiner, and the output end of the multi-mode pump light source is connected to the pump end of the (N+1)×1 pump signal combiner.

[0037] Figure 3 The fiber laser multi-channel signal pump combiner 200 provided in this embodiment is a schematic diagram of a (2+1)×1 pump signal combiner. (See attached diagram.) Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the multi-signal pump combiner 200 includes a package 230, and the multi-signal optical fiber 210 and multi-pump optical fiber 220 output from the pump source module 100 are both coupled inside the package 230.

[0038] This setup enables effective coupling of the multi-channel signal fiber 210 and multi-channel pump fiber 220 output from the pump source module 100.

[0039] It should be noted that this embodiment only uses a (2+1)×1 pump signal combiner to illustrate the coupling between the signal fiber 210 and the pump fiber 220.

[0040] In this embodiment, the packaging box 230 is made of aluminum.

[0041] By making the packaging box 230 of aluminum, the heat dissipation effect of the packaging box 230 can be enhanced, and it is easier to process and manufacture.

[0042] In this embodiment, the input and output optical fibers of the gain fiber disk 400 are arranged at intervals.

[0043] By arranging the input and output optical fibers at 400 intervals on the gain fiber disk, cross-interference between the input and output optical fibers can be avoided, and heat from the input fiber can also be prevented from being transferred to the output fiber.

[0044] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of the high-reflection fiber grating 300 and low-reflection fiber grating 500 of the fiber laser provided in this embodiment being disposed at the temperature control terminal of the temperature control module 800. Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, the temperature control module 800 may include a heat-conducting metal block 810 and an electronic cooling chip 820 stacked together, wherein the side of the heat-conducting metal block 810 facing away from the electronic cooling chip 820 forms a temperature control terminal.

[0045] The temperature control module 800 utilizes an electronic cooler 820 to regulate the temperature of the heat-conducting metal block 810. This not only enables heat dissipation for the high-reflectivity fiber grating 300 and the low-reflectivity fiber grating 500, but also allows for precise temperature control, resulting in a more stable laser output process. Furthermore, this heat dissipation method using the electronic cooler 820 reduces space requirements, making the temperature control module 800 more compact.

[0046] It should be noted that the 820 electronic cooling chip, also known as a semiconductor cooler, or TEC (Thermoelectric cooler) in English, is a heat dissipation device made using the Peltier effect.

[0047] Please continue to refer to Figure 4 In this embodiment, the temperature control module 800 may also include a heat dissipation base plate 830. Specifically, the heat dissipation base plate 830 is located on the side of the electronic cooling chip 820 that is away from the heat-conducting metal block 810, and the heat dissipation base plate 830 is provided with a heat dissipation structure.

[0048] By setting the aforementioned heat dissipation base plate 830 in the temperature control module 800, on the one hand, it can provide overall support for the heat-conducting metal block 810 and the electronic cooling chip 820, and on the other hand, it can enhance the heat dissipation capacity of the temperature control module 800 to improve heat dissipation efficiency.

[0049] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the heat dissipation structure provided on the heat dissipation base plate 830 can be heat dissipation fins or cooling water channels.

[0050] In this embodiment, the heat-conducting metal block 810 can be made of copper or aluminum.

[0051] By setting the heat-conducting metal block 810 to the aforementioned material, the heat conduction capacity of the heat-conducting metal block 810 can be increased, so that the heat of the high-reflection fiber grating 300 and the low-reflection fiber grating 500 can be dissipated in a timely manner.

[0052] Please continue to refer to Figure 1In this embodiment, the pump source module 100, the multi-channel signal pump combiner 200, the gain fiber disk 400, and the high-reflectivity fiber grating 300 are arranged sequentially. This arrangement enables the fiber laser to employ a reverse pumping structure.

[0053] It is understood that in other embodiments, the pump source module 100, the multi-channel signal pump combiner 200, the high-reflection fiber grating 300 and the gain fiber disk 400 may be arranged in sequence. In this case, the fiber laser uses a forward pumping structure.

[0054] While the present invention has been disclosed above, it is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can make various modifications and alterations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention; therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope defined in the claims.

[0055] Finally, it should be noted that in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the term "comprising" or any other variations thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0056] In the above embodiments, descriptions of directions such as "up", "down", and "side" are based on the accompanying drawings.

[0057] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A fiber laser, characterized by, The application relates to a high-power fiber laser device, which comprises a pump source module (100), a multi-channel signal pump combiner (200), a high-reflectivity fiber grating (300), a gain fiber disc (400), a low-reflectivity fiber grating (500), an energy combiner (600), a fiber jumper (700) and a temperature control module (800), wherein the multi-channel signal pump combiner (200) is used for coupling multi-channel optical fibers of the pump source module (100); the high-reflectivity fiber grating (300) is used for receiving high-reflectivity laser output by the gain fiber disc (400); the low-reflectivity fiber grating (500) is used for receiving low-reflectivity laser output by the gain fiber disc (400); the energy combiner (600) is used for coupling laser output by the low-reflectivity fiber grating (500), and the fiber jumper (700) is used for outputting laser coupled by the energy combiner (600); and the high-reflectivity fiber grating (300) and the low-reflectivity fiber grating (500) are arranged at a temperature control end of the temperature control module (800).

2. The fiber laser of claim 1, wherein, The multi-channel signal pump combiner (200) comprises a packaging box (230), and multi-channel signal optical fibers (210) and multi-channel pump optical fibers (220) output by the pump source module (100) are coupled in the packaging box (230).

3. The fiber laser of claim 2, wherein, The packaging box (230) is made of aluminum.

4. The fiber laser of claim 1, wherein, The multi-channel signal pump combiner (200) is a (1+1) * 1 pump signal combiner or an (N+1) * 1 pump signal combiner, wherein N>1 and N is an integer.

5. The fiber laser of claim 1, wherein, Input optical fibers and output optical fibers of the gain fiber disc (400) are arranged at intervals.

6. The fiber laser of claim 1, wherein, The temperature control module (800) comprises a heat-conducting metal block (810) and an electronic refrigerating sheet (820) arranged in layers, and one side of the heat-conducting metal block (810) away from the electronic refrigerating sheet (820) forms the temperature control end.

7. The fiber laser of claim 6, wherein, The temperature control module (800) further comprises a heat-dissipating bottom plate (830), which is located at a side of the electronic refrigerating sheet (820) away from the heat-conducting metal block (810), and the heat-dissipating bottom plate (830) is provided with a heat-dissipating structure.

8. The fiber laser of claim 6, wherein, The heat-conducting metal block (810) is made of copper or aluminum.

9. The fiber laser of any of claims 1-8, wherein, The pump source module (100), the multi-channel signal pump combiner (200), the gain fiber disc (400) and the high-reflectivity fiber grating (300) are sequentially arranged.

10. The fiber laser of any of claims 1-8, wherein, The pump source module (100), the multi-channel signal pump combiner (200), the high-reflectivity fiber grating (300) and the gain fiber disc (400) are sequentially arranged.

Images