Waveguides, optical systems, and methods for fabricating waveguides - Patents.com

Abstract

To solve one of problems in high-power variable or multi-state beam shaping applications that there is excessive increase in a beam parameter product (BPP) when an input beam is simultaneously sent to another region in a waveguide by offset alone.SOLUTION: In some embodiments, a waveguide may comprise an internal core that receives a first beam, and an external core that surrounds the internal core and receives a second beam from the first beam. The external core may include a beam guide region that rotates and spreads into an annulus that concentrically surrounds the internal core or a partial annulus that partially surrounds the internal core over a length of the waveguide. For example, the beam guide region may be defined by a set of low-index features that change a direction or a shape over the length of the waveguide such that the second beam enters the waveguide as an offset beam and exits the waveguide as a ring shaped beam or partial ring shaped beam.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2A

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