Polarization-Maintaining Mode Field Adapter With Fewer Splices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mode field adapters for fibre laser systems require high production effort and result in significant power losses due to complex splicing processes and precise manufacturing requirements, especially for short adapters needed to maintain high beam quality and polarization.
Innovation Solution
A mode field adapter fibre with a length between 5 mm and 150 mm, featuring a mode field adaptation section that expands the mode field diameter from the input fibre to the output fibre, allowing for polarization maintaining light guidance without explicit polarization maintaining structures, simplifying production and reducing power losses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a two-part mode field adapter structure is used, then mode field adaptation is achieved, but production complexity and power losses increase due to multiple splicing and cleaving operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the mode field adaptation function and polarization maintaining function into a single integrated adapter structure. This eliminates the need for separate splicing operations between multiple components, reducing production complexity from four cleaving operations and three splicing operations to just two cleaving operations and two splicing operations, while maintaining both mode field adaptation and polarization maintaining capabilities
2Manufacturing precision
If the mode field adapter length is reduced to 0.5-1 mm, then polarization maintaining guidance is achieved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the length parameter of the adapter from the conventional very short 0.5-1 mm to an extended range of 5-50 mm. This parameter change relaxes the manufacturing precision requirements for collimation while maintaining polarization maintaining guidance through the integrated structure design, making the adapter more tolerant to manufacturing variations
3Reliability
If multiple splicing processes are used, then mode field adapter assembly is completed, but power losses increase at the spliced points
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated adapter structure reduces the number of splicing operations from three to two, directly reducing the number of interfaces where power losses occur. By combining multiple functions into one component, the patent minimizes the total number of connection points, thereby improving power transmission efficiency while simplifying the manufacturing process
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables efficient adaptation of mode fields between input and output fibres, reducing production complexity and power losses while maintaining high beam quality and polarization, facilitating the use of mode field adapters in high-performance fibre laser systems.
Implementation Method 1
a mode field adapter fibre (14) having a mode field adaptation section (146) for adapting a mode field diameter of a mode field of an input fibre (2) to the mode field of an output fibre (3)
Implementation Method 2
The mode field adapter fibre (14) is configured to transfer light from the input fibre (2) in a polarization maintaining manner into the output fibre (3)
Data Source
AI summary
A mode field adapter for adapting a mode field of an input fibre to a mode field of an output fibre includes a mode field adapter fibre. The mode field adapter fibre includes a mode field adaptation section for adapting a mode field diameter of the mode field of the input fibre to the mode field of the output fibre. The mode field adapter fibre has a length between 5 mm and 150 mm. The mode field adaptation section has a length between 5 mm and 150 mm. The mode field adapter fibre is configured to transfer light from the input fibre in a polarization maintaining manner into the output fibre.