Modular High Power Fiber Laser With Separable Pump And Gain Modules
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional high power fiber laser systems are costly, complex, and difficult to service and upgrade due to redundancy in components, limitations in beam quality, and the need for specialized equipment, as well as challenges in incorporating technological advances without significant redesign.
Innovation Solution
A modular and scalable fiber laser system with separable pump and gain modules, where pump modules are optically coupled to gain modules, allowing for flexible power scaling and field upgradability without the use of signal combiners, enabling easier service and integration of technological advancements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If multiple component fiber lasers are combined using a fused-fiber signal combiner to achieve high power output, then the total system power increases, but the system cost, size, and complexity increase due to required redundancy in optical, electrical, and mechanical components
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate pump modules and gain modules that can be independently configured and scaled. Each module contains its own laser sources and optical components, allowing the system to achieve high power through modular aggregation rather than combining multiple complete laser systems. This segmentation eliminates the need for redundant components across multiple laser systems while maintaining power scalability.
2Power
If a fused-fiber signal combiner is used to combine multiple fiber laser outputs, then high power output is achieved, but optical loss occurs and beam quality is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the fused-fiber signal combiner from the system architecture. Instead of combining outputs through a combiner that causes optical loss and beam quality degradation, the system uses separate pump modules coupled to a common gain module, where the gain fiber directly produces the output beam without requiring post-combination of multiple laser outputs. This removes the source of optical loss and beam quality degradation.
3Reliability
If the entire fiber laser component system is replaced when an optical component fails, then system reliability is maintained, but service cost and downtime increase due to requirement for specialized equipment and clean-room conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into independently replaceable pump modules and gain modules. When an optical component fails, only the affected module needs to be replaced rather than the entire system. Each module can be serviced or replaced in the field without requiring clean-room conditions or specialized equipment, as the modular design isolates failures to specific replaceable units that can be handled in standard industrial environments.
4Volume of moving object
If pump diodes, fibers, and electronics are integrated into a single laser module, then system compactness is achieved, but adaptability to technological advances is reduced due to inaccessible interconnections and design ripple effects
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates pump functions into independent pump modules and gain functions into separate gain modules, with standardized optical coupling interfaces between them. This segmentation maintains compactness through modular integration while enabling independent upgrading of pump diodes, fibers, or electronics in each module without affecting other modules. The modular architecture with defined interfaces allows technological advances to be incorporated into individual modules without causing design ripple effects across the entire system.
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
This approach reduces costs and complexity, enhances field serviceability, and allows for efficient power scaling and improved beam quality, accommodating technological advances without extensive redesign, thus providing a more flexible and efficient high power fiber laser system.
Implementation Method 1
each pump module including a plurality of fiber-coupled component pump sources optically combined by one or more fiber-based pump module pump combiners
Implementation Method 2
a gain module separately disposed from the one or more separable pump modules and including one or more gain module pump fiber inputs optically coupled to corresponding ones of the pump module fiber outputs, and including a gain fiber optically coupled to the one or more gain module pump fiber inputs, the gain fiber configured to generate a gain module fiber output power
Data Source
AI summary
A modular and scalable high-power fiber laser system is configurable to generate 1 kW or more of laser output, and includes one or more separable pump modules separately disposed from each other, each pump module including a plurality of fiber-coupled component pump sources optically combined by one or more fiber-based pump module pump combiners, each pump module providing one or more pump module fiber outputs, and a gain module separately disposed from the one or more separable pump modules and including one or more gain module pump fiber inputs optically coupled to corresponding ones of the pump module fiber outputs, and including a gain fiber optically coupled to the one or more gain module pump fiber inputs, the gain fiber configured to generate a gain module fiber output power scalable in relation to the number and power of said pump module fiber outputs coupled to the gain fiber.