Optical Combiner Prevents Pumping Light Damage
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Solution Overview
Problem
In fiber laser devices with optical combiners, the pumping light source is often damaged due to scattered or reflected laser light leaking from the core of the fiber for laser light and entering the fiber for pumping light, causing damage to the pumping light source.
Innovation Solution
The optical combiner design features a configuration where the fiber for pumping light and the fiber for laser light are not fused, with the fiber for pumping light inputting pumping light into the clad of a large area fiber and the fiber for laser light inputting laser light into the core of the same large area fiber, preventing leaked laser light from entering the fiber for pumping light. This design includes a double clad fiber with a core and clad, and a single mode fiber surrounded by multi mode fibers, ensuring they are spaced apart to prevent light leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the fiber for propagation of laser light and the fiber for propagation of pumping light are fused together in an optical combiner, then the device complexity is reduced and the coupling efficiency is improved, but scattered or reflected laser light leaks from the core and enters the fiber for propagation of pumping light, causing damage to the pumping light source
Solution Approach 1:
The optical combiner is segmented into distinct functional regions: a core region for laser light propagation and a cladding region for pumping light propagation. The large area fiber's core receives laser light while its cladding receives pumping light, physically separating the light paths to prevent harmful interactions while maintaining structural integration.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the optical combiner are assigned different optical properties. The core of the large area fiber is optimized for laser light transmission, while the cladding is optimized for pumping light transmission. This local differentiation ensures that scattered or reflected laser light remains confined to the core region and does not enter the pumping light fiber.
2Manufacturing precision
If the core of the fiber for propagation of laser light and the core of the double clad fiber are aligned, then the laser light coupling efficiency is improved, but this alignment causes scattered laser light to leak into the fiber for propagation of pumping light
Solution Approach 1:
The solution moves the pumping light propagation from the core dimension to the cladding dimension. While the core of the large area fiber is aligned with the core of the double clad fiber for laser light coupling, the pumping light is guided through the cladding region, which is spatially separated from the core. This dimensional separation prevents cross-contamination of light paths.
3Ease of manufacture
If the optical combiner uses fused fibers for both laser light and pumping light propagation, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the pumping light source is damaged by leaked laser light
Solution Approach 1:
The cladding of the large area fiber acts as an intermediary structure that receives and guides pumping light separately from the core. This intermediary cladding region serves as a protective barrier that prevents laser light from the core from entering the pumping light fiber, while still allowing the optical combiner to be manufactured using standard fusion techniques.
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 configuration effectively prevents the pumping light source from being damaged by ensuring that scattered or reflected laser light does not enter the fiber for pumping light, thereby protecting the pumping light source and allowing for efficient operation of the fiber laser device.
Implementation Method 1
the core of the fiber for propagation of laser light and the core of the large area fiber overlap in the longitudinal direction of the large area fiber, laser light propagates between the large area fiber and the fiber for propagation of laser light
Implementation Method 2
the fiber for propagation of pumping light and the clad of the large area fiber overlap in the longitudinal direction of the large area fiber, pumping light is input from the fiber for propagation of pumping light to the clad of the large area fiber
Data Source
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AI summary
An optical combiner capable of realizing a fiber laser device which prevents a pumping light source from being damaged, and a fiber laser device having the optical combiner are provided. An optical combiner 100 includes: fibers for propagation of pumping light 20 each having a core 21 and a clad 22 and configured to propagate pumping light; a fiber for propagation of laser light 10 having a core 11 and a clad 12 and configured to propagate laser light having a longer wavelength than the pumping light; and a large area fiber 30 having a core 31 and a clad 32 and configured to propagate laser light and pumping light, in which one end surface of the fiber for propagation of laser light 10 and one end surface of the large area fiber 30 are fused, one end surfaces of the fibers for propagation of pumping light 20 and the one end surface of the large area fiber 30 are fused, and the fiber for propagation of laser light 10 and the fibers for propagation of pumping light 20 are not fused to each other.