Parallel-Beam Laser Fiber Ribs and Grooves
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for drawing high-efficiency parallel-beam laser optical fibers face challenges in combining multiple fibers effectively, achieving uniform tension and temperature control, and ensuring peelability for multipoint pump light injection, leading to inefficiencies in pump light coupling and potential heat management issues.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the arrangement of ribs on a gain optical fiber and grooves on a pump optical fiber, followed by precise fitting and drawing, allows for a tight, peelable structure that facilitates efficient fusion and multipoint pumping, using a temperature self-adaptive drawing process to achieve high coupling efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple optical fibre performs are combined and drawn concurrently, then the productivity is improved, but the manufacturing precision deteriorates due to difficulty in controlling drawing tension and temperature uniformity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the combined performs into separate drawing paths by using a splitting device that separates the pump optical fibre perform and signal optical fibre perform after initial combining. This allows each fibre type to be drawn under optimized, independent tension and temperature conditions while maintaining overall productivity benefits of combined drawing.
2Manufacturing precision
If low speed parallel-beam drawing method is used, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary combining of optical fibre performs before the drawing process. By pre-assembling the performs with proper alignment and positioning, the actual drawing process can proceed at higher speeds while maintaining fusion quality, as the critical alignment work has already been completed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes drawing parameters including temperature, tension, and speed by adjusting the heating zone distribution and tension application points. This allows the system to achieve high-speed drawing while maintaining the quality standards previously only attainable at low speeds.
3Reliability
If pump optical fibre is tightly fused to gain optical fibre, then the reliability is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates as peelability is lost for multipoint pumping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates different bonding characteristics at different locations along the fibre assembly. The pump optical fibre is tightly fused to the gain optical fibre at the core level for structural stability, while the cladding layers are designed with controlled bonding that allows selective peeling. This local differentiation of bonding quality enables both reliability and operational flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the bonding structure into multiple segments along the fibre length, allowing different sections to have different bonding strengths. This segmentation enables selective peeling at specific locations for multipoint pumping while maintaining overall structural integrity where tight bonding is required.
4Device complexity
If centralized pump light injection is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the object-generated harmful factors increase due to excessive heat load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements multipoint pump light injection by enabling peeling of the pump optical fibre at multiple locations along the gain optical fibre. This distributes the pump light input across multiple points rather than a single centralized location, effectively distributing the heat load and preventing localized overheating while maintaining relatively simple device architecture.
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 method enhances the repeatability and stability of the fiber drawing process, achieving a high-efficiency parallel-beam laser optical fiber with improved pump light coupling efficiency above 80% and effective heat management, suitable for large-scale production.
Implementation Method 1
arranging multiple grooves inwards on the base plane of the pump optical fibre perform, the ribs fitting the grooves; inserting the ribs of the gain optical fibre perform into the grooves of the pump optical fibre perform
Implementation Method 2
by drawing, making the parallel-beam laser-optical fibre perform into a parallel-beam laser-optical fibre
Implementation Method 3
concurrent drawing of multiple optical fibres needs to overcome some difficulties... as the drawing tension and temperature of each perform as well as the coating pressure against corresponding optical fibres are varied
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a high-efficiency parallel-beam laser optical fiber drawing method and optical fiber, the method including the steps of: S1: providing base planes on the side surfaces of both a gain optical fiber preform and a pump optical fiber preform, inwardly processing the base plane of the gain optical fiber preform to make a plurality of ribs protrude, and inwardly providing a plurality of grooves on the base plane of the pump optical fiber preform; S2: embedding the ribs into the grooves, tapering and fixing one end of the combination of the ribs and the grooves to form a parallel-beam laser optical fiber preform; S3: drawing the parallel-beam laser optical fiber preform into parallel-beam laser optical fibers. The process has high repeatability, and the obtained parallel-beam laser achieves peelability of pump optical fibers in a set area, thus facilitating multi-point pump light injection of parallel-beam laser optical fibers.