Tapered Fiber Bundle for High-Power Laser Beam Combination
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Solution Overview
Problem
High power fiber laser amplifiers face challenges in combining beams from multiple fibers to achieve a single beam with uniform phase and high quality, leading to reduced fill factor and increased complexity due to the need for precise alignment of fiber arrays and external optics.
Innovation Solution
The use of a tapered fiber bundle that combines multiple input fibers into a single output fiber, allowing for in-phase super-mode formation and increased fill factor through careful tapering and end cap design, minimizing the need for external optics and alignment precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If multiple fiber laser amplifiers are combined to increase power, then output power is improved, but beam quality and phase uniformity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple individual fiber laser amplifiers are merged into a single integrated fiber laser amplifier through a tapered fiber bundle structure. The individual fiber cores are combined within a common cladding, allowing their beams to coherently combine and interfere constructively to form a single high-power beam with uniform phase front, thus maintaining beam quality while achieving power scaling.
Solution Approach 2:
The individual fiber cores are nested within a common cladding structure of the tapered fiber bundle. This nested configuration allows multiple fiber beams to be contained and guided together through the tapered structure, enabling coherent combination while maintaining spatial coherence and phase uniformity across the combined beam.
2Power
If fiber arrays and external optics are used for beam combination, then power combination is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of multiple fiber amplifiers and beam combination optics into a single integrated tapered fiber bundle structure. This eliminates the need for separate external beam combination optics and complex alignment systems, as the tapered bundle itself performs the coherent beam combination function through its waveguide structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical alignment systems and external optical components with an all-fiber integrated solution. The tapered fiber bundle uses optical waveguide principles and coherent interference within the fiber structure to achieve beam combination, eliminating mechanical alignment requirements and reducing device complexity.
3Power
If multiple fiber beams are combined, then output power is improved, but fill factor decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple fiber cores are nested within a common cladding structure where their individual beam areas are consolidated into a single effective output area. This nesting allows the combined beam to utilize the full aperture of the tapered fiber bundle output, maximizing the fill factor while maintaining high output power through coherent addition of all individual fiber beams.
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 enhances beam quality by achieving a high fill factor and efficient power combination within a single fiber aperture, reducing losses and thermal management issues, while allowing for compact and rugged high-power laser systems.
Implementation Method 1
allows for in-phase super-mode formation
Implementation Method 2
combines them in some fashion to higher powers... beams provide a single beam output having a uniform phase
Implementation Method 3
in-phase super-mode formation... uniform phase over the beam diameter
Data Source
AI summary
An optical system including a plurality of fibers each providing a fiber beam and at least one tapered fiber bundle. The tapered fiber bundle includes a plurality of input end fibers, a plurality of output end fibers and a center bundle portion, where each input end fiber is coupled to a separate one of the fibers, and where the bundle portion combines all of the fiber beams received by the input end fibers into a single combined beam and each output end fiber is capable of receiving the combined beam separately from the other output end fibers. The optical system also includes a plurality of optical output channels where each optical output channel is coupled to a separate one of the output end fibers.