3D Waveguide Ring Geometry for Multimode Pump Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current optical communication systems using single-core fibers and single-mode pumps are limited by low power output, high cost, and inefficiency, as they cannot effectively utilize multimode pumps due to inefficient power distribution and signal amplification, leading to wasted power and noise in the signal.
Innovation Solution
The use of a 3D laser-written glass substrate with a pump waveguide ring geometry that efficiently couples multimode pump power to multiple cores in a multicore fiber amplifier, allowing for higher power delivery and reduced noise, while avoiding the disadvantages of hollow center fibers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If single-mode pump lasers are used in single-core fiber amplifiers, then the system is compatible with current transmission systems, but the power output is limited below 2 W and the cost is high
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the single pump source into multiple spatial modes that can be efficiently coupled into multiple cores of the fiber amplifier. By segmenting the pump power distribution across multiple cores, the system achieves high total power output while maintaining compatibility with single multimode pump laser sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested structure where multiple cores are embedded within a single fiber cladding, and each core receives pump power from the same multimode pump source through mode-selective coupling. This nested arrangement allows multiple amplification channels to share a common pump source, achieving high power output without requiring multiple independent pump lasers.
2Power
If multimode pump lasers are used, then high power output above 10 W and lower cost are achieved, but the power cannot be efficiently launched into single-mode EDFs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by creating distinct mode profiles in different spatial regions of the pump waveguide. Each local region is designed to support specific modes that can be efficiently coupled into corresponding cores, ensuring that pump power is delivered to the correct locations with appropriate mode structures to minimize loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from single-mode to multimode operation by adding spatial dimensionality to the pump propagation. By utilizing multiple transverse modes in the pump waveguide, the system can carry and distribute high pump power across multiple cores, effectively converting the limitation of multimode pump compatibility into an advantage for high-power multi-core amplification.
3Reliability
If multiple single-core amplifiers are used in parallel, then each signal can be amplified individually, but the cost and packaging size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges multiple single-core amplifier functions into a single multi-core fiber amplifier package. By combining multiple cores within one fiber and using a shared pump source and housing, the system achieves the functional reliability of multiple independent amplifiers while reducing the overall packaging size and cost through consolidation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal amplifier platform where a single multi-core fiber amplifier can handle multiple signal wavelengths and channels simultaneously. The device performs multiple amplification functions in parallel within one integrated structure, eliminating the need for separate dedicated amplifiers for each signal path.
4Power
If pump power is distributed over many modes in multimode pumps, then high power is available, but most power cannot be launched into single-mode EDFs and is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the fundamental parameter of the receiving medium from single-mode to multi-mode fiber, matching the multimode nature of the pump source. This parameter change enables efficient coupling of the full multimode pump power into the fiber amplifier, converting what would have been wasted power into useful amplification across multiple cores.
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 solution enables efficient power transfer and amplification across multiple cores, reducing costs and size, increasing reliability, and improving signal quality by maximizing the overlap between pump and signal power, thus enhancing the overall efficiency of optical amplification.
Implementation Method 1
a 3D waveguide that simultaneously couples the output of a pump laser with a plurality of cores of a multicore fiber amplifier
Implementation Method 2
The waveguide has a geometry that would concentrate the pump light around the cores carrying the signal
Data Source
AI summary
An optical communication substrate includes a plurality of cores to communicate optical signals; a rectangular input delivering a pump laser, and a shaped portion to combine the optical signals and the pump laser into a ring geometry at an output.