THERMALLY COMPENSATED FIBER INTERFEROMETER ASSEMBLY

摘要

An optical delay between a first fiber and a second fiber is temperature compensated by combining fibers with different thermal path length changes. In some examples, fibers with different buffer coatings exhibit different path length changes per unit length and temperature. Combining such fibers in a fiber array provides a path length difference that is substantially independent of temperature.

主权项

1. A fiber assembly, comprising:
a first optical fiber defining a first optical path length, the first optical fiber having a first effective thermal path coefficient; a second optical fiber having a second optical path length, the second optical fiber having a second effective thermal path coefficient, wherein the first optical path length is different than the second optical path length, and the first and second optical fibers define a thermally compensated optical path difference; an optical beam divider situated to couple a first beam portion and a second beam portion of an optical beam to the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber, respectively; and an optical beam combiner situated to receive the first beam portion and the second beam portion from the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber, respectively, and direct the combined beams to an output optical fiber.