Fiber device with high nonlinearity, dispersion control and gain

摘要

An optical fiber is tapered, for example, by heating it with a CO₂ laser. The tapering process is controlled such that the taper transition regions have taper angles selected to minimize loss. The taper waist has a diameter selected to introduce desired dispersion properties and desired nonlinearity. The optical fiber can be used as a dispersion compensator in a fiber laser or other fiber optic system. The nonlinearity in the tapered optical fiber allows the generation of ultrashort light pulses.