发明名称 Method and apparatus for pumping optical fibers
摘要 A method and apparatus is disclosed for coupling substantial optical power into an optical fiber from the side without encumbering ends of the fiber. A special optical fiber having a gain medium preferably including rare earth dopants in the core is provided for carrying optical information signals, and for amplifying the information signals when the gain medium is stimulated with pump light. Launch sections are selected at intervals along the special fiber with absorptive loops therebetween. The launch sections are stripped to their inner cladding layer, which preferably has a rectangular cross section, and are positioned adjacent each other on a support block to form a launch region which is upwardly convex. The support block presents a low refraction index surface to the fiber. Pump light is provided, preferably by one or more stripe diodes about 1-3 microns wide and about as long as the total width of the adjacent launch sections. The pump light is focused by appropriate optics into a launch port, the launch port having a refractive index substantially matching that of the cladding layer, and being optically mated with the adjacent launch sections. The launch port guides the pump light into the launch sections in a direction generally parallel to the tangent of the launch section axes. Pump light may be provided, for example, by a single diode stripe, or the light from two diode stripes may be combined by polarization control, and such combined beams may be directed into the launch port from a single side or from different sides. A first reflective face may be formed on the launch port to reflect unabsorbed pump light back into the cladding from which it is re-emerging into the launch port. The first reflective face may be made transmissive to another wavelength of light directed into the face, while a second face is made inversely transmissive and reflective, permitting reflective recapture of residual light from two different pump beams, each of which can be a combination of two source beams. As the pump light travels along the special fiber in the absorptive loops between the launch sections, it is significantly absorbed by the gain medium in the signal-carrying core, where it generates signal light in the core or amplifies existing signal light. The special fiber may have single cladding or double cladding.
申请公布号 AU4312901(A) 申请公布日期 2001.09.17
申请号 AU20010043129 申请日期 2001.01.04
申请人 HRL LABORATORIES, LLC 发明人 STANISLAV I. IONOV
分类号 G02B6/02;H01S3/067;H01S3/094;H01S3/10 主分类号 G02B6/02
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