| 摘要 |
Optical couplers functioning, for example, as fiber optic combiners or fiber optic splitters for multimode fibers are disclosed for coupling, for example, the light output of a plurality of multimode laser sources into a multimode output fiber or fibers. Coupling combinations include multimode fibers to multimode fiber or fibers (MMFs/MMF(s)) or multimode fibers/single mode fiber to double clad fiber (MMFs/SMF/DCF). Improvements are disclosed in coupling efficiency and the power distribution uniformity of optical power into an output fiber, such as double clad fiber inner cladding or multimode fiber core, from multiple multimode input fibers. Power distribution uniformity can be significantly improved by having the multimode fiber bundled region taper converging down to a minimum waist having a diameter, D0, where the input light from the multimode input fibers substantially fills the entire numerical aperture (NA) of an air-clad region of the couple, where NA≈1, followed by an adiabatic diverging taper up to the nominal cladding or core diameter, Doutput, of the output fiber or combined fibers. |
