Radial Emissions from Optical Fibers

• US 20170135765A1
• Filed: 11/18/2015
• Published: 05/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cyclone Biosciences LLC
• Original Assignee: InnovaQuartz, LLC
• Inventors: Griffin, Stephen E., Watson, Stuart F.
• Granted Patent: US 10,092,356 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/22 the beam being directed along or through a flexible conduit, e.g. an optical fibre; Couplings or hand-pieces therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00404 Blood vessels other than those in or around the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00577 Ablation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2222 Fibre material or composition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2244 Features of optical fibre cables, e.g. claddings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2261 with scattering, diffusion or dispersion of light
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2266 with a lens, e.g. ball tipped
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2272 with reflective or refractive surfaces for deflecting the beam A61B2018/2261, A61B2018/2266 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/063 comprising light transmitting means, e.g. optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0601 Apparatus for use inside the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/062 Photodynamic therapy, i.e. excitation of an agent
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/067 using laser light
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0003 the light guides being doped with fluorescent agents
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/262 Optical details of coupling light into, or out of, or between fibre ends, e.g. special fibre end shapes or associated optical elements

Abstract

Radial emission optical fiber terminations that include conical elements can prevent axial emission and redirect all incident light to radial positions. One termination includes an optical fiber having an up-tapered terminus, the up-tapered terminus having a maximum taper diameter of at least 1.5 times the core diameter and ending at a cone-tip which has an apex angle in a range of about 70° to about 100°. Another termination includes a fiber cap that is a unitary construction of a glass tube and an optical element that bisects the glass tube. The glass tube includes an open end adapted to receive an optical fiber and a closed end. The optical element, consisting of fused quartz or fused silica, has an input face proximal to the open end of the glass tube and a conical face proximal to the closed end of the glass tube.

Claims

1. A radial emission optical fiber termination comprising:

an optical fiber that includes a fluorine-doped-silica clad, silica core fiber which has a core diameter;

the optical fiber having an up-tapered terminus, the up-tapered terminus having a maximum taper diameter of at least 1.5 times the core diameter, the up-tapered terminus having a length in a range of about 3 to about 20 times the core diameter;

the up-tapered terminus ending at a cone-tip which has an apex angle in a range of about 70°

to about 115°

.

2. A radial emission optical fiber termination comprising:

a fiber cap that includes a glass tube and an optical element that bisects the glass tube,

the glass tube including an open end adapted to receive an optical fiber and a closed end;

the optical element consisting of fused quartz or fused silica and having an input face proximal to the open end of the glass tube and a conical face proximal to the closed end of the glass tube.

3. The optical fiber termination of claim 2, wherein the fiber cap further includes a bubble between a closed end surface and the optical element;

wherein the bubble is a low-vacuum bubble.

4. The optical fiber termination of claim 2, wherein the optical element has a diameter that is the same as an inside diameter of the glass tube and has a length that is about 0.1 mm to about 10 mm.

5. The optical fiber termination of claim 2, wherein the input face is selected from the group consisting of a flat face, a convex lens, and a concave lens.

6. The optical fiber termination of claim 2, wherein the conical face is selected from the group consisting of a negative cone and a positive cone.

7. The optical fiber termination of claim 6, wherein the conical face is selected from the group consisting of a negative cone having an apex angle in the range of about 70°

to about 100° and

a positive cone having an apex angle in the range of about 70°

to about 100°

.

8. The optical fiber termination of claim 6, wherein the conical face is positive frustoconical.

9. The optical fiber termination of claim 6, wherein the conical face is an up-tapered negative cone;

wherein the up-tapered negative cone includes a TIR apex angle in the range of about 70°

to about 115° and

an up-tapered apex angle of less than 10°

.

10. The optical fiber termination of claim 2, wherein the glass tube and the optical element consist of the same material and are a single, unitary piece.

11. The optical fiber termination of claim 2 further comprising an optical fiber that includes a polymer clad portion and a silica core, the optical fiber having an output positioned within the open end of the glass tube and proximal to the input face of the optical element.

12. The optical fiber termination of claim 11, wherein the optical fiber includes an up-tapered termination.

13. The optical fiber termination of claim 11, wherein the optical fiber includes an annular fiber termination.

14. The optical fiber termination of claim 2, wherein the fiber cap is affixed to a cannula.

15. The optical fiber termination of claim 14;

wherein fiber cap includes a chamfer;

wherein the cannula includes a fiber-cap matching chamfer; and

wherein the cannula is adhesively affixed to the cannula about the chamfer and the fiber-cap matching chamfer.

16. The optical fiber termination of claim 14, wherein the cannula is affixed to a cannula-mount segment of a fiber control device.

17. The optical fiber termination of claim 16 further comprising an optical fiber, the optical fiber affixed to a fiber-holding segment of the fiber control device.

18. The optical fiber termination of claim 17 further comprising a centering sleeve disposed about the optical fiber;

wherein the optical fiber includes an output tip proximal to the input face of the optical element; and

wherein the centering sleeve is disposed about the output tip.