Bright output optical system with tapered bundle

• US 4,820,010 A
• Filed: 04/12/1988
• Issued: 04/11/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Viavi Solutions, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Spectra Diode Laboratories, Inc.
• Inventors: Worland, D. Phillip, Scifres, Donald R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sikes, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ullah, Akm E.
• Application Number:
  US07/180,469
• Time in Patent Office: 364 Days
• Field of Search: 350/96.15, 350/96.18, 350/96.24, 350/96.20, 372/6, 372/22, 372/34, 372/37
• US Class Current: 385/43
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2552 reshaping or reforming of light guides for coupling using thermal heating, e.g. tapering, forming of a lens on light guide ends
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2808 using a mixing element which evenly distributes an input signal over a number of outputs
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4249 comprising arrays of active devices and fibres
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/094053 Fibre coupled pump, e.g. delivering pump light using a fibre or a fibre bundle
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/09415 the pumping beam being parallel to the lasing mode of the pumped medium, e.g. end-pumping
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4025 Array arrangements, e.g. constituted by discrete laser diodes or laser bar H01S5/42 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4031 Edge-emitting structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4062 with an external cavity or using internal filters, e.g. Talbot filters

Abstract

An optical system producing bright light output for optical pumping, communications, illumination and the like in which one or more fiberoptic waveguides receive light from one or more diode lasers or diode laser bars and transmit the light to an output end where it is focused or collimated into a bright light image. The input end of the fiberoptic waveguide may be squashed into an elongated cross section so as to guide light emitted from an elongated light source such as a diode laser bar. The waveguides are preferably arranged at the output end into a tightly packed bundle where a lens or other optical means focuses or collimates the light. The bundle has a fused output end with a taper to a smaller output diameter, thereby producing a spatially uniform high power density light output. For diode laser bars much wider than 100 microns, a plurality of waveguides may be arranged in a line to receive the light, and then stacked at the output in a less elongated configuration. In this manner, light from many diode lasers or laser bars may be coupled through the bundle into the end of solid state laser medium.

Claims

1. An optical system for producing a bright light output comprising,

a plurality of light sources emitting light therefrom, and

a plurality of fiberoptic waveguides, each of said waveguides having an input end positioned relative to one of said light sources for accepting light therefrom, each of said waveguides having an output end, the waveguides being arranged at said output ends to form a bundle,

wherein said bundle has a fused output end with a taper to a smaller output diameter than a characteristic bundle diameter.

2. The optical system of claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of light sources is a laser diode.