Abstract:
Embodiments of optical fiber may include cladding features that include a material (e.g., fluorine-doped silica glass) that may produce a very low relative refractive index difference with respect to cladding material in which the cladding features are disposed. This relative refractive index difference may be characterized by (ni-n2)/ni, where ni is the index of refraction of the cladding material in which the cladding features are included, and n2 is the index of refraction of the cladding features. In certain embodiments, the relative refractive index difference may be less than about 4.5 x 10"3. In various embodiments, the configuration of the cladding features including, for example, the size and spacing of the cladding features, can be selected to provide for confinement of the fundamental mode yet leakage for the second mode and higher modes, which may provide mode filtering, single mode propagation, and/or low bend loss.
Abstract:
Included among the many structures described herein are photonic bandgap fibers designed to provide a desired dispersion spectrum. Additionally, designs for achieving wide transmission bands and lower transmission loss are also discussed. For example, in some fiber designs, smaller dimensions of high index material in the cladding and large core size provide small flat dispersion over a wide spectral range. In other examples, the thickness of the high index ring-shaped region closest to the core has sufficiently large dimensions to provide negative dispersion or zero dispersion at a desired wavelength. Additionally, low index cladding features distributed along concentric rings or circles may be used for achieving wide bandgaps.
Abstract:
Various embodiments described herein comprise hollow core (HC) photonic bandgap fibers (PBGF) with a square lattice (SQL) (300). In various embodiments the, HC SQL PBGF (300) includes a cladding region (302) comprising 2-10 layers of air-holes (305). In various embodiments, the HC SQL PBGF can be configured to provide a relative wavelength transmission window Δλ/λc larger than about 0.35 and minimum transmission loss in a range from about 70 dB/km to about 0.1 dB/km. In some embodiments, the HC SQL PBGF fiber can be a polarization maintaining fiber. Methods of fabricating such fibers are also disclosed herein along with some examples of fabricated fibers. Various applications of such fibers are also described herein.
Abstract:
Various embodiments described herein comprise a laser and/or an amplifier system including a doped gain fiber (1404) having ytterbium ions in a phosphosilicate glass. Various embodiments described herein increase pump absorption to at least about 1000 dB/m - 9000 dB/m. The use of these gain fibers provide for increased peak -powers and/or pulse energies. The various embodiments of the doped gain fiber (1404) having ytterbium ions in a phosphosilicate glass exhibit reduced photo-darkening levels compared to photo-darkening levels obtainable with equivalent doping levels of an ytterbium doped silica fiber.
Abstract:
High power parallel fiber arrays for the amplification of high peak power pulses are described. Fiber arrays based on individual fiber amplifiers as well as fiber arrays based on multi-core fibers can be implemented. The optical phase between the individual fiber amplifier elements of the fiber array is measured and controlled using a variety of phase detection and compensation techniques. High power fiber array amplifiers can be used for EUV and X-ray generation as well as pumping of parametric amplifiers.
Abstract:
Various types of holey fiber provide optical propagation. In various embodiments, for example, a large core holey fiber comprises a cladding region formed by large holes arranged in few layers. The number of layers or rows of holes about the large core can be used to coarse tune the leakage losses of the fundamental and higher modes of a signal, thereby allowing the non-fundamental modes to be substantially eliminated by leakage over a given length of fiber. Fine tuning of leakage losses can be performed by adjusting the hole dimension and/or the hole spacing to yield a desired operation with a desired leakage loss of the fundamental mode. Resulting holely fibers have a large hole dimension and spacing, and thus a large core, when compared to traditional fibers and conventional fibers that propagate a single mode. Other loss mechanisms, such as bend loss and modal spacing can be utilized for selected modes of operation of holey fibers. Other embodiments are also provided.
Abstract:
One or more single mode few-moded or multimode fibers are incorporated into a bundle to carry input to a fiber amplifier or output from a fiber amplifier or a fiber laser. The input is at the signal wavelength, which is the wavelength where amplification or lasing occurs. Each of the fibers in the bundle is cleaved individually or as a group and fiber ends are aligned in the same plane. The fiber amplifier or fiber laser may include a double clad fiber and the other fibers of the bundle couple light for cladding pumping. The device may also include a mode filter for controlling the output mode.
Abstract:
Embodiments of optical fiber may include cladding features that include a material (e.g., fluorine-doped silica glass) that may produce a very low relative refractive index difference with respect to cladding material in which the cladding features are disposed. This relative refractive index difference may be characterized by (n1−n2)/n1, where n1 is the index of refraction of the cladding material in which the cladding features are included, and n2 is the index of refraction of the cladding features. In certain embodiments, the relative refractive index difference may be less than about 4.5×10−3. In various embodiments, the configuration of the cladding features including, for example, the size and spacing of the cladding features, can be selected to provide for confinement of the fundamental mode yet leakage for the second mode and higher modes, which may provide mode filtering, single mode propagation, and/or low bend loss.
Abstract:
High power parallel fiber arrays for the amplification of high peak power pulses are described. Fiber arrays based on individual fiber amplifiers as well as fiber arrays based on multi-core fibers can be implemented. The optical phase between the individual fiber amplifier elements of the fiber array is measured and controlled using a variety of phase detection and compensation techniques. High power fiber array amplifiers can be used for EUV and X-ray generation as well as pumping of parametric amplifiers.
Abstract:
High power parallel fiber arrays for the amplification of high peak power pulses are described. Fiber arrays based on individual fiber amplifiers as well as fiber arrays based on multi-core fibers can be implemented. The optical phase between the individual fiber amplifier elements of the fiber array is measured and controlled using a variety of phase detection and compensation techniques. High power fiber array amplifiers can be used for EUV and X-ray generation as well as pumping of parametric amplifiers.