Patent ID: 7274717
Filing Date: 2007-09-25
Classification: G02B,H01S

Abstract:
1. A method of providing a collimated output from a plurality of lasers, comprising: coupling each output from each laser of the plurality of lasers to a separate optical fiber in a plurality of optical fibers; combining the plurality of optical fibers to form a reflective surface receiving the outputs from the plurality of lasers; coupling fractions of light output from each optical fiber into other optical fibers to stimulate self-organized phasing of the plurality of lasers; and configuring the combination of the plurality of optical fibers to discriminate in favor of a flat wavefront output from the combination of the plurality of optical fibers, wherein one or more optical fibers of the plurality of optical fibers comprise an interferometrically dark fiber, the interferometrically dark fiber having a different propagation constant than other optical fibers of the plurality of optical fibers; wherein the interferometrically dark fiber is configured to transmit no light due to destructive interference between light from a laser coupled to the interferometrically dark fiber and the fractions of light output from adjacent optical fibers.