Patent ID: 8953914
Filing Date: 2015-02-10
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
1. A method of providing a light-diffusing fiber having a core and a cladding with a core-cladding boundary therebetween and plurality of nano-sized structures situated within said core at the core-cladding boundary; cleaving the light-diffusing fiber, thereby forming a cleaved end face; and applying energy to one or more of the 1) the cleaved end face and 2) the light-diffusing fiber along a portion of the length thereof adjacent the cleaved end face, the amount of energy being sufficient to collapse and seal the voids exposed at the cleaved end face leaving a sealed cleaved end face, wherein applying energy comprises applying energy to the light-diffusing fiber along a portion of the length thereof adjacent the cleaved end face so as to seal the voids, at the end face, to a depth of more than 10 um; further comprising softening the light-diffusing fiber at or near the sealed end face thereof sufficiently to induce formation of a convex lensing surface on the sealed end face of the fiber; wherein the step of softening comprises inducing formation of a spherical convex lens surface having a radius of length R, when the fiber has a radius, of the glass components of the fiber, of length r, and wherein the step of applying energy comprises apply energy so as to seal the voids to a distance S along the fiber, from the sealed cleaved end face, of at least S=(R 3 /r 2 ).