Patent ID: 7272956
Filing Date: 2007-09-25
Classification: G02B,H01S

Abstract:
1. A method of forming an optical fiber combiner, comprising: forming a bundle of multimode optical fibers into an elongated bi-tapered fiber bundle, said bi-tapered bundle having, at opposite ends thereof, free ends of said multimode fibers, said bi-tapered bundle, between said opposite ends thereof, having two fused tapered portions tapered into a single straight portion thereof, and said bi-tapered fiber bundle having an aperture extending longitudinally therethrough; inserting an optical fiber having a low-mode core into said aperture-including bi-tapered bundle via said aperture therein, said low-mode-core optical fiber extending at least through said straight portion of said bi-tapered bundle; heating said bi-tapered bundle having said low-mode-core fiber therein to a temperature such that said low-mode core optical fiber is fused to said straight portion of said bi-tapered bundle; and cleaving said straight portion of said bi-tapered bundle having said low-mode core optical fiber therein, thereby providing at least one single-tapered multimode optical fiber combiner, said optical fiber combiner having at one end thereof free ends of said multimode fibers and a free end of said low-mode core fiber, said multimode fibers being fused and tapered together into a single straight portion of the combiner at an opposite end thereof, said low-mode fiber core extending through the straight portion of the combiner.