Patent ID: 8027555

Claim:
A cladding mode stripper for stripping a cladding mode of an optical fiber having a core and a first cladding, the cladding mode stripper comprising: a base having a reflective surface for reflecting light of the cladding mode, wherein the optical fiber is disposed along and proximate to the reflective surface and is thermally coupled thereto for conducting heat away from the optical fiber; and a block of a transparent material, having a first surface disposed on the reflective surface of the base and thermally coupled thereto for conducting heat away from the block, wherein the first surface of the block has a groove for receiving the optical fiber, wherein the first cladding of the optical fiber is optically coupled to the groove for stripping the cladding mode from the first cladding of the optical fiber, and wherein the groove is deep enough not to impose a substantial amount of mechanical stress on the optical fiber once the first surface of the block is disposed on the reflective surface; wherein a refractive index of the transparent material of the block is equal to or higher than a refractive index of the first cladding of the optical fiber.