Patent ID: 7116870

Claim:
A broadband fiber optic tap for efficiently transferring optical energy out of an optical fiber over a broad wavelength range, the tap comprising: an optical fiber containing a core and a cladding; a first structure formed in the fiber that transfers optical energy from a guided mode to a first unguided mode of said optical fiber; a second structure, formed in the fiber and situated at a pre-defined distance, Δ, in a direction of optical propagation downstream from said first structure, that transfers optical energy from said first unguided mode back into said guided mode and into a second unguided mode of said optical fiber, said second unguided mode being a higher-order mode than the first unguided mode; and a reflecting surface formed in the cladding of said optical fiber and situated at a pre-defined distance, d, in a direction of optical propagation downstream from said first structure for reflecting optical energy propagating in said cladding out of the side of said fiber.