Optical transmission fiber with thermal management for high power applications
View Patent ↗An optical transmission fiber including a core having a first index of refraction, a cladding material located around the core and having a second index of refraction less than the first index of refraction, a first coating material located around a first portion of the cladding material and having a third index of refraction greater than the second index of refraction, and a second coating material located around a second portion of the cladding material and having a fourth index of refraction less than the second index of refraction.
1. An optical transmission system, comprising:
a transmitter;
a receiver;
an optical transmission fiber coupling said transmitter to said receiver, said optical transmission fiber including:
a core having a first index of refraction;
a cladding material located around said core and having a second index of refraction that is less than said first index of refraction; and
a first coating material located around a first portion of said cladding material and having a third index of refraction that is greater than said second index of refraction, and
a second coating material located around a second portion of said cladding material and having a fourth index of refraction less than said second index of refraction, said second coating material substantially confining light energy escaping from said core within said second portion of said cladding material for transmission to an energy removal location; and
an energy removal device coupled to said coating material and configured to remove energy from said optical transmission fiber at said energy removal location.
2. The optical transmission system as recited in claim 1 , wherein said optical transmission fiber is optically coupled to an optical device.
3. The optical transmission system as recited in claim 2 , wherein said optical device is configured to transmit a transmission signal carried by said transmission fiber without altering said transmission signal.
4. The optical transmission system as recited in claim 2 , wherein said optical device is configured to alter a transmission signal carried by said transmission fiber.
5. The optical transmission system as recited in claim 4 , wherein said optical device is an amplifier, a modulator, a bulk optics package, a multiplexer, a fusion splice or an optical coupler.
6. The optical transmission system as recited in claim 1 , wherein said optical transmission fiber includes a curved portion wherein said coating material extends over at least a portion of said curved portion.
7. The optical transmission system as recited in claim 1 , wherein said energy removal device is a heat sink coupled to said coating material and configured to remove energy from said optical transmission fiber.
8. The optical transmission system as recited in claim 1 , wherein said energy removal device is adjacent to said coating material.
9. The optical transmission system as recited in claim 1 , wherein said energy removal device comprises a mode stripper.