Nlight, Incorporated

Dahv Av Kliner

Roger L Farrow

Robert J Martinsen

Jay Small

Timothy S McComb

Brian Victor

Tyson Lowder

Jacob Lee Bell

C Geoffrey Fanning

Shuang Li

Christopher A Rivera

Angularly homogenizing gradient index optical fiber having a refractive index profile that is non-quadratic to a degree sufficient to enhance precession of light as it is propagated through the fiber. Deviation from the quadratic may be limited to avoid profoundly changing the radial boundary within the fiber. Beam asymmetry, for example, associated with small aperture sources launched into a fiber off axis, may be made more symmetric as the beam is propagated through the homogenizing gradient index optical fiber. A refractive index profile may be manufactured to avoid a pure quadratic profile, or a fiber having a refractive index profile that is quadratic in only some orientations about the fiber axis may be twisted during draw to induce a refractive index profile path that enhances propagation precession.

Fiber-based angular homogenizer

Optical fiber devices, systems, and methods for separating Raman spectrum from signal spectrum. Once separated, the Raman spectrum may be suppressed (e.g., as a result of a reduction in gain from the signal spectrum, and/or through dissipation of the Raman spectrum energy), while the signal spectrum may be propagated in one or more guided modes of a fiber system. In some embodiments, a fiber system may include a chirped fiber Bragg grating (CFBG) or a long period fiber grating (LPFG), each configured to couple a core propagation mode into a cladding propagation mode with an efficiency that is higher for Raman spectrum than for signal spectrum. A fiber system further may include a cladding light stripper (CLS) configured to preferentially remove cladding modes containing the Raman component.

Optical fiber devices and methods for directing stimulated raman scattering (SRS) light out of a fiber core and into a cladding

A method of materials processing using an optical beam includes: launching the optical beam into a first length of fiber having a first refractive-index profile (RIP); coupling the optical beam from the first length of fiber into a second length of fiber having a second RIP; modifying one or more beam characteristics of the optical beam in the first length of fiber, in the second length of fiber, or in the first and second lengths of fiber; and/or generating an output beam, having the modified one or more beam characteristics of the optical beam, from the second length of fiber. The first RIP can be the same as or differ from the second RIP. The modifying of the one or more beam characteristics can include changing the one or more beam characteristics from a first state to a second state. The first state can differ from the second state.

Methods of and systems for materials processing using optical beams

An optical power control system includes a laser source to provide an optical beam, a variable beam characteristics (VBC) fiber, and a controller operatively coupled to the VBC fiber and configured to control, in response to information indicating change in optical power of the optical beam, different states of perturbation so as to control optical power density.

Optical power density control in fiber-coupled laser

An example apparatus includes an optical fiber including a core and cladding, the core being situated to propagate an optical beam along a propagation axis associated with the core, and at least one fiber Bragg grating (FBG) situated in the core of the optical fiber, the fiber Bragg grating including a plurality of periodically spaced grating portions situated with respect to the propagation axis so that light associated with Raman scattering is directed out of the core so as to reduce the generation of optical gain associated with stimulated Raman scattering (SRS).

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Portland, OR, United States of America

Dahv Av Kliner