Mid-infrared optical fibers with enhanced OH-diffusion resistance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12253718-B2
Application number	US-202318502350-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 6, 2023
Priority date	Dec 12, 2019
Publication date	Mar 18, 2025
Grant date	Mar 18, 2025

Abstract

Mid-infrared-transparent optical fiber products with enhanced resistance to OH diffusion are disclosed, which may be used fiber laser oscillator and amplifiers systems. In one embodiment, an optical fiber product may include optical fiber configured for propagation of mid-infrared radiation toward a light-radiating endface of or coupled to the optical fiber, and a diffusion barrier disposed on the light-radiating endface and configured for allowing the mid-infrared radiation emanating from the light-radiating endface to pass therethrough and for preventing OH diffusion therethrough toward the light-radiating endface. In another embodiment, an optical fiber product may include an optical fiber for propagation of mid-infrared radiation and an endcap coupled to the optical fiber for receiving therefrom the mid-infrared radiation and radiating out the mid-infrared radiation, the endcap being made of an endcap material that has no or a low amount of fluoride and that is less permeable to OH diffusion than the fiber-optic material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An optical fiber product, comprising:
an optical fiber made of a fiber-optic material and configured for propagation of mid-infrared radiation toward a light-radiating endface of or coupled to the optical fiber; and
a diffusion barrier disposed on the light-radiating endface and configured for allowing the mid-infrared radiation emanating from the light-radiating endface to pass therethrough and for preventing OH diffusion therethrough toward the light-radiating endface, wherein the diffusion barrier comprises a thin-film coating.

2. The optical fiber product of claim 1 , wherein the fiber-optic material comprises a glass material.

3. The optical fiber product of claim 2 , wherein the glass material comprises a fluoride-based glass, a chalcogenide-based glass, a chalcohalide-based glass, an oxide-based glass, a tellurite-based glass, or any combination thereof.

4. The optical fiber product of claim 1 , wherein the fiber-optic material comprises a crystal material.

5. The optical fiber product of claim 1 , wherein the light-radiating endface is an endface of the optical fiber.

6. The optical fiber product of claim 1 , wherein the light-radiating endface is an endface of an endcap coupled between the optical fiber and the diffusion barrier.

7. The optical fiber product of claim 6 , wherein the endcap is made of an endcap material that is less permeable to OH diffusion than the fiber-optic material.

8. The optical fiber product of claim 1 , wherein the light-radiating endface is perpendicular to a longitudinal fiber axis of the optical fiber product.

9. The optical fiber product of claim 1 , wherein the light-radiating endface is oblique to a longitudinal fiber axis of the optical fiber product.

10. The optical fiber product of claim 1 , wherein the thin-film coating comprises a single thin-film layer.

11. The optical fiber product of claim 1 , wherein the thin-film coating comprises multiple thin-film layers.

12. The optical fiber product of claim 1 , wherein the diffusion barrier extends over all of the light-radiating endface.

13. An optical fiber product, comprising:
an optical fiber made of a fiber-optic material and configured for propagation of mid-infrared radiation toward a light-radiating endface of or coupled to the optical fiber; and
a diffusion barrier disposed on the light-radiating endface and configured for allowing the mid-infrared radiation emanating from the light-radiating endface to pass therethrough and for preventing OH diffusion therethrough toward the light-radiating endface, wherein the diffusion barrier has a thickness ranging from about 1 nm to about 10 μm.

14. The optical fiber product of claim 13 , wherein the thickness of the diffusion barrier ranges from about 10 nm and about 100 nm.

15. The optical fiber product of claim 1 , wherein the diffusion barrier is made of a barrier material comprising a dielectric, a carbon-based material, a metal, a metalloid, a metal oxide, an alloy, a composite material, or any combination thereof.

16. The optical fiber product of claim 1 , wherein the diffusion barrier is made of a barrier material comprising a ceramic compound.

17. The optical fiber product of claim 16 , wherein the ceramic compound comprises a carbide, a nitride, a boride, an oxide, or any combination thereof.

18. An optical fiber product, comprising:
an optical fiber made of a fiber-optic material and configured for propagation of mid-infrared radiation toward a light-radiating endface of or coupled to the optical fiber; and
a diffusion barrier disposed on the light-radiating endface and configured for allowing the mid-infrared radiation emanating from the light-radiating endface to pass therethrough and for preventing OH diffusion therethrough toward the light-radiating endface,
wherein the diffusion barrier is made of a barrier material comprising a ceramic compound, wherein the ceramic compound comprises silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon carbide, boron nitride, silicon carbide, boron carbide, tungsten carbide, or any combination thereof.

19. A fiber-based laser oscillator, laser amplifier, or laser beam delivery system comprising the optical fiber product of claim 1 .

20. The optical fiber product of claim 1 , wherein the diffusion barrier has a thickness ranging from about 1 nm to about 10 μm.

21. The optical fiber product of claim 20 , wherein the thickness of the diffusion barrier ranges from about 10 nm to about 100 nm.

22. The optical fiber product of claim 16 , wherein the ceramic compound comprises silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon carbide, boron nitride, silicon carbide, boron carbide, tungsten carbide, or any combination thereof.

23. The optical fiber product of claim 13 , wherein the fiber-optic material comprises a glass material.

24. The optical fiber product of claim 23 , wherein the glass material comprises a fluoride-based glass, a chalcogenide-based glass, a chalcohalide-based glass, an oxide-based glass, a tellurite-based glass, or any combination thereof.

25. The optical fiber product of claim 13 , wherein the fiber-optic material comprises a crystal material.

26. The optical fiber product of claim 13 , wherein the light-radiating endface is an endface of the optical fiber.

27. The optical fiber product of claim 13 , wherein the light-radiating endface is an endface of an endcap coupled between the optical fiber and the diffusion barrier.

28. The optical fiber product of claim 27 , wherein the endcap is made of an endcap material that is less permeable to OH diffusion than the fiber-optic material.

29. The optical fiber product of claim 13 , wherein the light-radiating endface is perpendicular to a longitudinal fiber axis of the optical fiber product.

30. The optical fiber product of claim 13 , wherein the light-radiating endface is oblique to a longitudinal fiber axis of the optical fiber product.

31. The optical fiber product of claim 13 , wherein the diffusion barrier comprises a thin-film coating comprising a single thin-film layer.

32. The optical fiber product of claim 13 , wherein the diffusion barrier comprises a thin-film coating comprising multiple thin-film layers.

33. The optical fiber product of claim 13 , wherein the diffusion barrier extends over all of the light-radiating endface.

34. The optical fiber product of claim 13 , wherein the diffusion barrier is made of a barrier material comprising a dielectric, a carbon-based material, a metal, a metalloid, a metal oxide, an alloy, a composite material, or any combination thereof.

35. The optical fiber product of claim 13 , wherein the diffusion barrier is made of a barrier material comprising a ceramic compound.

36. The optical fiber product of claim 35 , wherein the ceramic compound comprises a carbide, a nitride, a boride, an oxide, or any combination thereof.

37. The optical fiber product of claim 35 , wherein the ceramic compound comprises silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon carbide, boron nitride, silicon carbide, boron carbide, tungsten carbide, or any combination thereof.

38. A fiber-based laser oscillator, laser amplifier, or laser beam delivery system comprising the optical fib

Assignees

• Univ Laval

Inventors

• Bernier Martin
• Vallée Réal
• Toubou Bah Souleymane
• Fortin Vincent
• Maes Frédéric
• Aydin Yigit Ozan

Classifications

• H01S3/06716

  Fibre compositions (per se C03C13/04)or doping with active elements (lasing materials in general H01S3/14) · CPC title

• G02B6/44384

  the means comprising water blocking or hydrophobic materials (G02B6/4439, G02B6/4479 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01S3/173

  fluoride glass, e.g. fluorozirconate or ZBLAN [ ZrF4-BaF2-LaF3-AlF3-NaF] · CPC title

• H01S3/1608

  erbium · CPC title

• H01S3/0675

  Resonators including a grating structure, e.g. distributed Bragg reflectors [DBR] or distributed feedback [DFB] fibre lasers · CPC title