Uniform illumination light diffusing fiber device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9618672-B2
Application number	US-201414278349-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2014
Priority date	May 31, 2013
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

An illumination device comprising: (i) a light diffusing optical fiber having a numerical aperture of NA LDF , wherein said light diffusing optical fiber has an outer surface, two ends, and a core, the fiber comprising a region with a plurality of scattering structures within said core configured to scatter guided light via said scattering structures towards the outer surface providing scattering-induced attenuation greater than 50 dB/km at illumination wavelength, wherein said scatter guided light diffuses through said outer surface to provide illumination; (ii) a light source having a numerical aperture of NA S1 , said light source being optically coupled to one end of said light diffusing optical fiber; NA LDF −NA S1 >0.05.

First claim

We claim:

1. An illumination device comprising:
(i) a light diffusing optical fiber having a numerical aperture of NA LDF , wherein said light diffusing optical fiber has an outer surface, two ends, and a glass core comprising a region with a plurality of nano-sized structures within said core configured to scatter guided light via said nano-sized structures towards the outer surface providing scattering-induced attenuation greater than 50 dB/km at illumination wavelength, wherein said scatter guided light diffuses through said outer surface to provide illumination;
(ii) a light source having a numerical aperture of NA S1 , said light source being optically coupled to one end of said light diffusing optical fiber; and
(iii) wherein NA LDF −NA S1 >0.05 and, 0.05≦NA S1 ≦0.30, and 0.31≦NA LDF ≦0.52.

2. The illumination device of claim 1 , wherein NA LDF −NA S1 >0.1.

3. The illumination device of claim 1 , wherein 0.15≦NA S1 ≦0.25.

4. The illumination device of claim 1 , wherein 0.31≦NA LDF ≦0.48.

5. The illumination device of claim 1 , further comprising a second light source, said second light source being coupled to a second end of said light diffusing optical fiber, said second light source light source having a numerical aperture of NA S2 , wherein NA LDF −NA S2 >0.05.

6. The illumination device of claim 5 , wherein NA LDF −NA S2 >0.1.

7. The illumination device of claim 5 , wherein 0.15≦NA S2 ≦0.25.

8. The illumination device of claim 1 , further comprising a reflective surface, said reflective surface being coupled to another end of said light diffusing optical fiber.

9. The illumination device of claim 1 , wherein said light source is a laser diode.

10. The illumination device of claim 1 , wherein said light diffusing optical fiber further comprises a light scattering/homogenizing coating surrounding said core.

11. The illumination device of claim 1 , wherein said coating includes titania.

12. The illumination device of claim 1 wherein: said light diffusing optical fiber includes a low index cladding surrounding said core, said cladding having a lower refractive index delta than said core.

13. The illumination device of claim 1 , further including phosphorus containing coating surrounding said core.

14. The illumination device of claim 1 , wherein: the core diameter is greater than 50 μm and less than 500 μm; and/or (ii) NA LDF >0.2.

15. The illumination device of claim 1 , wherein scattering-induced attenuation greater than 100 dB/km at illumination wavelength.

16. The illumination device of claim 1 wherein said nano-sized structures are voids filled with gas.

17. The illumination device of claim 16 wherein said nano-sized structures are voids filled with SO 2 .

18. The illumination device of claim 1 wherein said fiber is configured to be capable of guiding said light such that radiation out of said outer surface is substantially uniform, such that the difference between the minimum and maximum scattering illumination intensity is less than 50% of the maximum scattering illumination intensity, for all viewing angles between 40 and 120 degrees.

19. The illumination device of claim 1 wherein said fiber having scattering-induced attenuation is 100 dB/km to 60000 dB/km at illumination wavelength.

20. An illumination device comprising:
(i) a light diffusing optical fiber having a numerical aperture of NA LDF , wherein said light diffusing optical fiber has an outer surface, two ends, and the fiber comprising a region with a plurality of scattering structures within said fiber configured to scatter guided light via said scattering structures towards the outer surface providing scattering-induced attenuation greater than 50 dB/km at illumination wavelength, wherein said scatter guided light diffuses through said outer surface to provide illumination;
(ii) a light source having a numerical aperture of NA S1 , said light source being optically coupled to one end of said light diffusing optical fiber; and

wherein NA LDF −NA S1 >0.05, 0.05≦NA S1 ≦0.30, and 0.31≦NA LDF ≦0.52.

21. The illumination device of claim 20 wherein the illumination device is configured to provide substantially uniform illumination due to scattering, such that the difference between the minimum and maximum scattering illumination intensity is less than 50% of the maximum scattering illumination intensity, for all viewing angles between 40 and 120 degrees.

Assignees

• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Kuchinisky Sergey Anatol'Evich
• Logunov Stephan Lvovich

Classifications

• G02B6/02366

  Single ring of structures, e.g. "air clad" · CPC title

• G02B6/02338

  Structured core, e.g. core contains more than one material, non-constant refractive index distribution in core, asymmetric or non-circular elements in core unit, multiple cores, insertions between core and clad · CPC title

• G02B6/0068

  Arrangements of plural sources, e.g. multi-colour light sources · CPC title

• G02B6/001 Primary

  the light being emitted along at least a portion of the lateral surface of the fibre · CPC title

• B82Y20/00

  Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals · CPC title