	US 12,189,185 B2
	All-fiber divergence limiter
Roger L. Farrow, Vancouver, WA (US); Dahv A. V. Kliner, Portland, OR (US); and Tyson L. Lowder, Vancouver, WA (US)
Assigned to nLIGHT, Inc., Camas, WA (US)
Appl. No. 17/759,286
Filed by nLIGHT, Inc., Camas, WA (US)
PCT Filed Jan. 21, 2021, PCT No. PCT/US2021/014456 § 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 21, 2022, PCT Pub. No. WO2021/150782, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 29, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/964,461, filed on Jan. 22, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0106619 A1, Apr. 6, 2023
Int. Cl. G02B 6/26 (2006.01); G02B 6/14 (2006.01); G02B 6/255 (2006.01)

CPC G02B 6/262 (2013.01) [G02B 6/14 (2013.01); G02B 6/266 (2013.01); G02B 6/2558 (2013.01)]

13 Claims

1. An optical fiber-based divergence-limiting device for limiting divergence from a first maximum divergence of input light to a second maximum divergence of output light, in which the second maximum divergence is less than the first maximum divergence, the optical fiber-based divergence-limiting device comprising:

an input optical fiber configured to receive the input light;

an output optical fiber configured to deliver the output light;

an intermediate optical fiber spliced between the input optical fiber and the output optical fiber, the intermediate optical fiber comprising:

a core configured to receive the input light, through which a first portion of the input light is configured to be guided from the input optical fiber to the output optical fiber, the core having a numerical aperture configured to limit the first portion of the input light to that having the second maximum divergence or less; and

a cladding covering at least a portion of the core and through which a second portion of the input light is configured to be removed from the core, the numerical aperture is further configured to limit the second portion of the input light to that having a greater divergence than the second maximum, and the first portion of the input light is coupled to the output optical fiber to form the output light.