US 12,222,564 B2
Laser-to-optical-fiber connection
Stephen E. Griffin, Peoria, AZ (US)
Assigned to CYCLONE BIOSCIENCES LLC, Phoenix, AZ (US)
Filed by Cyclone Biosciences, LLC, Phoenix, AZ (US)
Filed on Jun. 23, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/847,608.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/225,812, filed on Jul. 26, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0023074 A1, Jan. 26, 2023
Int. Cl. G02B 6/42 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 6/4206 (2013.01) 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An article of manufacture, comprising:
an optical fiber having a fiber core and a fiber cladding, and
an optical termination element in contact with an input surface of the optical fiber, the optical termination element having a front surface, a termination core, and a termination cladding,
wherein a first ratio of a termination core diameter to a termination cladding diameter is substantially equal to a second ratio of a fiber core diameter to the fiber cladding diameter,
wherein the article of manufacture is configured to receive an input beam of laser light having an M2 factor of 25 or higher at the front surface of optical termination element and to converge said input beam upon propagation inside the optical termination element while not totally internally reflecting said laser light at a boundary between the termination glass core and termination glass cladding,
wherein the article of manufacture is configured to satisfy one or more of the following multiple conditions:
(i) to accept said input beam of laser light at the front surface and transmit said input beam through the front surface into the optical termination element while changing a degree of convergence of the beam upon transmitting thereof through the front surface; and
(ii) to converge the input beam of laser light, received at the front surface of the optical termination element, internally within the optical termination element such as to focus said input beam at a surface in which the termination core and the fiber core have substantially equal dimensions and the termination cladding and the fiber cladding have substantially equal dimensions; and
(iii) to transmit the input beam of laser light through an optical lens, wherein the optical lens is a part of the optical termination element and is separated from the optical fiber by a portion of the optical termination element containing said termination core and termination cladding.