High Coupling Efficiency Optical Pump Combiners for Fiber Laser Systems

Improving the pump coupling efficiency is a technical challenge for high power laser systems. In this program, Photonwares proposes to develop a new approach for fiber optical pump combiners, that promises to significantly increase the coupling efficiency in comparison with current state-of-the-art at the same time also increase the pumping port number. Leveraging our fiber optical pump combiner manufacturer expertise, the new approach incorporates fundamental improvements that cascade high efficiency side-pump combiners having extended coupling sections. We anticipate this new class of fiber optical pump combiners will have substantially improved performance in coupling efficiency and heat generation reduction. The proposed technology is versatile and amenable to designs for all types of pump combiners, including direct fiber bundle combiner and combiner with a signal fiber. Phase I will demonstrate enhanced coupling efficiency by producing a scaled down prototype with a 3-fiber combiner. A larger prototype with higher fiber count, with be tailored to critical DoD laser applications and will be built and extensively tested in the Phase II.