US 11,719,948 B2
Beam parameter product (BPP) control by varying fiber-to-fiber angle
David Logan, Vancouver, WA (US); Ryan Hawke, Vancouver, WA (US); David R. Balsley, Portland, OR (US); and Ron Stevens, Vancouver, WA (US)
Assigned to nLIGHT, Inc., Vancouver, WA (US)
Filed by nLIGHT, Inc., Vancouver, WA (US)
Filed on Aug. 6, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/987,054.
Application 16/987,054 is a division of application No. 15/276,589, filed on Sep. 26, 2016, granted, now 10,768,433.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/232,379, filed on Sep. 24, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2020/0363645 A1, Nov. 19, 2020
Int. Cl. G02B 6/255 (2006.01); G02B 27/09 (2006.01); H01S 3/067 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 27/0994 (2013.01) [G02B 6/2555 (2013.01); H01S 3/06783 (2013.01); G02B 6/2551 (2013.01); G02B 6/2553 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus, comprising:
a fiber fixture situated to receive and secure an output end of a first fiber in a first position and a second fiber in a second position;
a fiber tip alignment mechanism situated to align an input end of the first fiber proximate an output end of the second fiber, the fiber tip alignment mechanism comprising a first inner fiber fixture portion and a second inner fiber fixture portion, the first and second inner fiber fixture portions being translatable in one or more directions; and
a splicing mechanism situated to splice the aligned input end and output end so as to form a fiber splice having a selected tilt angle corresponding to a selected beam parameter product (bpp) increase associated with beam propagation through the fiber splice from the first fiber to the second fiber.