22 Jan 2007 For fibre laser pumping and direct metal machining & welding. SIFAM’s latest fused fibre components combine the output of up to 19 high power laser diodes into a single output, enabling 100’s kW pulsed output power to be achieved High Power Combiners are most commonly supplied with seven input fibres and a single output fibre in a 7x1 configuration. These comprise either all multimode (MM) fibre or have 1 dissimilar fibres, known as N+1x1 format, in this case the central fibre has an alternative function such as feed through of the signal in a high power amplifier. The latest products from SIFAM include state-of-the-art 6+1x1 high power combiners with single mode (SM) or polarisation maintaining (PM) fibre feed through. SIFAM have also introduced new and novel combiners featuring large mode area (LMA) feed throughs. Availability of LMA fibre in the combiners enables higher brightness amplifier outputs with reduced distortion and improved beam quality.
Using the same technology platform, 1+1x1 configuration solutions combining just 1 multimode fibre with a feed through signal fibre are now available. These have been developed for more efficient use in lower power applications, such as printing, which only require 10’s Watt system output.
All multimode fibre combiners from SIFAM can now be supplied with up to 19 input fibres and with larger diameter 220um input and 400um output fibres. This enables matching to a wider range of double clad fibres, and the use of increased pump power, enabling system designers to continue improve fibre laser and amplifier output power, beyond 100 Watts cw.
Long term high power durability of these latest high power components has been verified at over 50,000 device hours and is ensured through the use of a housing designed for optimum heat dissipation. The efficient heat management of such critical components is key to enabling fibre lasers to meet the reliability requirements of industrial applications and will allow further increases in fibre laser output.
Used in conjunction with high power combiners, Ultra-low ratio Tap Couplers are also now available from SIFAM in high power housings. These split off as little as 0.001% of the laser or amplifier output enabling photodetectors to monitor systems working at high optical powers without saturation or damage. The high stability of SIFAM couplers means no error is introduced from component drift and the monitored power is a true representation of the laser power delivered to the sample.
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