Exploring the initiation of fiber fuse

Abstract

We report an investigation of conditions for the initiation of fiber fuse (IFF), a kind of catastrophic damage that troubles all kinds of optical fibers, in silica-based optical fibers. The fibers of different chemical compositions were processed and tested in controlled conditions without mechanical damages before the IFF. For all the fibers of IFF, the same correlation between the critical temperatures and the optical powers transmitted therein was revealed for the first time. The fibers of different chemical compositions exhibited different resistances to the IFF under the threshold powers for propagation of fiber fuses. The results offered promise for predicting fiber fuses in optical fiber systems, which could facilitate avoiding catastrophic losses. They could direct the optimization of fiber production technologies for suppressing the damages, as well as open a new path towards controlled utilization of fiber fuse in in-fiber microstructure fabrication.

Yb-doped ultrafast fiber laser system emitting >1.5 kW average power

“…About 1.9 kW pump power was delivered to the 11-m long 20/400 LMA gain fiber through the pump beam combiner. Undissipated heat was accumulated at the splice point between the passive fiber and gain fiber, as a result, the fiber fuse effect [9][10][11] easily occurred if the fiber splice was not handled properly. The fiber fuse effect was a detrimental nonlinear phenomenon that usually happened in high average power fiber amplifier, which is caused by heat-generated plasma in solid fiber core, leading to permanent fiber damage.…”

Fiber-Optic Hydraulic Sensor Based on an End-Face Fabry–Perot Interferometer with an Open Cavity

“…In the first stage, inside the optical fiber (SMF-28), a quasi-periodic array of microcavities is generated through the effect of catastrophic plasma melting [35,36] (Figure 1a). This phenomenon is accompanied by self-induced core destruction, caused by local plasma heating, which creates a locally high-temperature region propagating towards the radiation source, vaporizing the core [37].…”

Monolithic Yb-Doped Femtosecond Fiber Laser With >300 W Average Power

“…On the other hand, once fusion splice is engaged between passive and gain LMA fibers, the splicing quality significantly affects the performance of power amplifier. Especially for the kW-level Yb-fiber laser systems, the accumulated heat may severely impact on spliced interface, resulting in either fiber breakdown or bullet-shaped core damage backward propagating inside the core, known as fiber fuse effect [26], [27], [28].…”