Optical waveguides – Accessories – Plug/termination device
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-22
2003-10-28
Healy, Brian (Department: 2874)
Optical waveguides
Accessories
Plug/termination device
C385S027000, C385S028000, C385S039000, C385S042000, C385S123000, C385S076000, C385S077000, C385S095000, C372S006000, C398S037000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06640043
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the phenomenon known as a fiber fuse and in particular method of designing components to prevent the initiation of a fiber fuse, particularly at fiber terminations.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Optical power levels in optical transmission systems are generally increasing. This is due to a number of factors.
For instance, optical transmission systems, including optical fibers and other optical devices such as polarisation mode dispersion compensation mechanisms and photonic switches, all have attenuation characteristics. Increasing the power of an optical signal provides a better signal to background noise ratio, and allows the signal to be transmitted longer distances over the optical transmission system before optical amplification is required. Advances in laser technology have ensured that higher powered lasers are now more readily and cheaply available, thus allowing a cost effective implementation of high optical power signal generation.
Typical optical transmission systems simultaneously transmit data using a multitude of different wavelengths, each transmission channel having a separate wavelength of light for transmission of the respective optical signal. Increasingly, channels are becoming more closely packed together with regard to wavelength e.g. DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexed) systems. Increasing the number of simultaneous optical transmissions at different wavelengths will increase the average optical power being carried by the transmission system.
Many optical systems utilise optical amplifiers comprising optical fiber. An example of this is a Raman amplifier i.e. an amplifier that utilises the Raman effect. Optical amplifiers of this type normally use relatively high power pump lasers for providing the optical power that is utilised to amplify the optical signal power. Current trends indicate it is increasingly likely that Raman amplifiers will be utilised in future telecommunications systems.
Experiments have indicated that high optical powers propagating through fibers can induce an effect referred to as a “fiber fuse”. The fiber fuse effect, also termed self-propelled self-focusing (SPSF), is a catastrophic damage mechanism.
Electronics letters, Jan.
7, 1988, Vol. 24, No. 1, pages 47-48 by R Kashyap & K J Blow and
Electronics letters
Jan. 5, 1989, Vol. 25, No. 1, Pages 33-34 by D P Hand & T A Birks describe this phenomena in some detail and describe a fiber fuse damage circuit-breaker, and are incorporated herein by reference.
The fiber fuse effect is believed to be initiated by local heating of the fiber. This can lead to a runway thermal effect which, provided the laser power is sufficient, continues until the fiber core melts. A thermal shock wave is created (visible as a bright spot of side-scattered light) that propagates back along the fiber towards the optical power source. This results in the fiber being permanently damaged and unable to guide light.
Propagation velocity is believed to be of the order of tens of meters per second. A fiber fuse occurring in a telecommunications system could be extremely damaging. The side-scattered light could also be dangerous to any onlookers. Additionally, in systems where optical fiber spans (i.e. typically the length between optical fiber amplifiers) are of the order of 80 kilometres, it will be appreciated that if the fiber fuse is not contained, it has the capacity to damage large lengths of optical fiber. This would require replacement of the damaged fiber. If the fiber fuse is able to propagate into optical processing equipment, such as an amplifier or pump laser, the fiber fuse can result in damage to very expensive network components.
It is therefore desirable to limit the damage caused by fiber fuses or to prevent initiation of a fiber fuse. As mentioned above, it has been proposed that the initiation of a fiber fuse results from local heating of the fiber. How this local heating is initiated has not been fully understood, although it has been recognised that a fiber fuse may be initiated at the site of fiber damage, such as a fiber break.
The fiber fuse effect is also discussed in the assignee's copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/544,362, filed Apr. 6, 2000 entitled “Fiber Fuse Protection” which is incorporated herein by way of reference material.
The invention stems from the recognition that fiber terminations provide one location where the initiation of a fiber fuse is more likely than at other locations. It has also been recognised that a beam expander can be used to halt the propagation of the fiber fuse, as described in the article of
Electronics letters
Jan. 5, 1989, reference more fully above.
However, until now, there has not been a detailed analysis of the conditions under which a fiber fuse will be initiated, nor the conditions which permit the propagation of the fiber fuse to be arrested. There is a need for an understanding of these conditions to enable optimum components to be designed which can halt the fiber fuse travel or which can prevent the fuse starting.
This invention concerns specifically fiber terminations. As one example, these are used in optical transmission systems as a so-called “beam dump” for unabsorbed pump light in an amplifier. Thus, pump light injected into an amplifier which is not absorbed by the amplifier fiber core passes beyond the amplifier, and must be “dumped” to prevent interference outside the amplifier. This is achieved by providing wavelength-dependent routing to the “beam dump”, which may for example comprise a copper absorber. The pump powers used in amplifiers can be significant, particularly when the Raman amplification effect is being used. Therefore, significant heating can occur at the beam dump, which is one possible cause of the initiation of a fiber fuse.
Other components provide termination of a fiber, for example where signals on two fibers are to be combined, in couplers, combiners or tap devices. In each case, the termination can provide an increased risk of a fiber fuse being generated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is based on the realisation that a fiber fuse can only be initiated within a fiber when the fiber is carrying power greater than a threshold power. This threshold power is a function of the fiber characteristics, and this understanding enables components for preventing fiber fuse initiation to be designed, by ensuring that they have a higher power threshold.
In a first aspect, the present invention provides an optical termination element for terminating an optical fiber carrying a signal of first maximum power level, comprising a termination fiber which is unable to propagate a fiber fuse when the power is below a threshold power level which is greater than the first maximum power level, the values of the core diameter and the higher mode cutoff wavelength of the termination fiber defining the threshold power level.
The invention provides a termination component which has a threshold power level (below which a fiber fuse can not be started) which exceeds the maximum power to be provided to the termination. A fiber fuse can not therefore be started. The invention is based on the recognition that there is such a threshold power and that the value of the threshold power is a function of the core diameter and the higher mode cutoff wavelength of a fiber. For large core diameters, an increase in core diameter increases the threshold power. This is considered to result from reduced “thermal leasing”. This is one phenomenon which can be used to explain the propagation of the thermal fuse, and is based on the idea that a local fuse location is imaged to a focal point within the core at an adjacent location, at which a fuse is created. Increasing the core diameter, and therefore the mode field diameter, increases the size of these focal points and thereby reduces the intensity. For small core diameters, it is believed that heat dissipates more readily to the cladding, so that as the core diameter is reduced, the threshold also increases. Thus, th
Barnes & Thornburg
Healy Brian
Nortel Networks Limited
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