Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

A light generating apparatus is operably coupled to an optical fiber (10) with a cladding (5) and a core (4) defining a core diameter. The optical fiber (10) has a numerical aperture, and the product of the numerical aperture of the fiber and one-half the diameter of the core (4) is less than or substantially equal to 400 millimeter-milliradians. The apparatus includes a plurality (7) of laser diode arrays (6, 23, 55), each array comprising at least one light emitting region (1, 24) adapted for emitting light in a individual beam (21, 11). The plurality of laser diode arrays (6, 23, 55) are arranged such that light from the individual beams (21, 11) is combined in a combined beam, and the combined beam has a first far-field, half-angle divergence in a first direction and a first waist dimension in the first direction, and a second far-field, half-angle divergence in a second direction, substantially perpendicular to the first direction, and a second waist dimension in the second direction. The laser diode arrays (6, 23, 55) are arranged relative to the optical fiber (10) to couple light output from the laser diode arrays (6, 23, 55) into the core of the fiber at an end of the fiber. The product of the first far-field, half-angle divergence and the first waist dimension is equal to or smaller than one-half of the product of the core diameter and a numerical aperture of the fiber (10), and the product of the second far-field, half-angle divergence and the second waist dimension is equal to or smaller than one-half of the product of the core diameter and the numerical aperture.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim