Single-mode tapers as ‘fibre fuse’ damage circuit-breakers

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© The Institution of Electrical Engineers
Published 22/07/2012

Abstract

The ‘fibre fuse’ thermal damage effect can destroy kilometres of fibre at relatively modest laser powers. A low-loss tapered region strategically placed in a single-mode fibre can act as a thermal circuit breaker, thereby halting the damage propagation and protecting the fibre ‘upstream’ from the taper.

Inspec keywords: optical communication equipment; optical fibres

Other keywords: single-mode fibre; low-loss tapered region; thermal circuit breaker; modest laser powers; single mode tapers; optical fibre protection; fibre fuse thermal damage; catastrophic damage

Subjects: Fibre optics; Optical communication

References

    1. 1)
      • Kashyap, R.: `Self-propelled self-focusing damage in optical fibres', Proceedings of Tenth International Conference on Lasers, 1987, USA, McLean, Society for Optical and Quantum Electronics
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      • Boucouvalas, A.C., Georgiou, G.: `Tapering of single mode optical fibres', Technical digest of IOOC-ECOC, 1985, 1, p. 575–578
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