Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
85 words
A fiber optic amplifier system, characterized by: a crystal fiber (44) doped with material which will lase; a source of signals at the lasing frequency of said material which will lase; a source of pumnp light (44) for pumping said material which will lase; an optical fiber (12b, 54, 62), an end of which is coupled to an end of said crystal fiber (44); and means for coupling (10b, 50, 60) both said signals and said pump light onto said optical fiber (12b, 54, 62).
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
85 words
A fiber optic amplifier system, characterized by: a crystal fiber (44) doped with material which will lase; a source of signals at the lasing frequency of said material which will lase; a source of pumnp light (44) for pumping said material which will lase; an optical fiber (12b, 54, 62), an end of which is coupled to an end of said crystal fiber (44); and means for coupling (10b, 50, 60) both said signals and said pump light onto said optical fiber (12b, 54, 62).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
A fiber optic amplifier system, as defined in Claim 1, in which said means for coupling (10b, 50, 60) comprises an optical coupler.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
A fiber optic amplifier system, as defined in Claim 2, wherein said optical coupler comprises a single mode optical coupler.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
A fiber optic amplifier system, as defined in Claim 2, in which said optical coupler utilizes evanescent field coupling.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
47 words
A fiber optic amplifier system, as defined in Claim 2, in which said optical coupler has a coupling efficiency which is wavelength dependent and in which said signals and said pump light are at different wavelengths, yielding different coupling efficiencies for said signals and said pump light.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
A fiber optic amplifier as defined in Claim 1, wherein the material with which the crystal fiber 44 is doped possesses a laser transition at the frequency of said signals.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
96 words
A fiber optic amplifier, as defined in Claim 5, wherein the signals and the pump light are transmitted respectively in first and second input optical fibers, and wherein said fiber optic coupler juxtaposes said first and second input optical fibers to provide an interaction region having an effective interaction length which is an even multiple of the coupling length of said fibers at the wavelength of said pump light and said signals, and an odd multiple of the coupling length of said fibers at the wavelength of the other of said pump light and said signals.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
40 words
A fiber optic amplifier, as defined in Claim 7, wherein said pair of input optical fibers are laterally offset from one another at said interaction region to tune said coupler to the wavelength of said signals and said pump light.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
42 words
A fiber optic amplifier, as defined in Claim 8, wherein said pair of input optical fibers are arcuate and wherein the radius of said arcuate optical fibers is selected in accordance with the wavelength difference between said pump light and said signals.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
37 words
A fiber optic amplifier, as defined in Claim 1, wherein said optical fiber (12b, 54, 62) has a diameter which is less than the absorption length of said crystal material at the wavelength of said pump light.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
68 words
A method of amplifying a light signal, characterized by the steps of: combining said light signal and pumping illumination on a single optical fiber (12b, 50, 60); and coupling an end of said single optical fiber (12b, 50, 60) to an end of a crystal fiber (44) doped with material which will emit stimulated radiation at the frequency of said light signal when pumped with said pumping illumination.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
68 words
A method of amplifying a light signal, characterized by the steps of: combining said light signal and pumping illumination on a single optical fiber (12b, 50, 60); and coupling an end of said single optical fiber (12b, 50, 60) to an end of a crystal fiber (44) doped with material which will emit stimulated radiation at the frequency of said light signal when pumped with said pumping illumination.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method of amplifying a light signal, as defined in Claim 11, wherein said combining step is characterized by multiplexing said light signal and said pumping illumination in an optical coupler (10b, 50, 60) which has a coupling efficiency which is wavelength dependent.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
52 words
A method of amplifying a light signal, as defined in Claim 12, wherein said multiplexing step is characterized by the steps of: juxtaposing a pair of optical fibers to provide coupling therebetween; and applying said light signal to one of said fibers and said pumping illumination to the other of said fibers.