Reduced manufacturing complexity optical channel configuration for multi-fiber ribbon form factor-compliant, integrated multi-channel optical amplifier

Claim 1

A multi-fiber ribbon-coupled optical amplifier comprising: a multi-channel optical waveguide structure having a plurality of optical waveguide amplifier channels arranged to be optically coupled with respective ones of a plurality of optical fibers of a multi-fiber ribbon over which respective light beam signals are transportable; and a multi-channel optical interface configured to couple optical energy supplied by a plurality of optical pumping sources into respective ones of said plurality of optical waveguide amplifier channels of said multi-channel optical amplifier from a direction that is generally spatially transverse to said optical waveguide amplifier channels, so as to provide optical energy amplification of said respective light beam signals traveling through said optical waveguide amplifier channels of said multi-channel optical waveguide structure; and wherein said multi-channel optical waveguide structure comprises a support substrate having a first surface, in which are formed a plurality of spatially adjacent grooves supporting therein respective ones of said optical waveguide amplifier channels, and wherein a respective one of said plurality of optical waveguide amplifier channels comprises a single clad optical fiber installed in a respective one of said grooves and having a truncated surface adjacent to a top surface of said respective one of said grooves, so as to receive optical energy supplied by one or more of said optical pumping sources, whereby said optical energy is transferred into and propagated along the core by said single clad optical fiber, and thereby provides optical energy amplification of a respective light beam signal traveling in the core.

Claim 11

A method of making a multi-channel optical waveguide structure comprising the steps of: (a) providing a support substrate having a first surface, in which are formed a plurality of spatially adjacent grooves; (b) providing a plurality of clad optical fibers sized to confine optical pumping energy near the core and to be insertable into said spatially adjacent grooves; (c) securing said clad optical fibers in said grooves by means of optical fiber bonding adhesive material which, together with said clad optical fibers, fill said grooves at least up to said first surface; and (d) removing material of said clad optical fibers and any adjacent adhesive down to said first surface of said substrate, so as to provide a plurality of optical waveguide channels comprised of truncated ones of said clad optical fibers and immediately adjacent adhesive material that allow said clad optical fibers to be optically coupled with an associated pumping energy source.

Claim 12

A method of making a multi-channel optical waveguide structure comprising the steps of: (a) providing a support substrate having a first surface, in which are formed a plurality of spatially adjacent grooves; (b) providing a plurality of clad optical fibers sized to confine optical pumping energy near the core and to be insertable into said spatially adjacent grooves; (c) securing said clad optical fibers in said grooves by means of optical fiber bonding adhesive material which, together with said clad optical fibers, fill said grooves at least up to said first surface; and (d) removing material of said clad optical fibers and any adjacent adhesive down to said first surface of said substrate, so as to provide a plurality of optical waveguide channels comprised of truncated ones of said clad optical fibers and immediately adjacent adhesive material that allow said clad optical fibers to be optically coupled with an associated pumping energy source.