Heating Power Feedback Control for CO2 Laser Fusion Splicers

摘要

A novel feedback control method has been developed for an automated splicer using a CO_2 laser as the heating element. The feedback method employs a sensor for laser beam power and CMOS cameras as sensors for fiber luminescence which is directly related to glass temperature. The CO_2 laser splicer with this type of feedback system provides a consistent platform for the fiber laser and bio-medical industry for fabrication of fused glass components such as tapers, couplers, combiners, mode-field adaptors, and fusion splices. With such a closed loop feedback system, both splice loss and peak-to-peak taper ripple are greatly reduced.