Abstract: Faraday rotator or isolator with mode stripping ferrules and collimators having fiber pigtailed mode stripping components. An example is a compact Faraday Isolator module employing mode stripping ferrules and mode stripping collimators at the input and/or at the output of a fiber pigtailed Faraday Isolator. Two basic isolator types are a Polarization Independent Faraday isolator and a Polarization Maintaining Faraday isolator. The device is substantially immune to damage due to back-reflection, thermal lensing, energy leakage and absorption. Mode stripped optical energy propagating in the reverse direction is diverted onto a heat absorbing and heat sinking structure, as for example at the input of a compact birefringent wedge-based PI isolator. Alternatively, the optical energy propagating in the reverse direction is angularly refracted away from the forward incident beam path and is coupled into the energy dispersive cladding of the input fiber or the ferrule itself.

Abstract: Faraday rotator or isolator with mode stripping ferrules and collimators having fiber pigtailed mode stripping components. An example is a compact Faraday Isolator module employing mode stripping ferrules and mode stripping collimators at the input and/or at the output of a fiber pigtailed Faraday Isolator. Two basic isolator types are a Polarization Independent Faraday isolator and a Polarization Maintaining Faraday isolator. The device is substantially immune to damage due to back-reflection, thermal lensing, energy leakage and absorption. Mode stripped optical energy propagating in the reverse direction is diverted onto a heat absorbing and heat sinking structure, as for example at the input of a compact birefringent wedge-based PI isolator. Alternatively, the optical energy propagating in the reverse direction is angularly refracted away from the forward incident beam path and is coupled into the energy dispersive cladding of the input fiber or the ferrule itself.

Abstract: A monolithic ferrule/endcap/optical fiber structure is provided wherein an optical fiber is terminated in a ferrule and bonded by fusion to form a monolithic unit which minimizes optical loss and is typically capable of transmitting high power laser radiation, preferably on the order of 500 W and higher, without damage to the optical fiber and ferrule. Ferrule, endcap, optical fiber and fusible powder are composed of material of substantially the same physical characteristics such that, when all are fused together, the structure so formed is monolithic and the optical path is transparent.