Abstract: A heating apparatus, including a laser beam, an axicon reflector, which redirects the laser beam to generate a conical beam, and a reflecting structure, which redirects the conical beam to create a heating area.

Abstract: An apparatus for splicing, tapering and heat processing optical fibers is disclosed. The apparatus may include a laser configured to irradiate a portion of one or more optical fibers by at least two laser beams. The beams may be configured to irradiate different areas of the exterior surface of the fiber portion such as to increase the uniformity of heating distribution over the exterior surface of a portion of the optical fiber. In a configuration using two beams to irradiate the fiber portion the angle between the beams may be the closest angle to 180 degrees for which coupling between the first beam and the second beam is avoided. The apparatus may include three or more beams distributed around the optical fiber such as to irradiate the fiber portion uniformly and provide uniform heating of the fiber.

Abstract: A concentrator waveguide device is provided including a coupler having an interior passage therein which tapers from an input end of the coupler to an output end of the coupler, such that a cross-sectional area of an input end of the interior passage is larger than a cross-sectional area of an output end of the interior passage, wherein walls of the interior passage of the coupler are reflective; and a waveguide having an interior passage therein, wherein the waveguide is disposed such that light output from the output end of the interior passage of the coupler is incident into an input end of the interior passage of the waveguide, wherein walls of the interior passage of the waveguide are reflective.