Cladding light stripper based on CO₂ laser ablation and its system applications

To scatter the residual pump light that is not fully absorbed and the signal light leaking into the cladding due to factors such as bending, splicing, and other factors, a segmented cladding light stripper (CLS) was fabricated using <i>C</i><i>O</i>₂ laser ablation. A three-segment CLS with a total length of 9 cm was developed. Integrated into a test system, the CLS demonstrated a stripping ratio of 30.9 dB, with an output power of only 0.593 W under an injected pump power of 734 W. Without active cooling, the maximum temperature of the CLS remained below 52.1°C, exhibiting uniform thermal distribution, no significant hotspots, and stable operation. By integrating a laser-ablated cladding light stripper into a 2014 W laser system, exceptional cladding light stripping performance was achieved. Comparative experiments with a corrosion cladding light stripper revealed no significant difference in the system's output power. These results collectively demonstrate that the laser-ablated cladding light stripper is practically applicable to high-power fiber laser systems, with high stripping efficiency.