Simply defined, a cladding power stripper is a device that removes light from a fiber cladding. The device removes any light that travels in the cladding, ensuring that the measurements are based only on the effects of the core and not the cladding.

The cladding power stripper is designed for the applications such as high-power lasers and amplifiers. It strips ASE, residual pump power, and escaped core modes double cladding’s inner layer, preserving minimal degradation of beam quality and signal power. Also, the signal power reflected into the cladding can be stripped.

The common features of an ideal cladding power stripper are:

  • High stripping efficiency
  • Low signal loss
  • Low beam quality degradation
  • High extinction ratio
  • High-temperature stability
  • High power handling capability
  • Extreme reliability

Now, you very well know how a cladding power stripper works and what an ideal stripper looks like. But, the thing is to know the need to remove the light from the cladding of an optical fiber. You should know the situation when it’s necessary to remove it.

  • In some cases, single-mode fiber is used as a kind of mode cleaner. The wanted light transmitting through the fiber core and any other light spoils the beam quality, so it should be removed.

Many times, you will find polymer coating around the fiber cladding, serving as a cladding mode stripper. In this, the refractive index of the coating should be slightly above that of the cladding. This is necessary for easy transmission of the light from the cladding into the coating and then radiating into the ambient air by scattering at irregularities.

  • The high-power fiber amplifier is made from a double-clad fiber, residual pump light should be removed from the pump cladding to prevent it from accompanying the amplified signal or getting to the signal source. For this purpose, the cladding power stripper is primarily used.
  • Some of the optical power gets into the outer cladding around the pump cladding when the pump light is launched into a double-clad fiber. The power propagates in the outer cladding up to a location where the fiber has a polymer coating, then destroys the coating with excessive heating. The cladding power stripper avoids this problem by attenuating light in the outer cladding, but not in the pump cladding.

The need for removing light from the cladding of optical power is important in certain situations. Without this, the products won’t function as expected and the result will not be great. So, undoubtedly, you should invest in a cladding power stripper.

Where should you buy a cladding power stripper?

DK Photonics is one of the world’s designers and makers of cladding power strippers and other devices of fiber optic segments. We have seen a huge demand for our cladding power strippers and expect more. The reasons for the high demand are quality products with good customer support. The company serves all organization levels, helping them in making noteworthy developments. Most importantly, DK Photonics offers customized optical passive components, meaning you will get devices specifically designed for your organization. In simple words, the team knows how to help an organization grow using its products.