Lightrun's Science Popularization: Fiber Combiners &
Focus Application Characteristics · Empowering Development in Multiple Fields
With the maturity of fused biconical taper technology and the upgrading of light energy control capabilities, fiber combiners have gradually penetrated from traditional industrial scenarios into multiple fields such as medical treatment, national defense, and scientific research. They have become a "core link" connecting photon technology research and development with other practical applications. The continuous breakthrough of their application boundaries continuously injects impetus into the technological upgrading and scenario innovation in various fields. The following will briefly introduce the practical application scenarios of combiners from four dimensions.
(I)Industrial Manufacturing: Empowering Efficient and Intelligent Production
In the field of industrial manufacturing, fiber combiners, relying on their high-power bearing capacity and energy concentration characteristics, have become the "power core" of laser processing equipment.
1. Automotive Manufacturing: 24kW-level high-power combiners (such as the 19×1 structure) matched with fiber lasers can realize one-time penetration welding of 30mm-thick carbon steel. Compared with traditional arc welding, the welding speed is increased by 3 times, and the thermal deformation is reduced by 60%. They have been widely used in the mass production of key components such as new energy vehicle battery trays and vehicle frames.
2. 3D Printing: The 7×1 multimode combiner can effectively increase the light energy density of the metal printing nozzle to 5×10⁶ W/mm² by accurately integrating multiple channels of pump light. The melting efficiency of metal powders (such as titanium alloys and superalloys) is increased by 400%, and the printing layer thickness accuracy is controlled within 50μm, promoting the rapid manufacturing of complex and precision components in the aerospace field.
3. Laser Cutting: Combiners with the (N+1)×1 structure can transmit pump light and signal light simultaneously. Matched with 10kW-level lasers, they can achieve high-speed cutting of 60mm stainless steel, with a cutting surface roughness Ra<1.6μm, meeting the strict requirements of high-end equipment manufacturing for cutting quality.
(II)Medical Technology: Assisting Precise Minimally Invasive Treatment
The medical field has extremely high requirements for the "low loss" and "wavelength adaptability" of combiners. Pump combiners, through customized design, provide stable light energy support for minimally invasive treatment and diagnostic equipment.
1. Surgical Operations: The 2μm fluoride fiber multimode combiner, relying on the precise focusing characteristics of laser with a specific wavelength, can effectively avoid damaging surrounding nerves and blood vessels, providing an innovative solution for fat ablation. In photodynamic therapy, the treatment mode of multimode combiners cooperating with photosensitizers is scientifically based. After the photosensitizer is excited by laser of a specific wavelength, it can generate reactive oxygen species such as singlet oxygen, which selectively destroys tumor cells while causing little damage to normal tissues.
2. Medical Diagnosis: The laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) system constructed by combining multimode combiners with spectral analysis technology can quickly detect the content of trace elements in blood. The detection time is shortened from 2 hours (by traditional methods) to 3 minutes, providing support for the rapid diagnosis of critically ill patients.
3. Other Scientific Therapies: In photodynamic therapy, the treatment mode of multimode combiners cooperating with photosensitizers is scientifically based. After the photosensitizer is excited by laser of a specific wavelength, it can generate reactive oxygen species such as singlet oxygen, which selectively destroys tumor cells while causing little damage to normal tissues.
(III)National Defense and Security: Building a Solid High-Energy Photon Defense Line
In the field of national defense and security, fiber combiners are key components of laser detection, jamming, and defense systems, and their capabilities of "multi-channel integration" and "broadband coverage" are particularly important.
1. Laser Radar: The coherent laser radar system constructed by 8×1 high-stability combiners can increase the emitted light power to 5kW, realizing real-time ranging and centimeter-level positioning accuracy of targets within a range of 100km. It is suitable for shipborne and airborne air detection scenarios.
2. Photoelectric Countermeasures: The multi-wavelength combined jamming system (integrating wavelength bands such as 0.8μm, 1.06μm, 1.55μm, and 2μm) realizes energy superposition through combiners, and can form an electromagnetic suppression "light wall" covering the 0.8-2μm wavelength band, effectively jamming the enemy's optical reconnaissance equipment and guidance systems.
3. Laser Defense: The vehicle-mounted laser defense system based on multimode combiners can integrate 12 channels of pump light to form a 30kW-level output, which can effectively intercept low-altitude targets such as drones and mortar shells with a fast response time, becoming an important means of terminal defense.
(IV)Scientific Research and Exploration: Breaking the Boundaries of Basic Research
The technological innovation of fiber combiners has provided an unprecedented high-energy optical field platform for the frontier scientific research field, promoting research breakthroughs in fields such as nonlinear optics and astrophysics.
1. High-Energy Laser Research: The combination of reverse combiner technology (splitting the laser output from a single fiber into multiple fibers) and high-power fiber lasers can support a 100kW-level continuous laser experimental platform, providing a stable high-energy optical field for research on plasma confinement and inertial confinement fusion. A breakthrough of plasma temperature reaching 5×10⁷ K has been achieved in experiments.
2. Astronomical Observation: The application of polarization-maintaining fiber combiners in the optical signal integration of astronomical telescopes can effectively offset the interference of atmospheric turbulence on the optical field, increasing the angular resolution of the telescope by about 3 times. This helps researchers capture clearer deep-space celestial images and has been used in the observation and research of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way.
3. Quantum Communication: The quantum key distribution system constructed by combining multimode combiners with quantum entangled light sources can realize stable transmission of 100km-level fiber quantum communication, and the key generation rate can be increased by up to 2 times, laying a foundation for the practical application of quantum secure communication.
In the precision scenarios of Industry 4.0 smart production lines, fiber optic combiners precisely regulate high-energy light beams with a light energy density of the megawatt class, revolutionizing the traditional paradigm of light energy utilization and deeply tapping into the dual value of "light" as both an energy and information carrier. Amid the continuous impact of the technological wave, fiber optic combiners, with their continuously iterating technological capabilities, break through application boundaries, leading humanity toward a highly efficient and intelligent new era driven by light as the core, and continuously empowering the photon age.
