Industries such as manufacturing and defense depend on high-power fiber lasers. As the power of the atom goes up, so do the challenges around heat and the purity of the signal. The cladding power stripper (CPS) is one important solution for these problems. Given its low visibility in public conversations, it is necessary for maintaining and enhancing the performance of fiber laser systems.

Why Cladding Light Is a Problem

Let’s break it down:

  • Excess heat: Unstripped cladding light turns into heat, which can warp or burn optical components.
  • Signal interference: Cladding light can scatter and interfere with beam quality.
  • Component damage: Sensitive parts like isolators or combiners can degrade quickly if hit by unmanaged cladding power.

If you’re scaling up your laser’s power, ignoring cladding light isn’t an option.

How Cladding Power Strippers Work

CPS devices are typically fused fiber components. They’re engineered to disrupt the total internal reflection that traps light in the cladding, causing the unwanted light to escape and be absorbed by a heat-sinking material. The core signal, due to its confined geometry, stays unaffected.

Three core design principles:

  1. Mode-stripping geometry: The fiber shape is adjusted to allow light to escape from the cladding.
  2.  Absorptive coatings: Materials that absorb and transform released light into heat.
  3.  Thermal dissipation: A process by which heat sinks or cooling blocks manage the temperature.

Real Benefits in High-Power Applications

Here’s what CPS components actually do for your system:

  • Improve thermal stability: Cladding light is soaked up quickly by CPS, making the device more super-resilient to heat-related issues.
  • Boost performance: Better and almost identical results are produced when the beam paths are clean.
  • Protect system components: Use downstream optics like isolators, filters and combiners to shield your system from harm and costly replacement.
  • Enable higher power levels: Without CPS, it’s both risky and inefficient to furnish kilowatt-class fiber lasers.

In short, CPS makes high-power operation safe, stable, and scalable.

Key Factors When Choosing a CPS

Not every cladding power stripper is the same. There are a few things you should keep in mind.

  • Power handling capacity: Look up the maximum CPS that your lights can supply and make sure the CPS of your CPC is below this.
  • Fiber compatibility: Choose a fiber diameter and numerical aperture that the patch cord matches with.
  • Cooling method: You may need to use either passive or active cooling for your house, based on the system’s power level.
  • Packaging: Industrial systems may require ruggedized versions with robust mounting.

Be sure to find out about the cladding light absorption and the system’s capacity to manage thermal heat from the supplier. They show that the component is both reliable and effective.

Where It Fits in a Fiber Laser Setup

The CPS is usually placed just after the gain fiber or pump combiner, anywhere cladding light is expected to be present. Its location is strategic: remove cladding light before it hits sensitive optics. You may also see multiple CPS units in complex systems, each protecting a specific stage.

Conclusion

Cladding power strippers might not get a lot of attention, but they are very important. They absorb undesirable light, keep heat levels low, and make sure your laser stays at its best. Don’t disregard the CPS if you are building or using high-power fiber lasers.