The Boeing Company
Light harvesting fiber optic amplifiers

Abstract:

Optical fibers are described that include integrated Photovoltaic (PV) cells. One embodiment comprises a method of integrating a photon converter into an optical fiber. The method comprises acquiring an optical fiber having a core that is configured to convey light. The method further comprises cleaving the optical fiber to form a first length and a second length, and fabricating a photon converter onto an end of the first length of optical fiber, where the photon converter includes a void that allows the light through the core to traverse across the splice. The method further comprises splicing the end of the first length of the optical fiber to an end of the second length of the optical fiber.