US Patent number 9,618,700 issued today as a stand alone utility patent covering three embodiments of right angle side fire fibers with 19 claims allowed. The invention is an outgrowth of InnovaQuartz new one-piece side firing fiber caps (Patented) where astigmatic distortion is exploited to permit exceeding the ~75 degree off-axis limit of competing technologies. Ironically, through purposeful distortion the invention produces an essentially distortion-free output as compared with the elliptical distortion suffered by lower angle emission devices.
The invention also provided for rotation of the output beyond 90 degrees where there is a need for a back-firing fiber, but not too far beyond 90.
IQ is hoping to bring these devices to market for laser surgical use within the next year or so. Versions of the invention designed for fiber optic spectroscopy and ordinance ignition are available now, under the Silica Physics LLC entity. Contact info@innovaquartz.com.
