Demonstration of Power-over-Fiber with Watts of Output Power Capabilities over Kilometers or at Cryogenic Temperatures

Abstract

We demonstrate the use of laser diodes and multijunction photovoltaic power converters to efficiently deliver watts of electrical power for long-distance or cryogenic applications. Transmission through single-mode and multi-mode fibers at the wavelengths of 808 nm and 1470/1550 nm are studied. An electrical output power of ~0.1 W is obtained after a 5 km transmission through a standard single-mode SMF28 fiber fed with 0.25 W of optical power. An electrical output power of ~1 W is demonstrated after a 5 km transmission with a standard OM1 multi-mode fiber fed with ~2.5 W. Photovoltaic conversion efficiencies reaching Eff ~49% are obtained with an output voltage of ~5 V using commercial multijunction laser power converters. For low-temperature applications, an ultra-sensitive silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) is used to detect the residual light leaked from fibers as the temperature is decreased. Our study demonstrates that specific fiber types enable low-loss transmission compatible with cryogenic requirements and without light leakage triggering of the SiPM. A cryogenic power-over-fiber system at ~1470 nm is demonstrated with ~2 W of electrical power converted over a 10 m distance having a conversion efficiency of Eff > 65% at 77 K.