This research focuses on the space-time fractional nonlinear perturbed Chen-Lee-Liu model, which describes the propagation behavior of optical pulses in the fields of optical fiber and plasma. The equation is considered with respect to the conformable derivative, and a composite fractional wave transformation is employed to reformulate it into a nonlinear equation with a single variable. The improved tanh method has been applied to derive novel analytical wave solutions for the given equation. Consequently, various types of solitonic wave patterns emerge, including but not limited to periodic, bell-shpaed, anti-bell-shaped, v-shpaed, kink, and compacton solitonic structures. The acquired solutions could potentially aid in the analysis of signal transmission in optical fibers and the characterization of plasma properties. The physical interpretations of the solutions are investigated using three-dimensional surface plots and two-dimensional density plots. Additionally, combined two-dimensional plots are being used to discuss the effects of the order of the fractional derivative on the generated wave patterns. Moreover, this study demonstrates the efficacy and reliability of the chosen technique.