CONDITIONED LAUNCH OF A SINGLE MODE LIGHT SOURCE INTO A MULTIMODE OPTICAL FIBER

An optical coupling system and method are provided for coupling light from a single mode laser (SML) light source into an MMF that reduce back reflection of laser light into the SML light source and provide controlled launch conditions that allow the light to avoid defective areas in the MMF as the light travels in the MMF. The launch conditions are controlled to cause preselected spatial intensity distribution patterns to be launched into the MMF that result in the laser light avoiding defective areas in the MMF as the laser light passes through the MMF. The combination of all of these features allows greater link bandwidth and link length to be achieved with an MMF without increasing transceiver packaging complexity. In addition, because the preselected spatial intensity distributions allow the light to avoid particular areas in the fiber that are likely to contain defects, fiber manufacturers can focus less on reducing defects in those areas and focus more on optimization of performance parameters.