An optical pump-signal combiner includes a first end and a second end. The optical pump-signal combiner is tapered down from the first end to the second end. At a first cross-section of the optical pump-signal combiner associated with the first end, the optical pump-signal combiner includes a capillary, a plurality of signal fibers that are disposed within the capillary, and a plurality of pump fibers that surround the capillary. Each signal fiber, of the plurality of signal fibers, includes a signal core and a signal cladding, and each pump fiber, of the plurality of pump fibers, includes a pump core and a pump cladding. At a second cross-section of the optical pump-signal combiner associated with the second end, the optical pump-signal combiner includes a unified fiber that includes an outer combined-cladding, a combined-pump core, an inner combined-cladding, and a combined-signal core.

An apparatus includes an all-fiber side-pump combiner fabrication system and a control unit coupled to control operations of the all-fiber side-pump combiner fabrication system to produce a (N+1)1 combiner with N side pump fibers.