Design and simulation of array lens for coupling of a 4×4 VCSEL array to a single mode fiber

A 4×4 nano-scale VCSEL array simultaneously collimated on a single mode fiber (SMF) has been demonstrated. Through the proposed 4×4 BK7 microlens array, every laser beam can be conveyed simultaneously, from 360 nm to 2000 nm, into a 1000 mm long SMF. These results show that it is possible to bond multi-element VCSEL arrays to a SMF, and to simultaneously propagate the entire laser arrays in parallel. The proposed approach provides design flexibility of the nano-scale spot coupling with the advantages of multi-element optical power coupling, such as nano-scale VCSEL array. It can also be applied in multi-channel fiber optical communication systems for signal broadcasting to N×N access modes and N×N two dimensional (2D) multi-channel output.