Ideal microlenses for laser to fiber coupling

Author

Edwards, Christopher A. ; Presby, Herman M. ; Dragone, Corrado

Author_Institution

AT&T Bell Lab., Holmdel, NJ, USA

Volume

11

Issue

2

fYear

1993

fDate

2/1/1993 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

252

Lastpage

257

Abstract

The design and fabrication of ideal microlenses for semiconductor laser to fiber coupling are reported. Properly coated for reflections, lenses of the new design can theoretically collect 100% of the radiated energy of a modal-symmetric laser source. The crucial feature is its hyperbolic shape. Microlenses fabricated directly on the end of the fiber by laser micromachining have demonstrated up to 90% coupling efficiency. This performance represents a major advance in microlens technology when compared to currently fabricated hemispherical microlenses which are at best 55% efficient. A theoretical comparison of the two lens shapes illuminates the advantages of the hyperbolic profile. The ability to couple all of the light from a semiconductor laser into a fiber has far-reaching implications for all optical communication systems

Keywords

lenses; optical communication equipment; optical couplers; optical design techniques; optical fibre fabrication; 90 percent; coupling efficiency; fiber coupling; fibre end microlenses; hyperbolic profile; hyperbolic shape; laser micromachining; lens shapes; microlens design; microlens fabrication; modal-symmetric laser source; optical communication systems; radiated energy; reflection coatings; semiconductor laser; Fiber lasers; Laser theory; Lenses; Microoptics; Optical coupling; Optical design; Optical device fabrication; Optical fiber communication; Semiconductor lasers; Shape;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Lightwave Technology, Journal of

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0733-8724

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/50.212535

Filename

212535