Improved distributed-index planar microlens and its application to 2-D lightwave components

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Integrated Optics
• Microlens Technology

Background:

• Integrated optical components are crucial for advanced optical systems.
• Distributed-index (DI) planar microlenses offer potential for miniaturization and integration.
• Previous designs faced limitations in performance and integration complexity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present an improved design of a 2-D array of DI planar microlenses.
• To demonstrate a functional 2-D integrated optical component utilizing these microlenses.
• To evaluate the performance of a fiber coupler based on the improved microlens array.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a 2-D array of improved DI planar microlenses with specific optical parameters (f=2.0 mm, N.A.=0.23).
• Assembly of integrated optical components by stacking planar microlens arrays with other optical devices.
• Demonstration and experimental evaluation of a fiber coupler for DI fibers.

Main Results:

• The improved planar microlens exhibits a small spherical aberration.
• A functional fiber coupler was successfully demonstrated using the microlens array.
• Preliminary experiments show a coupling loss of less than 0.5 dB per channel for 50-micron core DI fibers.

Conclusions:

• The improved DI planar microlens array is a viable building block for 2-D integrated optical components.
• The demonstrated fiber coupler exhibits high coupling efficiency, suitable for practical applications.
• This advancement facilitates the development of compact and efficient optical systems.