Research on the method of designing cap lens using ant colony algorithm

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Computational Science

Background:

• Efficient coupling of laser diode light into optical fibers is crucial for optical communication and sensing.
• Traditional lens design methods can be complex and time-consuming, especially for aspheric elements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To optimize the structural parameters of a cap aspheric lens for laser diode to optical fiber coupling.
• To apply the ant colony optimization algorithm for lens design and evaluate its effectiveness.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the ant colony optimization algorithm implemented in a MATLAB program.
• Defined a merit function to guide the optimization of the cap aspheric lens parameters.
• Designed a lens with specific center thickness and focal length for coupling a laser diode (LD) into a single-mode fiber.

Main Results:

• A cap aspheric lens was designed with a center thickness of 1.1019 mm and effective focal length of 1.10331 mm.
• The designed lens achieved a theoretical coupling efficiency of 89.8%.
• Experimental results showed a maximum coupling efficiency of 88.63% and an average of 79.39%.

Conclusions:

• The ant colony optimization algorithm provides a feasible and effective method for designing cap aspheric lenses for optical fiber coupling.
• The designed lens demonstrates high coupling efficiency, validating the optimization approach.
• This approach has practical implications for improving the performance of optoelectronic devices.