Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 11, 2026
08:48
Low-cost Custom Fabrication and Mode-locked Operation of an All-normal-dispersion Femtosecond Fiber Laser for Multiphoton Microscopy
Published on: November 22, 2019
8.1K
Massive-scale spatial multiplexing of multimode VCSELs with a 3D-printed photonic lantern
Yoav Dana1, Ksenia Shukhin2, Yehudit Garcia2
1Institute of Applied Physics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel. Yoav.dana@mail.huji.ac.il.
Nature Communications
|March 10, 2026
Summary
This study introduces 3D-printed photonic lanterns for efficiently combining light from multiple VCSELs into optical fibers. This innovation simplifies high-power laser systems and optical communications.
Area of Science:
- Photonics and Optical Engineering
- Laser Systems
- Materials Science
Background:
- Incoherent beam combining is crucial for high-power lasers, but coupling light from VCSEL arrays to fibers is difficult.
- Existing methods struggle with efficiency, brightness preservation, and modal capacity matching for multimode sources.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel photonic lantern (PL) for efficient incoherent combining of few-mode VCSELs.
- To enable direct multiplexing of VCSEL arrays into multimode fibers (MMFs) with matched modal capacity.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of 3D-printed microscale photonic lanterns directly on VCSEL apertures.
- Demonstration of PLs for multiplexing 7, 19, and 37 six-mode VCSELs.
- Characterization of coupling loss, power delivery, brightness, and alignment tolerance.
Main Results:
- Achieved low coupling losses: -0.6 dB (19-MM PL) and -0.8 dB (37-MM PL) into a 50 μm MMF.
- Demonstrated efficient power delivery and brightness preservation.
- Showcased relaxed alignment requirements compared to conventional methods.
Conclusions:
- 3D-printed photonic lanterns offer a compact, scalable solution for incoherent beam combining.
- This technology facilitates efficient integration of VCSEL arrays into MMFs for high-power laser systems and optical communications.
