Chemically Etched Conical Microlenses for Coupling Single Mode Lasers into Single Mode Fibers

Abstract

Coupling efficiency between single mode laser diodes and single mode fibers can be greatly increased by using lensing schemes to match their respective modes. Various such schemes have been reported [1-8]. Among these, microlenses formed out of the fiber itself are solid and have stable optical properties. The best results demonstrated have been achieved using complicated techniques to control the lens radius of curvature and to ensure that the lens is aligned with the fiber core.