A fiber lens with a long working distance for integrated coupling between laser diodes and single-mode fibers

Abstract

A new scheme is proposed for lensed fibers with a long working distance, as used in the coupling between laser diodes and single-mode fibers. The scheme consists of the combination of a hemispherically-ended coreless-fiber tip and an expanded-core fiber. The working distance is measured as 169 /spl mu/m with a relatively low coupling-loss of 4.2 dB at a wavelength of 1.49 /spl mu/m. Tolerances for a 1-dB loss increment for axial-, lateral-, and angular-misalignment are 35, 2.6 /spl mu/m, and 0.8 degrees, respectively. The new configuration is suitable for alignment-free coupling between arrayed laser diodes and an array of single-mode fibers. >