Tapered and lensed fibers offer a convenient way to improve coupling between optical fibers and waveguide devices, laser diodes or photo diodes. By laser shaping the fiber end, the light can be transformed to improve mode matching and coupling efficiency with the waveguide device, laser diode chip or photodiode chip. The manufacturing process allows for improved coupling to either circular or oval input spots (this must be specified in advance).
OZ Optics tapered and lensed fibers are manufactured by laser shaping the endface to create the optimal light output/input for specific applications. This method provides the best coupling efficiencies and mode matching abilities in a taper. An alternative technique is to instead polish the end face of the fiber to a specific radius and taper angle, forming a lens. Oval spots can also be formed using the polishing technique, normally by shaping the fiber to form a chisel or wedge shape.
The characteristics of fiber tapers depend greatly upon the application. For laser diode and waveguide coupling applications, beam quality is paramount. The focused spot characteristics must match the waveguide characteristics as closely as possible to ensure good coupling. In contrast, fiber to photodiode coupling does not require a high quality beam. One only has to ensure that the focused spot size is smaller than the photodetector. Thus tapered fibers for photodiodes are offered at lower cost.
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