Optical Fibers for Improved Low Loss Coupling of Optical Components

摘要

An important feature of achieving low coupling losses in systems with small dimensions is the availability of optical fibers with larger numerical apertures while retaining the excellent loss characteristics of synthetic silica. Larger acceptance angles permit more efficient pick up of signals in smaller diameter optical fibers. Likewise broader angles can benefit illumination systems, providing larger areas of coverage with smaller components. Examples where one or both aspects are valuable include remote spectroscopic sampling and hands-free fiber optic illumination systems for hazardous environments. Optical fibers with doped synthetic silica cores are described which have numerical apertures of over 0.50 for power delivery and effective NAs approaching 0.60 for illumination, sensing or other 'low power' applications. Spectral and optical properties of these fibers are presented along with how they allow improved low loss coupling of optical components in photonic and microelectronic systems.