Silicon microlens for low-cost laser modules

摘要

We propose a silicon microlens that is surface mountable on a silicon v-groove platform for low-cost optical communication modules. The proposed silicon microlens has a rod shape which has the diameter of 125 μm, identical to a single-mode fiber. Therefore, it can be passively embedded in the same v-groove in conjunction with the optical fiber with high precision. The rod structure was fabricated on silicon substrate by deep etching technology. We employed silicon diffractive microlens that can be fabricated on the top surface of the rod. The coupling efficiency of -3.2 ('B between DFB laser diode and single-mode fiber was obtained. With good coupling efficiency and the ease of packaging by surface mount technology (SMT), silicon diffractive microlens is promising for low-cost and high-performance optical modules applications.