Free-space optical collimator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11460641-B2
Application number	US-201615381352-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2016
Priority date	Dec 18, 2015
Publication date	Oct 4, 2022
Grant date	Oct 4, 2022

Abstract

In various embodiments, free-space optical collimator and multi-channel wavelength division multiplexers including free-space optical collimators are provided. In one embodiment, for example, a free-space optical collimator includes a base having a length, a generally flat bottom surface and a top surface. A groove is disposed along the top surface of the base extending through the length of the base. A lens is disposed within the groove of the base and a fiber optic pigtail is disposed generally adjacent to a focal point of the lens. The lens and fiber optic pigtail are aligned within the groove to reduce an off-angle offset of an optical light signal propagating through the free-space optical collimator. In other embodiments, a process of producing a free-space optical collimator is also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A free-space optical collimator comprising:
a base having a length, a generally flat bottom surface and a top surface, wherein the generally flat bottom surface is configured for mounting on a substrate and a groove is disposed along the top surface extending through the length of the base;
a lens disposed within the groove of the base; and
a fiber optic pigtail disposed generally adjacent a focal point of the lens,
wherein the lens and the fiber optic pigtail are aligned within the groove to reduce an off-angle offset of an optical light signal propagating through the free-space optical collimator, wherein widths of the lens and fiber optic pigtail are wider than a width of the base.

2. The collimator of claim 1 , wherein the groove comprises a generally V-shaped groove.

3. The collimator of claim 1 , wherein the groove comprises a generally U-shaped groove.

4. The collimator of claim 1 , wherein the lens and pigtail are fixed within the groove via one or more of the group comprising an adhesive and an epoxy.

5. The collimator of claim 1 , wherein the lens comprises a glass lens.

6. The collimator of claim 1 , wherein the collimator comprises a first port corresponding to a distal end of the fiber optic pigtail and a second port corresponding to an output of the lens.

7. The collimator of claim 6 , wherein the collimator is configured to receive a light signal at the first port and provide a collimated light signal output from the second port.

8. The collimator of claim 6 , wherein the collimator is configured to receive a collimated light signal at the second port and provide an output light signal from the first port.

9. The collimator of claim 1 , wherein the base is mounted on a substrate adjacent to a second collimator comprising a second base, a second lens disposed within a second groove of the second base and a second fiber optic pigtail disposed generally adjacent a second focal point of the second lens.

10. The collimator of claim 9 , wherein a base spacing between the base of the collimator and second base of the second collimator is greater than a lens spacing between the lens of the collimator and the second lens of the second collimator.

11. The collimator of claim 10 , wherein the base spacing is greater than a pigtail spacing between the fiber optic pigtail of the collimator and the second fiber optic pigtail of the second collimator.

12. A multi-channel wavelength division multiplexer comprising:
a substrate;
a multiplexer port configured to propagate a multiplexed optical signal, the multiplexer port comprising a first optical collimator mounted on a surface of the substrate:
a first demultiplexer port configured to propagate a first demultiplexed optical signal, the first demultiplexer port comprising a second optical collimator;
a second demultiplexer port configured to propagate a second demultiplexed optical signal, the first demultiplexer port comprising a third optical collimator; and
an optical filtering component mounted to the substrate and optically coupled between the multiplexer port and the pair of first and second demultiplexer ports, wherein the optical filtering component is configured to separate a multiplexed light signal from the multiplexer port into at least first and second wavelength components and propagate the at least first and second wavelength components to the first and second demultiplexer ports, respectively,
wherein at least one of the first, second and third optical collimators comprise:
a base having a length, a generally flat bottom surface and a top surface, wherein the generally flat bottom surface is configured for mounting on the substrate and a groove is disposed along the top surface extending through the length of the base;
a lens disposed within the groove of the base, wherein a width of the lens is wider than the base; and

a fiber optic pigtail disposed generally adjacent a focal point of the lens, wherein the lens and the fiber optic pigtail are aligned within the groove to reduce an off-angle offset of an optical light signal propagating through the free-space optical collimator.

13. The multi-channel wavelength division multiplexer of claim 12 , wherein the optical filtering component comprises a filter array and a mirror disposed opposite the filter array.

14. The multi-channel wavelength division multiplexer of claim 13 , wherein the filter array and the mirror of the optical filtering element are arranged such that a multiplexed optical signal entering the optical filtering component via the multiplexer port can pass through the filter array and the mirror of the optical filtering component in a back-and-forth progression to successive thin-film filter elements of the filter array for successive wavelength-selective transmission at the first and second demultiplexer ports.

15. The multi-channel wavelength division multiplexer of claim 14 , wherein the filter array and the mirror of the optical filtering element are further arranged such that the first and second demultiplexed optical signals entering the optical filtering element via the first and second demultiplexer ports can pass through the filter array and the mirror of the optical filtering element in a back-and-forth progression for multiplexing at successive ones of the thin film filter elements and multiplexed transmission via the multiplexer port.

16. The multi-channel wavelength division multiplexer of claim 13 , wherein the filter array comprises a plurality of band pass filters corresponding to the first and second wavelength.

17. The multi-channel wavelength division multiplexer of claim 16 , wherein the optical filtering component comprises prism configured to propagate the multiplexed optical signal between the multiplexer port and the filter array and mirror of the optical filtering component.

18. The multi-channel wavelength division multiplexer of claim 12 , wherein the first, second and third optical collimators are mounted side-by-side to a surface of a substrate via a base and a base spacing between the bases of the first and second collimators and second and third collimators is greater than a lens spacing between lenses of the first and second collimators and lenses of the second and third collimators, respectively.

19. A process of producing a free-space optical collimator comprising:
forming a groove in a top surface of a base element;
disposing a lens in the groove;
disposing a fiber optic pigtail at least generally adjacent to a focal point of the lens;
aligning the lens and the fiber optic pigtail within the groove to reduce an off-angle offset of an optical light signal propagating through the free-space optical collimator; and
fixing the lens and fiber optic pigtail within the groove to form a free-space transmission path between the groove and the lens for the optical light signal to partially propagate through.

Assignees

• Alliance Fiber Optics Prod Inc

Inventors

• Huang Yu
• Gui Dong
• Xiao Qijun
• Li Yao
• Zhou Andy

Classifications

• G02B27/30 Primary

  Collimators · CPC title

• G02B6/29365

  in a multireflection configuration, i.e. beam following a zigzag path between filters or filtering operations · CPC title

• G02B6/3652

  the additional structures being prepositioning mounting areas, allowing only movement in one dimension, e.g. grooves, trenches or vias in the microbench surface, i.e. self aligning supporting carriers · CPC title

• G02B6/32 Primary

  having lens focusing means {positioned between opposed fibre ends (with lens being an integral part of the single fibre end G02B6/262)} · CPC title

• H04J14/0256 Primary

  at the optical channel layer · CPC title