Fabrication of Micro-Optics for Diode Lasers and Amplifiers Using Ink-Jet Technology.
Abstract
Microjet printing methods were explored for in situ fabrication of micro-optical elements for use with diode laser and amplifier systems. Fabrication capabilities were demonstrated for hemispherical, hemielliptical and square microlenses, as small as 100 um, with dimensional tolerances of better than 2%. Microlenses were printed onto the tips of optical fibers, to increase their numerical apertures for light collection and with dye-diode formulations to create fluorescing, potentially lasing lenslet arrays. The optical material used ranged from optical adhesives dispensed at room temperature to optical resins and index-tuned thermoplastics printed at temperatures up to 200 0C. Data such as focal length and focal plane power distributions indicated that microjet printed microlenses were comparable or superior in optical performance to similar lenslets fabricated by conventional methods. This project demonstrated that microjet printing technology could significantly reduce the cost of micro-optics manufacture and that it can produce very fast (f/#,<f/2) hemispherical microlens arrays and unique hemielliptical lenslet arrays for diode laser array coupling and steering applications, neither of which can be fabricated cost effectively today by alternative state-of-the-art technologies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1995
- Accession Number
- ADA313031
Entities
People
- Daryl Ussery
- Don J. Hayes
- Duncan Macfarlane
- Ting Chen
- W. R. Cox