Abstract

In this paper, we present a novel reflow technique for the fabrication of an elliptical microlens array in sol-gel glass. The fabricated refractive microlens array has a very smooth surface, and structural and dimensional conformity with the designed parameters. It is shown that the microlens array can provide high coupling efficiency of a laser diode to a single mode fiber, and relax the lateral and axial misalignment tolerance. The microlens coupling technique has the advantages of low coupling loss, large misalignment tolerances, and small package volume.

©2003 Optical Society of America

Reflow technique for the fabrication of an elliptical microlens array in sol-gel material

Miao He, Xiaocong Yuan, Nam Q. Ngo, Wai C. Cheong, and Jing Bu
Appl. Opt. 42(36) 7174-7178 (2003)

Reflowed solgel spherical microlens for high-efficiency optical coupling between a laser diode and a single-mode fiber

Miao He, Xiaocong Yuan, Jing Bu, Wai Chye Cheong, and Ken Jin Moh
Appl. Opt. 44(8) 1469-1473 (2005)

UV induced controllable volume growth in hybrid sol-gel glass for fabrication of a refractive microlens by use of a grayscale mask

Weixing Yu and X.-C. Yuan
Opt. Express 11(18) 2253-2258 (2003)

Fabrication of refractive microlens in hybrid SiO₂/TiO₂ sol-gel glass by electron beam lithography

W. X. Yu and X.-C. Yuan
Opt. Express 11(8) 899-903 (2003)

Cost-effective fabrication of microlenses on hybrid sol-gel glass with a high-energy beam–sensitive gray-scale mask

X.-C. Yuan, W. X. Yu, N. Q. Ngo, and W. C. Cheong
Opt. Express 10(7) 303-308 (2002)