FiberTips

Spherical Lenses and End Caps

Laser Components manufactures fiber tips according to customer specifications. Select the appropriate fiber type from our product range and let us know your specification requirements to order your individualized product. Feel free to contact us by phone or e-mail.

End Caps for Output Coupling High Laser Power

If high power densities are expected at the end surfaces of the connectors, these can be reduced by splicing end caps to the fiber end. The end caps are cylindrical glass rods made of pure fused silica, which can also be integrated into standard connectors if required (e.g., in FC/PC connectors). The diameter of the end cap is larger than that of the fiber core. The light leaves the core according to its numerical aperture; its power density is reduced with the help of the end cap. This prevents the fiber from burning up or from sustaining performance-related end surface damage. There are different types of end caps that are used for both single-mode and multi-mode fibers. Insertion of the end cap at a defined length into the ferrule of a single-mode connector is one special technology.

Spherical Lenses

Spherical lenses drawn from the fiber optimize their radiation characteristics. Depending on the application, they are used to focus or collimate light. Spherical lenses are shaped with an individual diameter.  Fused silica fibers with diameters of 200 µm, 365 µm, 400 µm, 550 µm, or 600 µm are processed. This product is processed according to ISO 13485 and can be packaged sterilely.

GRIN Lenses for Collimated Light

Gradient index (GRIN) lenses are cylindrical glass bodies, the refractive index of which decreases continuously from the center to the edge. They are used to collimate the light beam emerging from the fiber (i.e., to achieve parallel alignment). At LASER COMPONENTS, the lenses are directly connected to the optical fiber using an adhesive-free process. With this solution, we can guarantee our customers reproducibly high quality. In addition, this will eliminate the need for an external collimator with a larger housing in the future.

On a standard basis, we supply GRIN lens assemblies for the following telecom wavelengths: 1310 nm and 1550 nm. They consist of an SMF-28 single-mode fiber and collimators with a numerical aperture of 0.5 or 0.2. The fiber ends are integrated into an FC connector in such a way that they end directly with the ferrule.

Other connector types, bare fiber solutions, and wavelengths of 650 nm and 870 nm are also available upon customer request.