Downloads
Application Note: Ball Lenses For Telecom & Datacom Applications
Source:
Deposition Sciences, Inc. (DSI)
Ball lenses are an inexpensive, mechanically compact optical method for collimating the output of an optical fiber or laser diode; they can also be used for fiber-to-fiber, diode-to-fiber and fiber-to-detector coupling. However, despite some inherent advantages and lower cost, widespread employment of ball lenses in telecom and datacom applications has been limited by the difficulty in depositing high performance anti-reflection (AR) coatings on them, and by some common misperceptions about utility and availability of ball lenses versus other alternatives such as gradient refractive index (GRIN) lenses and aspheric lenses.
This application note reviews the basic optics of ball lenses, and outlines the advances that have been made in deposition of high performance anti-reflection (AR) coatings to ball lenses. Also included are a comparison of ball lenses and GRIN lenses, a brief review of two common applications, and general bonding and assembly methods. This application note draws heavily upon several published articles.
Register Today. It's Fast And Free.
The content you requested is only available to registered users of Photonics Online. By registering now, you'll get access to this piece of content and thousands of additional articles and product reviews across our entire network of sites.
Already Registered? Sign In.
