HPUC Laser to Fiber Couplers

Receptacle Style; 180 to 2000 nm; Coupling Efficiency >60% to >80%; Backreflection -14 to -60 dB; Power Handling >1 to >100 W

In OZ Optics' HPUC series of receptacle style, non-contact style laser to fiber couplers, an air gap exists between the fiber and the lens. This design is more flexible, allowing a wide range of lens types and focal lengths to be used. The distance between the fiber and the lens can be adjusted to compensate the changes in the source wavelengths or to intentionally defocus the laser beam to prevent arcing in high power laser to multimode fiber applications. Couplers using GRIN lenses, achromats, aspheres, fused silica, plano-convex, and biconvex lenses have all been made utilizing this design.

Non-contact style couplers can handle input powers of up to 100 W CW, and even higher energies from pulsed sources. They are best suited for applications where either the input energy is higher than 400 mW, or when more than one wavelength is to be coupled into the fiber, or for input beams that have unusually large beam diameters or divergence angles. They also have superior polarization maintaining capabilities compared to physical contact style couplers. However because of the air gap between the fiber and the lens, the backreflection level for the endface of the fiber is about -14 dB. This can be reduced to -40 dB to -60 dB by slant polishing both fiber ends to deflect the backreflected signal.

There is a significant variation in the endface geometries of angled PC (APC) connectors. This effects the spacing between the endface of the fiber and the lens. To minimize this variation, OZ Optics offers an angled flat (AFC) connector. This connector features a beveled endface where the fiber itself is angled but the ferrule tip is flat. This geometry provides optimum repeatability between connections.

For users of SMA connectors, please note that standard SMA connectors and receptacles are constructed to rather loose tolerances, leading to poor repeatability. For core diameters of 100 µm or smaller, we recommend using SMA connectors with Zirconia ferrules and receptacles with Zirconia sleeves. This will give maximum repeatability. Better still, consider using FC connectors instead.

Key Features:

• High Power Handling
• Wide Range of Lenses
• Excellent Polarization Maintaining Capabilities
• Different Connector Receptacle Versions
• Wide Wavelength Ranges

Applications: Laser Shows/Entertainment; Spectroscopy; Interferometric Sensors; Fluorescence Measurements; Medical, Pharmaceutical & Chemical Sensors; OEM Laser Systems