Chapter 5

Laser-Fiber Connection
 Content

• Launching optical power into a fiber

• Fiber-to-Fiber coupling
• Fiber Splicing and connectors
 Coupling Efficiency

power coupled into the fiber PF

  [5-1]

power emitted from the sourse Ps

Ps PF
Source Optical Fiber
 Radiance (Brightness) of the source

• B= Optical power radiated from a unit area of the source into a

unit solid angle [watts/(square centimeter per stradian)]
 Surface emitting LEDs have a Lambertian pattern:

B( ,  )  B0 cos [5-2]

Edge emitting LEDs and laser diodes radiation pattern

1 sin  cos 
2 2
  [5-3]

B( ,  ) B0 cos  B0 cos 

T L

For edge emitting LEDs, L=1

 Power Coupled from source to the fiber

As and  s : area and solid emission angle of the source

 
PF     B( As ,  s )d s dAs 
A f and  f : area and Af 
 f  [5-4]
solid acceptance angle of fiber rm 2
2  0 max 
      B( ,  ) sin dd  d s rdr
0 0 0 0 
 Power coupled from LED to the Fiber
 0 max
rs 2
 
P  2B0 cos  sin d d s rdr
0  0 
0  
rs 2
 B0    0 max d s rdr
sin 2

0 0
rs 2 2

 B0   NA d rdr
s
0 0

PLED,step   rs B0 ( NA)  2 rs B0 n1 
2 2 2 2 2 2
[5-5]
 Power coupling from LED to step-index fiber

• Total optical power from LED:

2  / 2
Ps  As 
0 0
B( ,  ) sin dd

 /2
Ps  rs 2B0      
2 2 2
cos sin d rs B0 [5-6]
0

Ps ( NA) 2 if rs  a 
 
PLED,step   a  2  [5-7]

  s P ( NA) 2
if rs  a 
 rs  
Equilibrium Numerical Aperture
Examples of possible lensing schemes used to improve optical source-to-fiber coupling
efficiency
Laser diode to Fiber Coupling
 Fiber-to-Fiber Joint

• Fiber-to-Fiber coupling loss:

LF [dB]  10 log  F [5-8]

• Low loss fiber-fiber joints are either:

1- Splice (permanent bond)
2- Connector (demountable connection)
Different modal distribution of the optical beam emerging from a fiber lead to different degrees of
coupling loss. a) when all modes are equally excited, the output beam fills the entire output NA.
b) for a steady state modal distribution, only the equilibrium NA is filled by the output beam.
 Mechanical misalignment losses

Lateral (axial) misalignment loss is a dominant

Mechanical loss.

1/ 2
d   d  
2
Acomm 2 d
 F ,step   arccos  1     [5-9]
a 2
 2a a   2a  
 Longitudinal offset effect

Losses due to differences in the geometry and waveguide characteristics

of the fibers
aR
LF (a)  10 log( ) for a R  a E
aE [5-10]
NA R
LF (a)  20 log( ) for NA R  NA E
NA E
E & R subscripts refer to emitting and receiving fibers.
Experimental comparison of Loss as a function
of mechanical misalignment
Fiber end face

Fiber end defects

Fiber splicing

Fusion Splicing
V-groove optical fiber splicing
 Optical Fiber Connectors
• Some of the principal requirements of a good connector design are as
follows:
1- low coupling losses
2- Interchangeability
3- Ease of assembly
4- Low environmental sensitivity
5- Low-cost and reliable construction
6- Ease of connection
Connector Return Loss