Self-aligned single-mode fiber connection via NIR photo-polymerization in a 3D-printed glass coupler
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: We exploit a near-infrared (NIR) photopolymerization process for the creation of a self-written waveguide (SWW) between two single-mode (SM) fibers at 850 nm (780HP) placed in the V-grooves of a compact glass fiber coupler. The coupler is manufactured by femtosecond laser irradiation and chemical etching (FLICE) and enables the study of coupling efficiency tolerance to lateral offsets between the fibers for an axial distance between 95 and 110 μm. A maximal coupling efficiency of 80% (0.97 dB loss) is obtained for the minimal lateral offset measured (0.36±0.14 μm). Moreover, a 3 dB misalignment tolerance of ca. 3 μm is measured, which should be compared with the small size of the mode field diameters (5 μm). In addition, an average coupling efficiency of 77.4% is measured in a second glass coupler with no intentional misalignment, showing that the SWW process can overcome the manufacturing tolerances of the FLICE coupler. These results are comparable to those obtained using a complex and bulky alignment system (i.e., a hexapod) and confirm that compensation mechanisms brought by this simple and parallelizable process can actually be exploited for low-cost fabrication of 850 nm single-mode optical links within a compact module for optical communications or sensing applications.
Source: Journal of Optical Microsystems
Institutions: Université de Toulouse, Université de Haute-Alsace
Language: English
Subfield: Computational Mechanics
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Agence Nationale de la Recherche
OpenAlex ID: W7155612979
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