Lensed Optical Fiber Taper via Temperature Gradient Etching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing lensed optical fibers face challenges in reproducibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, particularly in achieving precise taper angles and tip radii for applications requiring converging light output.
Innovation Solution
A method involving an optical fiber with a tapered region immersed in an etching liquid, where a temperature gradient is applied by heating the liquid using a laser beam, increasing etching rates from the tapered region to the taper tip, resulting in a lensed tip with controlled taper angles and radii.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If mechanical grinding is used to shape the optical fiber end, then lens precision can be achieved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical grinding system with a chemical etching system. Instead of using mechanical abrasives to shape the optical fiber end, the invention uses chemical etching liquid that selectively removes material based on temperature gradients, thereby achieving lens formation without complex mechanical machining equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the etching liquid parameters (temperature, concentration) along the optical fiber length to control the etching rate. By creating a temperature gradient in the etching liquid, different regions of the optical fiber experience different etching rates, enabling precise lens shaping through chemical rather than mechanical means.
2Length of moving object
If heating and stretching is used to form tapered optical fiber, then reduced dimension tip can be achieved, but reproducibility and scalability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual heating and stretching mechanical process with a controlled chemical etching process. The etching liquid, guided by temperature gradients, automatically and uniformly shapes the tapered fiber tip, eliminating the variability inherent in manual mechanical operations and improving reproducibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The etching liquid automatically adjusts its etching rate based on the local temperature it experiences. As the liquid flows or is positioned along the tapered fiber, the temperature gradient causes the etching rate to vary automatically, with higher etching rates at regions needing more material removal and lower rates where precision is needed, enabling self-regulating shaping.
3Loss of substance
If conventional etching is used on tapered optical fiber, then material removal can be achieved, but precise control of etching rate gradient is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses temperature as a controlling parameter for the etching rate. By heating the etching liquid in a controlled gradient along the optical fiber, the etching rate is precisely controlled - higher temperatures increase etching rate for material removal, while lower temperatures provide precise control for lens shaping, enabling both aggressive material removal and fine precision in the same process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical control of etching rate (such as adjusting etching liquid flow rate or contact pressure) with thermal control. The temperature gradient in the etching liquid provides a continuous and precise means to control etching rate, offering better manufacturability and control than mechanical adjustment methods.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enables the production of lensed optical fibers with precise taper angles below 3 degrees and tip radii below 3 microns, enhancing reproducibility, scalability, and reducing manufacturing costs while ensuring efficient light focusing and beam shaping.
Implementation Method 1
the etching liquid can for example absorb light within an absorption spectral range, said heating being performed using a laser beam having optical energy distributed at least partially in the absorption spectral range of the etching liquid
Implementation Method 2
heating the etching liquid surrounding the taper tip in accordance with a temperature gradient in which temperature increases longitudinally from the tapered region to the taper tip, said heating causing a corresponding etching rate gradient shaping the taper tip into a lens
Data Source
AI summary
There is described a method of manufacturing a lensed optical fiber using an optical fiber having a tapered region decreasing in diameter along a longitudinal direction leading to a taper tip. The method generally has: while the tapered region and the taper tip of the optical fiber are immersed into an etching liquid, heating the etching liquid surrounding the taper tip in accordance with a temperature gradient in which temperature increases longitudinally from the tapered region to the taper tip, said the local heating causing a corresponding etching rate gradient shaping the taper tip into a lens.