The benefits of close collaboration in developing fibre optics

When fulfilling customer requests in fibre optics, Laser Components’ production department works closely with the company’s cross-disciplinary R&D team.

This means that fibre engineers can benefit from the experience gained by other departments such as thin-film technology and electrical engineering.

Thanks to this exchange of experience at the Olching site and investments in modern production equipment, Laser Components can provide fibre ends with different, customised “fibre tips.” In this way, the properties of the transmitted light can be optimised or modified according to customer requirements.

Shaped fibres include spherical lenses for medical applications. The fibre end, which is shaped into a sphere, collimates the outgoing beam and at the same time significantly reduces the risk of injury inside the body.

End caps increase the damage threshold of the fibre when coupling high optical power. They prevent the fibre from being destroyed under the high-power density. The beam properties remain unchanged.

Tapers are fibre ends in which the diameter is tapered by drawing the fibre. The size ratio between the core and cladding diameter remains unchanged. This results in the beam leaving the fibre with a larger beam angle.

Dr Stefan Hanf, fibre optics production manager at Laser Components, said: “Our fibre tips are individually manufactured according to customer specifications and can also be equipped with anti-reflective coatings upon request. Of course, we are also always ready to find innovative solutions for extraordinary requirements together with our R&D team.”