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Microscopic 3D-Printed Device Combines Multimode Lasers into Single Fiber

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Microscopic 3D-Printed Device Revolutionizes High-Power Laser Systems

Researchers have developed a microscopic 3D-printed optical device capable of efficiently combining light from multiple small semiconductor lasers into a single multimode optical fiber with minimal loss. This technology aims to simplify and improve high-power laser systems, optical communications, and other photonic applications that require efficient delivery of high optical power through fibers.

The study, published in Nature Communications, was conducted by Ph.D. student Yoav Dana under Professor Dan M. Marom and their team at the Institute of Applied Physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. The research, in collaboration with Civan Lasers and funded by the Israel Innovation Authority, introduces a 3D-printed microscale Photonic Lantern (PL).

This innovation addresses the challenge of coupling light from large Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) arrays, where each VCSEL is multimode, into multimode fibers (MMFs) while preserving brightness and modal capacity.

Key Advancements in Photonic Lantern Technology

  • First Multimode Photonic Lantern (MM PL): This research realized an 'N-MM PL' architecture that supports multiple multimode VCSEL sources multiplexed into a single high mode count waveguide, differing from traditional PLs designed for single-mode inputs.
  • Scalability: The team demonstrated PLs multiplexing 7, 19, and 37 VCSEL sources, each lasing across six-spatial modes, into a single multimode optical fiber, supporting up to 222 spatial modes.
  • High Efficiency and Compact Size: Devices achieved low coupling losses into standard 50 μm multimode fiber, with -0.6 dB for 19-input PLs and -0.8 dB for 37-input PLs. The entire PL length was less than ½ mm.
  • Brightness Preservation: The 'N-MM PL' architecture matches modal capacity to preserve brightness, a factor important for optical systems.

Technical Breakthrough: Adiabatic Transition Design

The Hebrew University team designed an adiabatic transition that converts multiple few-mode sources into a single multimode fiber with matched degrees of freedom, overcoming the previous incompatibility of traditional single-mode input Photonic Lanterns with multimode VCSEL array outputs. The 37-input PL measured 470 μm in length, showcasing remarkable miniaturization.