Microlens Arrays

INGENERIC is the expert for custom MLAs for collimation fiber arrays.

Microlens Arrays

INGENERIC is the expert for custom MLAs for collimation fiber arrays.

THE OPTIMUM FIBER COLLIMATOR ARRAY

Perfecting the art of fiber collimation with micro-lens arrays from INGENERIC

To accommodate the ever-growing demand for precision collimator arrays for optical switching architectures in telecommunication ROADM and hyperscale datacenter networks, INGENERIC has developed one dimensional (1D, 1×16) glass micro-lens array using a highly reproducible and sophisticated precision micro-glass molding process. Since most of our projects affect confidential customized products which are not intended for distribution, the micro-lens arrays we have newly developed serve as demonstrators and can be requested as test samples.

INGENERIC 1D (1×16) plano-convex MLA with
fiducial markings and standoff structures

THE SAMPLE PRODUCT:

INGENERIC Fiber Collimator 1×16 MLA

INGENERIC 1D (1×16) plano-convex MLA with
fiducial markings and standoff structures

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One dimensional, plano-convex glass micro-lens array (1×16)
Fiber + micro-lens array = fiber collimator array for optical switches
Design optimized for applications in free space and validated for designs using glass spacer between fiber and lens array
Can couple light signals to fiber array in free space or with an intermediate glass spacer
Dicing option available for smaller length MLAs (e.g. 1×4 and 1×8 MLA)
Advantage → Our test arrays show an excellent agreement to nominal design parameters and fulfill stringent tolerance requirements

The advantages of INGENERIC MLAs

Reproducibility & scalability

lead to tremendous cost savings while achieving perfect quality even at high volumes.

Small pitch errors

on arrays ensure low beam pointing errors and high coupling efficiencies

Small radius errors

maintain high focal length uniformities of arrays

Low form errors

and surface roughness ensure low optical loss

Negligible dead zones

between the lenses prevent signal crosstalk

You want to learn more about the INGENERIC Fiber Collimator? Download our whitepaper including the complete technical data of the performance analysis of our demonstrator.

Request Whitepaper

Typical applications of fiber collimator array

Free space optical switching
- Coupling signals to single mode & multimode fibers used at telecommunications wavelengths
- Switching employed in datacenter and telecom networks (e.g. wavelength selective switches (WSS)
Free space optical communication systems:
- MLAs couple light signals between optical fiber arrays and other components in free space
Re-configurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexing (ROADM) systems:
- optical devices for multiplexing/demultiplexing and re-routing signals
- optical switching in long-haul, metro-area and access networks employing mesh topographies.

You want to learn more about the INGENERIC Fiber Collimator and talk to our experts?

Request consultation

Description of typical procedure: From your RFQ to the customized product

From your RFQ to the final product there are usually several iterations to be made. A typical process is described below:

After having received your request, the next step is to review and maybe adapt your design with our technical engineering team to make it fit perfectly to our production technology. This may also include the choice of the best glass, the design of transition areas, etc. – always in close coordination with you, our customer.

With the final approval form your side, we can do the exact price calculations of item and NRE costs, i.e. for small and/or bigger molds. When having received your order, we can start to produce the tools and first prototypes. In general, no more adaptions are necessary then and we can continue our cooperation and scale up to volume production.

Request consultation

Good to know

Stand-offs, fiducial and alignment marks (circles, cross shaped marks, support structures) on the glass substrate possible – for easy handling and alignment.
Coating and automated packaging as standard procedures.
The automized measurement and evaluation program of the inhouse metrology allows the monitoring and documentation of key specification like radius, conic constant and pitch to ensure the optimal
performance of your products.

Did you know?

INGENERIC also offers a wide range of (customized) microlens arrays such as cylindrical, acylindrical, spherical, aspherical MLAs.
Visit ingeneric.com/microlens-arrays to learn more about all different shapes of INGENERIC microlens arrays.