Optical assemblies are customizable including focal length, lens coating and adapter. Email us with your request or use our Custom Request Form.
Questions? Check out our FAQs
Direct Mount to Daylight Solutions Laser
Mount attaches to the laser head of CW/Pulsed, HedgeHog, Unicorn, and Uber-Tuner models.
Part# CP12MW80-SMA-DL
AR coating for λ = 3 – 5 µm; f = 80 mm; SMA connector; Mount for direct attachment to Daylight Solution CW/Pulsed laser head
Price/ea: $1375
Part# CP12MWLW50-SMA-DL
AR coating for λ = 3 – 12 µm; f = 50 mm; SMA connector; Mount for direct attachment to Daylight Solutions CW/Pulsed laser head
Price/ea: $1575
Part# CP12LW40-SMA-DL
AR coating for λ = 8 – 12 µm; f = 40 mm; SMA connector; Mount for direct attachment to Daylight Solutions CW/Pulsed laser head
Price/ea: $1375
Free-Space (bench-top) Mounting
Coupling optics can be mounted to an optical bench (i.e., free-space) with either metric (M4) or imperial (#8-32) threads for attaching to a post.
Part# CP12MW80-SMA-FS
AR coating for λ = 3 – 5 µm; f = 80 mm; SMA connector; Free space mounting; Metric or imperial threads
Price/ea: $1175
Part# CP12MWLW50-SMA-FS
AR coating for λ = 3 – 12 µm; f = 50 mm; SMA connector; Free space mounting; Metric or imperial threads
Price/ea: $1375
Part# CP12LW40-SMA-FS
AR coating for λ = 8 – 12 µm; f = 40 mm; SMA connector; Free space mounting; Metric or imperial threads
Price/ea: $1175
Optical assemblies are customizable including focal length, lens coating and adapter. Email us with your request or use our Custom Request Form.
AR Coating
Guiding Photonics selects lens materials and AR coatings for three different wavelength ranges. Note: these ranges are related to, but not identical to the designation of the fiber internal dielectric coatings. In cases where the back reflections from even AR coated lenses pose a concern, we also offer optical assemblies that utilize off-axis-parabolic (OAP) mirrors; however, these assemblies are more difficult to align.
Effective N.A.
The output divergence angle listed in the table above can be thought of as the effective numerical aperture (NA) of the fiber. The term “effective” NA is used since this is not equivalent to the NA for a solid core fiber. A solid core fiber works on the principle of total internal reflection, and for such fibers the NA is a strict cut-off in terms of acceptance angle. In contrast, our hollow core fibers are essentially a reflective light pipe (i.e., waveguide), and here the term, effective NA, can be thought of as an optimal coupling angle, but is not a strict cut-off. The hollow fibers will guide light at a higher NA; however, the further one gets from optimal coupling, the lower the transmission and the further from single-mode performance. More information on coupling can be found here.
Focal length
In general, coupling light into hollow core fibers is relatively simple, given the relatively large core. However, both transmission and beam quality can be adversely affected if the proper focal length optic is not used. In general, the beam should enter straight into the fiber with a relatively gradual focus. Optimal coupling into the lowest order mode occurs when the ratio of the focused spot size to the fiber ID, 2ωo / (ID) = 0.64.
The calculation for optimal focus assumes an ideal collimated Gaussian input beam, a non-ideal beam will have a larger focused spot. For this reason, we recommend selecting a focal length that is either equal to or less than the optimal focal length. Example recommendations are provided in the table for the case where the input laser beam has a diameter (D = 4 mm) and the fiber internal diameter is (ID = 300 µm).
[1] Rick K. Nubling, James A. Harrington, “Launch conditions and mode coupling in hollow-glass waveguides,” Optical Engineering 37(9), (1998). http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/1.601768
Optical assemblies are customizable including focal length, lens coating and adapter. Email us with your request or use our Custom Request Form.
Connector Options
Optical assemblies are available with mating connectors for either SMA or FC terminated fiber cables.
Mounting Options
Coupling optics can be mounted to an optical bench (i.e., free-space) or directly to a Daylight Solutions laser head. Free-space (FS) versions are available with either metric (M4) or imperial (#8-32) threads for attaching to a post. Our standard Daylight (DL) mount attaches to the laser head of CW/Pulsed, HedgeHog, Unicorn, and Uber-Tuner models and can also be used on Mode Hop-Free models with an adapter. A different version (DMC) is available for direct mounting to the Daylight MIRcat laser, although this requires manufacturer modifications to the MIRcat housing. If there are any questions, please provide your specific laser model #, and we will let you know which mount is appropriate.
OAP Assemblies
For highly broadband applications, as well as those in which back reflections from an AR coated lens are a concern, we offer optical assemblies that utilize off-axis-parabolic (OAP) mirrors instead of lenses. Note: OAP assemblies are more difficult to align than lens assemblies. If an OAP is required, please inquire about available options.
Collimation/Focusing Assemblies
Guiding Photonics can design custom optics that are optimized for the low-divergence output beam exiting a hollow fiber. This includes simple single lens designs for collimation, as well as, complex high-NA, multi-element designs for focusing to a diffraction limited spot.
