Mode size converter based on multimode fiber taper

Abstract

Based on the multimode fiber taper, a mode size converter for effective optical beam coupling between laser and optical fiber or between the two different optical fibers has been proposed and demonstrated. The device has a multimode input end and a single mode output end. The influence of various parameters, including device structure and launching conditions, on the coupling efficiency has been theoretically analyzed. The theoretical results revealed that the gaussian beam can be coupled into a single mode fiber without considerable insertion loss. The proposed multimode fiber taper has been fabricated using heating and pulling equipment incorporating two micro-torches. Experimental results showed that an optical beam with 50μm of large beam size was effectively coupled into single mode fiber through the multimode fiber taper. The insertion loss of the device was 1.3 dB.