Research on the method of designing cap lens using ant colony algorithm

It is necessary to select the appropriate parameters defining a aspheric lens for coupling the light from a laser diode into the optical fiber by cap aspheric lenses. In this paper, the ant colony optimization algorithm is applied to the optimization of structural parameters of the cap aspheric lens, and the merit function defining the optimization problem and detailed design steps are given. A cap aspheric lens with center thickness of 1.1019 mm and effective focal length of 1.10331 mm is designed using a self-made MATLAB program of ant colony optimization algorithm, which can couple the light emitting from a laser diode into a single mode fiber with a diameter of 9 um, the light-emitting surface of the LD is 3 µm × 2 µm, and beam-divergence angle in the X and Y directions are ± 35° and ± 23.58°, respectively. The theoretical coupling efficiency is 89.8%, and the experiment shows that the maximum coupling efficiency and average coupling efficiency are 88.63% and 79.39%, respectively. Design and experimental results prove that the design method in this paper is feasible and effective.

Research on the Method of Designing Cap Lens using Ant Colony Algorithm

It is necessary to select the appropriate parameters defining a aspheric lens for coupling the light from a laser diode into the optical fiber by cap aspheric lenses. In this paper, the ant colony optimization algorithm is applied to the optimization of structural parameters of the cap aspheric lens, and the merit function defining the optimization problem and detailed design steps are given. A cap aspheric lens with center thickness of 1.1019 mm and effective focal length of 1.10331mm is designed using a self-made MATLAB program of ant colony optimization algorithm, which can couple the light emitting from a laser diode into a single mode fiber(SMF) with a diameter of 9 um, the light-emitting surface of the LD is 3um×2um, and beam-divergence angle in the X and Y directions are ± 35° and ± 23.58°, respectively. The theoretical coupling efficiency is 89.8%, and the experiment shows that the maximum coupling efficiency and average coupling efficiency are 88.63% and 79.39%, respectively. Design and experimental results prove that the design method in this paper is feasible and effective.

Fabrication and Optical Characterization of Polymeric Aspherical Microlens Array Using Hot Embossing Technology

Hot embossing has been widely used in fabricating microlens arrays because of its low cost, high efficiency, and high quality. The process parameters such as molding temperature, molding pressure, and holding temperature affect the microlens array’s replication quality. This work selected the stainless steel S136H tool steel as the mold material to process an aspheric microlens array structure through ultra-precision milling. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microlens arrays with different surface replication were prepared by controlling the molding temperature, molding pressure, and holding temperature. By analyzing the surface quality, contour replication, and optical imaging of hot-embossed samples, the optimal molding temperature of PMMA for optimal replication of aspheric lens arrays was determined as 130 °C. Besides, the internal elastic recovery of PMMA affected the dimensional accuracy and optical performance of the lens. The results showed that, at the molding pressure of 400 N and the holding temperature of 60 °C, the surface defects were eliminated, and the aspheric lens array had perfect replication with a profile deviation of only 4 μm. The aspheric microlens array with good quality was eventually achieved by these optimal process parameters, which provides a foundation for producing aspheric microlens arrays in a low-cost and high-efficiency way.