A light coupling unit for use in an optical connector includes a waveguide alignment member that receives and aligns at least one optical waveguide. The light coupling unit includes a light redirecting member that has an input surface configured to receive input light from the end face of the optical waveguide. A curved reflective surface of the light redirecting member receives light from the input surface propagating along an input axis and redirects the light such that the redirected light propagates along a different redirected axis. An output surface of the light redirecting member receives the redirected light and transmits the redirected light as output light propagating along an output axis and exiting the light redirecting member. A curved intersection of the curved reflective surface and a first plane formed by the input and redirected axes has a radius of curvature. The curved reflective surface has an axis of revolution disposed in the first plane. The axis of revolution forms a first angle with the redirected axis which is non-zero. The waveguide alignment member is configured such that the end face of the optical waveguide is positioned at a location that is not a geometric focus of the curved reflective surface.

An optical fiber includes a core configured to transmit laser light and a cladding that surrounds the core. In some implementations, an outer surface region of the cladding is tapered or comprises a plurality of notches. The outer surface region of the cladding is configured to cause an aiming beam that falls incident upon the outer surface region of the cladding at a first incidence angle to fall incident upon an outer surface region of the core at a second incidence angle to allow the aiming beam to couple into the core.

An optical device includes a unitary substrate of optically transparent material. The unitary substrate has formed therein at least one collection lens and channel, the channel for receiving an optical fibre and arranged to align the optical fibre inserted therein such that the collection lens couples light collected by the collection lens into the optical fibre.

An optical imaging connector connects an optical fiber to a lens located adjacent to an imaging target, such as the brain tissue of a laboratory animal. A fiber assembly of the connector includes a ferrule holding the fiber and a ferrule adapter with a radially-extending coupler. The fiber assembly is removably joined to a lens assembly that holds the lens adjacent to a receptacle in which the ferrule is inserted coaxial to the lens. The lens holder has a radially-extending coupler that engages the coupler of the ferrule adapter to hold the two assemblies together. A focus adjustment mechanism, such as a screw, is manually adjustable by a user to change the position of the second coupler relative to the lens holder, and thereby change the axial position of the ferrule in the ferrule receptacle. One or more magnets may be used to provide a mutual attraction between the couplers.

To successfully reduce a coupling loss in optical power on the reception side that occurs due to an axial deviation on the transmission side. A connector body is included that includes a lens performing formation with respect to light that exits a light emitter, and causing light obtained by the formation to exit the lens. The lens includes a circular first lens portion situated in a center portion of the lens, and a ring-shaped second lens portion situated around an outer circumference of the first lens portion. The second lens portion changes a light path of a portion of input light when the portion of the input light is input to the second lens portion, such that the light path of the portion of the input light is oriented toward a direction of an optical axis of the lens, the input light being input light of which an optical axis deviates from the optical axis of the lens.

An optical circuit switch including a two-dimensional fiber collimator includes a hole plate to hold and align a plurality of optical fibers. Fiber pathways within the hole plate can be formed using a femtosecond laser irradiation chemical etching (FLICE) technique. The use of the FLICE technique allows for extremely precise channels to be formed which allows for fibers to be aligned more closely with their intended alignment. The technique also allows for the channels or fiber pathways to be formed in a thicker material, which allows for greater structural support and robustness of the fiber collimator in use.

An optical coupler for mounting at a distal end of an optical imaging device includes a visualization section and an attachment section. At least one surface of the visualization section has a roughness that does not interfere with a video capture system of an optical imaging device. The optical coupler is sized and dimensioned for introduction into a region of the patient's heart for viewing a procedure, such as a heart valve repair or replacement procedure.

A rod-type photonic crystal fiber amplifier includes a signal coupling lens, a first dichroic mirror, a first hollow pump coupling lens, and a rod-type photonic crystal fiber. The rod-type photonic crystal fiber comprises a core and a cladding, wherein signal light is coupled into the core of the rod-type photonic crystal fiber through the signal coupling lens, and pump light is coupled into the cladding of the rod fiber through the hollow pump coupling lens. The structure optimizes the coupling between the signal light and the core of the rod-type photonic crystal fiber, and the coupling between the pump light and the cladding of the rod fiber respectively by introducing the hollow pump coupling lens. The purpose of this is to fully optimize the rod-type photonic crystal fiber amplifier, improve the amplification efficiency and improve the efficiency of a manufacturing process.

Lens-based optical connector assemblies and methods of fabricating the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, a lens-based connector assembly includes a glass-based optical substrate includes at least one optical element within the optical substrate, and at least one alignment feature positioned at an edge of the glass-based optical substrate, wherein the at least one alignment feature is located within 0.4 μm of a predetermined position with respect to the at least one optical element along an x-direction and a y-direction. The lens-based connector assembly further includes a connector element including a recess having an interior surface, The interior surface has at least one connector alignment feature. The glass-based optical substrate is disposed within the recess such that the at least one alignment feature of the glass-based optical substrate engages the at least one connector alignment feature.

Optical apparatus comprises: a body comprising material; a plurality of optical elements formed of the material of the body; and a plurality of alignment holes formed in the material of the body, wherein: the alignment holes comprise fibre or other waveguide alignment holes aligned with one or more of the optical elements, and/or the alignment holes comprise alignment holes configured to receive mechanical elements for fixing and/or aligning the body to at least one further body.