The present disclosure relates to an optical connector includes at least one optical fiber; and a lens element including at least one lens that couples light to an end face of the optical fiber. The distance FLh between the end face of the optical fiber and a vertex of the lens is expressed by the sum of the distance FL from the vertex of the lens to the focal point F positioned in a back face direction of the lens and the length δ between the end face of the optical fiber and the focal point F, and the length δ is longer than 10 μm.

The present disclosure relates to a fusion splice matched pair detachable connector for high fiber count applications where optical fiber alignment is maintained during processing of the detachable connector.

Systems and methods for additive manufacturing are generally described. According to certain aspects, endcaps optically coupled to optical fibers of additive manufacturing systems are provided. In some aspects, methods for reducing a power area density of laser energy within an endcap are provided. The endcaps described herein may be used to at least partially mitigate thermal cycling that may result from the transmission of laser energy through interfaces of an additive manufacturing system.

An optical adjustment apparatus includes a measurement-light irradiation part that has a plurality of second optical fibers and emits, with timings different from each other, a plurality of lights having a single wavelength via the second optical fibers, an optical fiber block that holds exit-side end portions of the first and second optical fibers, a light detection part that receives and detects a plurality of reflected lights via the second optical fibers, a tilt calculation part that compares, with each other, variations with time of intensities of the respective reflected lights and calculates a tilt of the optical fiber block relative to the optical substrate, and a distance calculation part that calculates an inter-end surface distance between the optical substrate and the optical fiber block, based on a variation with time of an intensity of at least one reflected light.

An optical ferrule includes an optical coupling member with a light redirecting element that redirects input light from a waveguide toward an output window. The optical coupling member has a mating surface configured to slidably mate with a mating optical coupling member along a longitudinal axis of the optical ferrule. The optical ferrule also includes at least one stacking member along a longitudinal edge of the optical coupling member. The stacking member has a distal end extending beyond one of the mating surface and a top surface opposed to the mating surface. The stacking member also has a contact surface opposed to the distal end. The contact surface is configured to rotatably interface with a corresponding distal end of a of an adjacently stacked optical ferrule.

A passively aligned fan-out apparatus for a multicore fiber (MCF) includes a fan-out assembly that comprises a fan-out substrate, small-clad fibers (SCFs) supported in SCF V-grooves of the fan-out substrate, and alignment rods disposed outboard alignment V-grooves of the fan-out substrate. The SCFs have a distal-end pitch P2D at a distal end of the fan-out substrate greater than the proximal-end pitch P2P of the SCFs at a proximal end of the fan-out substrate. An MCF assembly and/or single mode fiber (SMF) assembly may also be provided as part of the fan-out apparatus.

An optical ferrule includes an optical coupling member with a light redirecting element that redirects input light from a waveguide toward an output window. The optical coupling member has a mating surface configured to slidably mate with a mating optical coupling member along a longitudinal axis of the optical ferrule. The optical ferrule also includes at least one stacking member along a longitudinal edge of the optical coupling member. The stacking member has a distal end extending beyond one of the mating surface and a top surface opposed to the mating surface. The stacking member also has a contact surface opposed to the distal end. The contact surface is configured to rotatably interface with a corresponding distal end of a of an adjacently stacked optical ferrule.

Optical components and optical connectors for optical communication are disclosed. In one embodiment, an optical component includes a substrate having a lens surface, a fiber coupling surface, and an array of lenses at the lens surface. The optical component further includes an array of optical fibers bonded to the fiber coupling surface such that the array of optical fibers is aligned with the array of lenses in a plane defined by the fiber coupling surface.

An optical cross-connect component is disclosed. The optical cross-connect component includes an optical fiber group having m×n optical fibers, one ends and the other ends of the m×n optical fibers being arranged in a matrix of m rows×n columns, a plurality of first connectors housing the one ends of the optical fiber group, and a plurality of second connectors housing the other ends of the optical fiber group. The m×n optical fibers are housed in any of the plurality of first connectors, and one first connector collectively houses therein n optical fibers arranged in at least any one row of the m rows. The m×n optical fibers are housed in any of the plurality of second connectors, and one second connector collectively houses therein m optical fibers arranged in at least any one column of the n columns.

An optical cross-connect component mutually connecting an end of a first optical fiber group and an end of a second optical fiber group is disclosed. The optical cross-connect component includes a plurality of first connectors housing therein the end of the first optical fiber group, and a plurality of second connectors housing therein the end of the second optical fiber group. The m×n optical fibers in the first optical fiber group are housed in any of the plurality of first connectors, and the m×n optical fibers in the second optical fiber group are housed in any of the plurality of second connectors. The end of the first optical fiber group and the end of the second optical fiber group are connected so as to be butted to each other.