Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Dustin Guenther

Gregory Douglas Goodno

James G Ho

Joshua E Rothenberg

Joseph M Harkenrider

A fiber array launcher assembly including a hollow body having a front end and a rear end; an alignment plate having an array of holes coupled to the rear end of the body; a beam shaper having an array of lenses coupled to the front end of the body, where a separate lens is aligned with each hole in the alignment plate; and a plurality of fiber assemblies each including a fiber having an end face spliced to an end of an endcap where the endcap has a larger diameter than a diameter of the fiber, and where a separate endcap is secured in each hole so that the fiber is aligned with the associated lens.

Fiber array launcher assembly

A system and method for fabricating an optical element. The method includes welding an array of fibers to the optical element, measuring an angle error and a position error of each fiber, calculating a correction for each fiber for the angle error and the position error and correcting the angle and position of each fiber using the calculated corrections.

System and method for fabricating an optical element

A method for assembling a two-dimensional fiber array launcher assembly. The method includes providing an alignment structure having a two-dimensional alignment plate with holes at one end and a two-dimensional beam shaper with micro-lenses at an opposite end. An endcap having a fiber attached thereto is systematically positioned in each hole, and is aligned with one of the micro-lenses with a high precision tolerance. The aligned endcap is then secured in the hole using a curable glue. This process is continued until all of the holes have aligned endcaps. If one of the endcaps is mis-aligned or becomes damaged, the glue can be heated and the endcap realigned or replaced.

Direct glue compact two dimensional fiber launcher assembly

A method for assembling a beam combiner array including providing an array block having a back wall, a front surface and a plurality of aligned channels extending from the back wall to the front surface, where a bore extends through the back wall and into each channel, and providing a lens array including a plurality of lenses. The method further includes securing the lens array to the front surface of the block so that one of the lenses is aligned with each channel and threading a separate hollow core fiber through one of the bores in the back wall so that an end of the fiber is positioned within the channel. The method also includes aligning each fiber to the lens array so that a beam that propagates down the fiber is emitted into the channel, focused by the lens and emitted from the array as a collimated beam.

Method for assembling a hollow core optical fiber array launcher

A method for fabricating a beam shaper array assembly, where the beam shaper array assembly changes the shape of a plurality of beams. The method includes providing an optical endcap having a plurality of connector stems, welding a fiber to each of the stems to form an emitter array and positioning a beam shaper array adjacent to the endcap opposite to the stems. The method also includes measuring an angle error and a position error of each fiber, calculating a correction for each fiber for the angle error and the position error and correcting the angle and position of each fiber using the calculated corrections.

Method for high fill-factor optical arrays manufacturing

A beam combiner array assembly including an array block having a back wall and a front surface and a plurality of aligned and sealed channels extending from the back wall to the front surface. A lens array including a plurality of lenses is secured to the front surface of the block so that one of the lenses is aligned with each channel, and a plurality of fiber flanges are secured to the back wall of the block so that a separate one of the flanges is aligned with each channel. A hollow core fiber extends through each flange and the back wall so that an end of the fiber is positioned within one of the channels. A beam that propagates down each fiber is emitted into the channel, focused by the lens and emitted from the assembly as a collimated beam.

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La Mirada, CA, United States of America

Dustin Guenther