MANUFACTURERS OF CUSTOM, HIGH PRECISION INSTRUMENTATION AND SUPPORT EQUIPMENT

Projects

Fiber Optics Couplers

Time Period

Early 1999 through Present

Project Description

Starting with the GLAS project, Welch Mechanical Designs, LLC (WMD, LLC) has been involved with various means of coupling light into fiber optics.

On the GLAS Laser Pickoff System, we mounted fiber optics that were being "free space coupled." This meant that collimated light was focused through a lens and into a fiber optic placed at or near the focal point of the lens. For this project, we had to develop mounts for the fiber optics to hold them very stable while also allowing focus and ecenter adjustment during assembly and alignment.

The same fiber optic mounts were used on the GLAS Fiber Optic Splitter.

For the GLAS LED Coupler, we designed a mechanical assembly to mount a standard Light Emitting Diode (LED), a focusing lens, and a fiber optic. This assembly was integrated into the GLAS electronics box and used as a reference light source during spaceflight.

Currently, we are working on projects for the telecommunications industry requiring fiber optic coupling. These systems are similar to the space flight systems since they must remain within very strict requirements while being sujected to less than ideal environments. However, these systems must have their cost minimized since hundreds of thousands of elements are manufactured. Also, the alignment process must take only minutes or less to improve manufacturing throughput.

Challenges and Lessons Learned

Mounting a fiber optic that is between 3 and 125 microns in diameter in a very stable manner is a challenge by itself. Accomplishing this with inexpensive designs that can maintain performance in hostile environments required experimentation. Feel free to contact WMD, LLC to discuss your fiber optic coupling needs.