title: Fabrication of an optical fiber reflective notch coupler.
abstract: A method of fabricating a reflective notch coupler in an optical fiber has been developed. The coupler consists of a 45° microprism that penetrates into the core of a multimode optical fiber. One face, at 90° to the fiber axis, is nonreflective, and one face, at 45° to the fiber axis, is reflective. Our method of fabricating a notch and selectively mirroring only the 45° face is low-cost, precise, and easily scalable. The coupler allows near-100% coupling of light into an optical fiber from the side, while allowing coupling of any desired fraction of light out from the core at a 90° angle on the opposite side of the fiber.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, UK.
authors.forename: Cathy M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Rushworth
authors.forename: Dean
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: James
authors.forename: Charlie J V
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vallance