Abstract

Fiber-array optic composites combine fiber-optic, microlens array, and Fourier-optic properties and allow for many novel, manufacturable, cost-effective designs. Optical elements include fiber-optic faceplates, couplers, inverters, tapers, concentrators, reformatters, field limiters, and resolution filters. Faceplates with high numerical aperture provide substrates for phosphor screens and other energy-conversion devices. Fiber array field flatteners and couplers reduce the size, cost, and weight of optical designs. Inverters with concave surfaces provide on-axis, unobstructed field flattening and image erection in a compact package unparalleled by classical optics. Tapers offer magnification or minification with aspect ratios less than unity and also have the unique capability to illuminate and observe from one face. Fiber-array optics have extraordinary potential in the areas of photonics and integrated optics because they combine optical, mechanical, and electronic properties into one composite. Examples include digital cameras with circuit patterns and active devices on one side that transmit to circuits, devices, or a film imaging medium on the opposite side. New opportunities in optical computing and switching are suggested by the realization of the fractal dimension of array architectures. The design flexibility of fiber-array optics provides designers with tools to create many unique, manufacturable, low-cost optical and photonic systems.

© 1990 Optical Society of America