3D micro-optics on optical fibers

The fabrication of micro-optics directly on optical fibers enables system miniaturization and precise control of light at the fiber interface. This compact integration eliminates delicate assembly steps and avoids additional alignment, bonding or gluing, while allowing optical functionalization directly at the fiber tip. 

Producing high-precision micro-optics on fibers requires submicron resolution, excellent surface quality, and accurate alignment to the optical axis. Nanoscribe’s Quantum X align addresses these challenges by fabricating freeform, multi-surface, and compound optical systems directly on fiber facets, leveraging automatic alignment with ≤ 500 nm detection accuracy. By combining refractive and diffractive functionalities within a single compact structure, 3D-printed micro-optics achieve optical performance beyond classical fabrication approaches.

Fiber-based 3D micro-optics

Nanoscribe’s Two-Photon Grayscale Lithography (2GL^®) extends conventional Two-Photon Polymerization (2PP) with more than 4,000 gray levels. By tuning voxel dimensions during exposure, 2GL produces smooth, continuous refractive and diffractive optical elements with high shape fidelity — critical for transmission efficiency and beam quality. At the same time, 2GL reduces printing times compared to layer-based 2PP without compromising optical quality. 

Quantum X align uses 3D printing by 2GL^® to fabricate micro-optics directly on fiber facets, eliminating the need for further bonding or assembly effort while maintaining high design flexibility and throughput. This way highly miniaturized optical systems can be realized with functional surfaces directly at the fiber interface, for example in endoscopic imaging. 

Misalignment of optical elements relative to the optical axis directly affects modal behavior, optical performance, and coupling efficiency. Nanoscribe’s Aligned Two-Photon Lithography (A2PL^®) ensures precise positioning by detecting the fiber core and optical axis, followed by automatically aligned printing in a single process step. 

The systems support a wide range of fiber types, including single-mode, multimode, and polarization-maintaining fibers as well as fiber arrays. This versatility allows the fabrication of highly integrated microoptical systems for applications such as beam shaping, optical trapping, imaging, structured light generation, optical sensing, and photonic coupling.

Why Quantum X align for 3D micro-optics on fibers

Key advantages of Quantum X align for micro-optics on fibers include:

• 3D printing by 2GL^®: Fast 3D nano- and microfabrication with excellent optical quality, high shape accuracy, and short cycle times, featuring ultra-smooth finishes (R_a down to 5 nm), and high-resolution diffractive elements. 

• Broad fiber compatibility: Wide range of optical fiber types, including single-mode fibers (SMF), multimode fibers (MMF), polarization-maintaining (PM) fibers, and fiber arrays. Find more types here.

• Broad material portfolio: Validated photoresins for optics manufacturing with high transparency from UV to NIR, a range of refractive indices and Abbe numbers, and proven stability under laser, thermal, and humidity stress. 

• High-throughput fiber processing: Up to 4 × 8 fibers processed in a single print run, supporting scalable manufacturing of micro-optics on fiber facets.  

• Automatic alignment: Printing with alignment to the fiber core and optical axis using high-accuracy optical detection, eliminating additional assembly steps. 

• Easy alignment workflows via intuitive GUI: Visual configuration of simple and complex alignment routines without scripting, accessible to all user levels. 

• Industry-proven technology: Nanoscribe’s aligned 3D printing solutions are established in the workflows of leading experts in optical design (e.g. Printoptix) and photonic packaging (e.g. PHIX B.V.)