Measurement of the focusing constant of gradient-index fiber lens and its application in developing GRIN fiber probes

The curve-fitting algorithm is adopted to measure the focusing constant of a gradient-index (GRIN) fiber lens, which is used to further design ultra-small GRIN fiber probes. Firstly, the refractive index profile of a GRIN fiber lens is acquired by using the Optical Fiber Refractive Index Profile tester. And the focusing constant of the GRIN fiber lens is obtained by means of the curve-fitting algorithm of quadratic polynomial. Secondly, the measured focusing constant is used to design ultra-small GRIN fiber probes with different focusing properties. Thirdly, according to the designed optical probe models, GRIN fiber probe samples have been fabricated and tested. Finally, comparative analysis is conducted between the theoretical focusing performance parameters and the experimentally measured values. The results show that, in the given condition, the fitted value of the focusing constant of GRIN fiber lens and the theoretical focusing performance parameters of GRIN fiber probes, respectively agree well with the nominal value provided by the manufacturer and the experimentally measured data. Therefore, the proposed methods of measuring the focusing constant of GRIN fiber lens and its application in designing GRIN fiber probes are validated and feasible to further developing ultra-small GRIN fiber probes requiring specific optical focusing performance.