WPI's Fiber Optic Collimator can be used for both collimating a light beam
emitted by an optical fiber or coupling light from a collimated light beam
into an optical fiber. The numerical aperture of the collimator is optimized for
maximum coupling efficiency into typical fused silica fibers. The collimator
can, for example, be used to guide a parallel light beam through a sample
cuvette or an optical filter with virtually no optical losses. In this application,
one collimator collimates the light into a parallel beam 5 mm in diameter,
enabling it to pass a long distance without losing the energy. After the light
passes the sample media, a second collimator can be used to collect the
beam into the receiving fiber. A unique design feature of this collimator is that
the distance between the lens and the optical fiber can be easily adjusted.
This permits it to be used as a focusing device or for fine-tuning the color
balance when coupling light from a light source into a fiber.