Patent ID: 9645325
Date: 2017-05-09
CPC Classifications: G02B

Claim:
1. An expanded-beam ferrule for an optical interface device that supports at least one optical fiber having a numerical aperture NA F and an end at an end portion, comprising: a ferrule body having opposite front and back ends, opposite top and bottom surfaces, and a central axis, wherein the front end includes a front surface, with the ferrule body being substantially transparent to light of wavelength λ; at least one fiber support feature configured to support the end of the at least one optical fiber at a terminal end wall of the ferrule body, the terminal end wall being spaced apart from the front surface by an intervening body portion having an axial thickness TH and a refractive index n, wherein the terminal end wall defines a planar first lens surface; at least one second lens surface defined in the front surface, with the first and second lens surfaces and the body portion of thickness TH residing therebetween defining at least one lens; and wherein the second lens surface is convex and aspheric with a conic constant C in the range from −3.7/n