Using a two-stage optimization strategy for the active alignment of multifiber optical devices

The alignment of optical components is a key factor when designing and manufacturing multifiber optical systems. This problem can be treated as a standard multiobjective optimization problem and solved by numerical optimization methodologies. The core diameter of a single-mode fiber is similar to 9 mu m, and any slight misalignment during manufacturing will cause signification optical losses in connections. Previous studies have shown that the currently used alignment methods for multifiber devices can increase the optical power summation of all fibers, but the results are not very accurate. This study first compares different numerical optimization methodologies that can be used to find the ideal connection position. Two indices are used to judge the performances of different methods: the required time and the optical power. Next, a two-stage optimization strategy is proposed to obtain a fast and accurate result. In the first stage, the Nelder-Mead simplex method is used to move toward the optimum position quickly. In the second stage, the steepest descent method with polynomial interpolation is applied to improve the accuracy because of the stability of the method. (C) 2010 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. [DOI: 10.1117/1.3421681]