Abstract: A method for manufacturing an array of optical fiber ferrules includes producing on a first side of a wafer a pattern of an array of disks or holes (111, 112) in a metallic coating (121, 122). The metallic coating is covered with a negative photoresist layer. A second side of the wafer opposite to the first side is illuminated with light that propagates as a divergent or collimated beam through the photoresist layer, thereby creating a conical pattern within the photoresist layer. The photoresist layer is developed to create conical apertures. A sheet with a conical openings pattern registered to the conical apertures is attached so that a small diameter of each conical opening of the sheet is smaller than, and in contact with, a large diameter of the conical aperture to which it is registered, thereby forming an array of optical fiber ferrules.

Abstract: An apparatus for fusion welding one or several parallel optical fibers (102) to the same number of waveguides (101) includes a fiber guiding device and a highly reflective surface (104) located below the fiber for each fiber-waveguide pair, and a laser beam (103) whose wavelength is chosen such that its light is strongly absorbed by the fiber material and its shape is properly adjusted.

Abstract: An apparatus for generating a two dimensional map representative of a turbid or clear medium (11) includes a system (12) for generating incoherent light within a medium (11), a light collecting system (13) that is movable or stationary relative to the medium (11) being analyzed and that is arranged for collecting light exiting the medium (11), and a spectrum analyzer (14) configured to determine spectrum data of the light exiting the turbid medium (11) and to transmit the spectrum data to a computing unit (15). The computing unit (15) is configured to generate a two dimensional map, in which one dimension of the map is wavelength and a second dimension is a position of the light collecting system (13). The invention is also direct-ed to a method for classifying media using the two dimensional map generated with the apparatus. The method comprises steps of feeding and training neural networks and using the trained neural networks to classify unknown media.