Researchers have developed a microscopic 3D-printed optical device that can efficiently combine light from dozens of small semiconductor lasers into a single multimode optical fiber with very low loss. The team demonstrated photonic lanterns that multiplex 7, 19, and 37 multimode VCSEL lasers directly into a fiber while preserving brightness and easing alignment constraints. By enabling scalable incoherent beam combining of many multimode lasers, the technology could simplify and improve high-power laser systems, optical communications, and other photonic applications where efficiently delivering large optical power through fibers is critical.
A new study published in Nature Communications by Ph.D. student Yoav Dana , under the guidance of Professor Dan M. Marom and his team at the Institute of Applied Physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, demonstrate a significant breakthrough in system scale and miniaturization for an optical beam combining apparatus, as those required in high-power laser systems.
The research, conducted in collaboration with Civan Lasers and funded by Israel Innovation Authority, introduces a novel 3D-printed microscale Photonic Lantern (PL) designed for the efficient incoherent combining of multimode sources. This innovation addresses the long-standing challenge of coupling light from large Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) arrays, each of said VCSEL sources being multimoded, into multimode fibers (MMFs) while preserving the brightness and modal capacity of the system.
Key Advancements:
Technical Breakthrough:
Traditionally, Photonic Lanterns were designed for single-mode inputs, making them incompatible with the multimode outputs of high-power VCSEL arrays. The Hebrew University team overcame this by designing an adiabatic transition that converts multiple few-mode sources into a single multimode fiber with matched degrees of freedom. Despite their massive-scale capability, these devices remain incredibly compact with the 37-input PL measuring only 470 μm in length .
Nature Communications
Experimental study
Not applicable
Massive-scale spatial multiplexing of multimode VCSELs with a 3D-printed photonic lantern
10-Mar-2026