Fiber array and methods for fabricating the fiber array

A method for fabricating a fiber array, said method comprising the steps of:

• forming a plurality of holes in a photosensitive glass plate, said forming step of forming further includes the steps of:
• placing a photomask over a non-exposed photosensitive glass plate;
• exposing said photomask and selected regions in said non-exposed photosensitive glass plate to an ultraviolet light;
• heating said exposed photosensitive glass plate to form therein a plurality of opal regions and a plurality of glass regions;
• etching said heated photosensitive glass plate until said plurality of opal regions are etched away to form oversized holes;
• filling the oversized holes with a moldable material;
• and
• drilling the moldable material in the oversized holes to form the holes;
• and
• securing an optical fiber in each hole of the drilled photosensitive glass plate which after the etching step became a glass plate that resembles said fiber array.

A collimator array, comprising:

• a lens array;
• and
• a fiber array including a plurality of optical fibers and a plurality of holes in each of which there is secured one of the optical fibers, wherein said plurality of holes are formed by:
• placing a photomask over a photosensitive glass plate;
• exposing said photomask and selected regions in said photosensitive glass plate to an ultraviolet light;
• heating said exposed photosensitive glass plate to form therein a plurality of opal regions and a plurality of glass regions;
• etching said heated photosensitive glass plate until said plurality of opal regions are etched away to form oversized holes in said etched photosensitive glass;
• filling the oversized holes with a moldable material;
• and
• drilling the moldable material in the oversized holes to form the holes.