Embodiments of the invention provide optical lenses comprised of layers of material each having a different index of refraction from that of the other layers wherein the layers of material are arranged in order of increasing index of refraction. The lens region is capable of causing an optical beam that enters the lens region to be focused into an output beam that is smaller in at least one dimension. A waveguide is optically coupled to the optical lens and a photodetector is optically coupled to the waveguide. The optical lens is capable of being manufactured using semiconductor processing techniques and is capable of being integrated into an integrated circuit chip.