Optical ferrules
Assignee3M Innovative Properties Company
InventorsXiaoguang Sun, Michael A. Haase
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Abstract
An optical ferrule for transmitting and propagating light having a predetermined wavelength includes a polymeric ferrule body having a fiber alignment feature for receiving an optical fiber, a redirecting side for redirecting light, and an output side window for exiting light therethrough. A multilayer anti-reflection film is disposed on the output side window and includes at least two first layers including titanium oxide and at least two second layers including silicon dioxide. At least one of the two first layers is thinner than an optimum thickness that would minimize reflection at the predetermined wavelength. Heating the optical ferrule at a temperature of about 85 degrees centigrade for at least five hours results in no, or very little, damage to the multilayer anti-reflection film.
Claims10
An optical ferrule configured to transmit and propagate therein light having a wavelength in a predetermined wavelength range extending from about 1250 nm to about 1650 nm, the optical ferrule comprising:
- a unitary polymeric ferrule body comprising:
- one or more fiber alignment features for receiving one or more optical fibers;
- an input side;
- a redirecting side;
- and
- an output side window;
- and
- a multilayer anti-reflection film disposed on the output side window and comprising a plurality of alternating higher and lower index layers, each higher index layer comprising titanium oxide, each lower index layer comprising silicon dioxide, with a first higher index layer adjacent the polymeric ferrule body,
- such that when an optical fiber is received by a fiber alignment feature in the one or more fiber alignment features, a central light ray emitted by the optical fiber at the predetermined wavelength enters the polymeric ferrule body through the input side, is redirected by the redirecting side, and exits the polymeric ferrule body through the output side window and the multilayer anti-reflection film after being incident on the multilayer anti-reflection film at a predetermined incident angle,
- wherein, at the predetermined incident angle and across 1250-1650 nm, an average optical reflectance Ravg of the multilayer anti-reflection film is at least 1.20 times a minimum average reflectance Rmin obtained for a multilayer anti-reflection film having the same layer count and materials, by varying layer thicknesses to minimize the average reflectance across 1250-1650 nm at the predetermined incident angle, and at least one higher-index layer has a physical thickness at least 50 nm less than the thickness of that layer in the multilayer anti-reflection film that yields Rmin.
An optical ferrule comprising:
- a polymeric ferrule body comprising a fiber alignment feature for receiving an optical fiber, a redirecting side for redirecting light, and an output side window for exiting light therethrough;
- and
- a multilayer anti-reflection film disposed on the output side window and comprising at least two first layers comprising titanium oxide and at least two second layers comprising silicon dioxide, wherein:
- the optical ferrule is configured to transmit and propagate therein light having a predetermined wavelength within 1250 nm to 1650 nm;
- at least one of the two first layers has a physical thickness at least 50 nm less than the thickness of that layer in a multilayer anti-reflection film having the same layer count and materials that minimizes average reflectance across 1250-1650 nm at the predetermined incident angle;
- and
- heating the optical ferrule at a temperature of about 85 degrees centigrade for at least 5 hours results in no, or very little, damage to the multilayer anti-reflection film.
An optical ferrule comprising:
- a polymeric ferrule body comprising a fiber alignment feature for receiving an optical fiber, a redirecting side for redirecting light, and an output side window for exiting light therethrough;
- and
- a multilayer anti-reflection film disposed on the output side window and comprising first and second high index layers comprising titanium oxide and at least two low index layers comprising silicon dioxide, wherein the first high index layer is disposed between the ferrule body and the second high index layer, and wherein an average thickness of the second high index layer is less than about 140 nm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.