Multicore optical fiber coupler/device/adapter apparatus, methods, and applications
AssigneeUniversity of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
InventorsRodrigo Amezcua Correa, Juan Carlos Alvarado Zacarias, Jose Enrique Antonio Lopez
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Abstract
A multicore fiber-to-single core fiber adapting device, also referred a fan-in/fan-out (FIFO) device. More specifically, an optical fiber system comprising a multicore fiber, a tapered glass device that it is configured to connect a multicore fiber to a multiple single core fiber, and/or single mode fibers, advantageously having one or more protective layers to protect the tapered device. Associated methods of manufacture.
Claims15
A capillary template for a fan-in/fan-out device, comprising:
- an elongate, solid cylindrical body having a plurality of longitudinal access holes, wherein the solid cylindrical body has at least one region surrounding each access hole having a refractive index that is lower than the cladding refractive index of the single-core fibers used in fabricating the fan-in/fan-out.
A fan-in/fan-out device, comprising:
- an elongate, tapered capillary body having a single-core fiber end and a multicore fiber end, and a tapered section intermediate therein, wherein a diameter of the capillary body is reduced from the single-core fiber end towards the multicore fiber end;
- a plurality of single-core fibers disposed in the capillary body;
- a respective plurality of light-propagating regions extending from the single-core fiber end to the multicore fiber end of the capillary body,
- wherein the single-core fibers have a cladding having a lower index of refraction than the light-propagating regions and the capillary body has one or more transverse regions having index values that are less than the single-core fiber cladding indices,
- further wherein as the capillary body tapers from the single-core fiber end towards the multicore-fiber end, the light confinement function of the lower index fiber cladding being increasingly provided by the lower index region(s) of the capillary surrounding region(s).
A method for making a capillary template for a fan-in/fan-out device, comprising:
- providing at least a first hollow tube having outside diameter, D1, and index, n1, and at least a first solid rod having an outside diameter, DR, and index, nR;
- drawing the at least first hollow tube and the at least first solid rod into lengths having smaller diameters than D1, while not completely collapsing the inner air space of the hollow tube(s);
- assembling a plurality of the drawn tubes and the drawn rods in a desired configuration to create a preform stack;
- and
- drawing down the preform stack to create a capillary template having a plurality of precisely aligned/positioned air channels, wherein the air channels' diameters are sized to allow the insertion of single-core fibers,
- wherein at least one region surrounding the air channels has a refractive index less than the cladding refractive index of the inserted single-core fibers.
A method for making a fan-in/fan-out device, comprising:
- providing a capillary template;
- inserting a single-core fiber into each respective access hole;
- elongating and tapering down the capillary template including the fibers disposed therein,
- whereby the single-core end and the multicore fiber end can be connected to a respective single-core fiber end and a multicore fiber end of a transmission system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.