Optical fiber interconnection apparatus and methods of making interconnections

A method for making a plurality of optical interconnections on a substrate comprising the steps of:

• locating one end portion of an optical fiber on a bonding tool;
• using the bonding tool to bond said one end portion of the optical fiber to the substrate;
• causing relative movement between the substrate and the bonding tool;
• feeding optical fiber to the bonding tool during said movement;
• during said movement, using the bonding tool to bond the optical fiber to the substrate, whereby a continuous optical fiber path is formed on the surface of the substrate having a configuration related to said relative movement;
• changing the direction of said relative movement so as to cause the continuous optical fiber path to form a plurality of loops;
• said changing of direction being sufficiently gradual to avoid damaging the optical fiber;
• testing the light transmission capability of said continuous optical fiber path;
• and thereafter cutting the substrate to sever the optical fiber path;
• said cutting being along a line that extends across at least certain ones of said loops, thereby to form a plurality of independent optical fiber interconnections on the surface of the substrate.

A method for making optical interconnections comprising the steps of:

• mounting on a bonding member a freely rotatable reel upon which is wound a continuous optical fiber;
• said bonding member including a grooved rotatable wheel on one end thereof;
• unreeling optical fiber from the reel and compressing one end portion of the optical fiber between a groove of the rotatable wheel and an adhesive-coated substrate surface;
• causing relative movement between the substrate and the bonding member thereby to exert a tension on the optical fiber and cause it to unreel from the reel;
• during the step of causing the relative movement, using the grooved rotatable wheel of the bonding member to compress the optical fiber against the coated surface, thereby to adhere to the coated surface that optical fiber unreeled from the reel.

Apparatus for making optical interconnections comprising:

• a manipulator having a vertical central axis, the manipulator being moveable in X-Y directions and in a .theta. direction around the central axis;
• a rotatable wheel mounted at one end of the manipulator, the wheel being rotatable on an axis that is transverse to the central axis of the manipulator;
• a reel of optical fiber mounted on the manipulator vertically above said wheel;
• said reel being freely rotatable such that optical fiber therefrom may be threaded over a peripheral portion of said wheel;
• said wheel comprising means for pressing the optical fiber against a flat surface of a substrate coated with an adhesive;
• means for moving the manipulator in a direction parallel to said flat surface at an appropriate speed and direction to cause the wheel to rotate and to exert tension on said optical fiber, said tension causing additional optical fiber to unreel from the container to the wheel for adherence to said coated surface, thereby to form an optical fiber portion extending along, and adhered to, said coated surface.