Container for housing optical components in an active fiber optical amplifier

Method of assembling components of an active fibre amplifier in an enclosure, the components including at least one active fibre, a plurality of passive optical components and a plurality of welds between optical fibres, said method comprising:

• placing the passive optical components in a first box element;
• placing the active fibre in a second box element;
• placing the welds in a third box element;
• and
• assembling the box elements in contiguous relation and removably securing them together to provide a monolithic unit.

Container for housing optical components within a shell of an active fibre optical amplifier with such components including at least one active fibre, a plurality of passive optical components and a plurality of welds and in which the passive optical components and the welds have an elongated cylindrical form with ends from which extend lengths of optical fibre and characterised by comprising:

• a first box element for reception of the passive optical components, wherein the first box element has seats side-by-side and parallel for insertion of each of the passive optical components in an insertion direction essentially orthogonal to the axis of said component
• wherein the first box element has four side walls opposed two-by-two and two opposing walls extend in a direction X and two opposing structural connecting walls extending in direction Y orthogonal to direction X, each of the seats for the passive optical components comprises a pair of opposing grooves formed in the supporting walls and extending in direction Z orthogonal to the directions X and Y, slots being provided in the bottom of the grooves for passage of the optical fibre lengths extending from the passive optical components and
• wherein drilled elastic adapter caps are provided between the passive optical components and the respective seats for receiving the ends of the passive optical components;
• a second box element for reception of the active fibre;
• and
• a third box element for reception of the welds and in which the three box elements are constrained in a removable manner to one another so as to form a monolithic structure of the container.

Container for housing optical components within a shell of an active fibre optical amplifier with such components including at least one active fibre, a plurality of passive optical components and a plurality of welds and in which the passive optical components and the welds have an elongated cylindrical form with ends from which extend lengths of optical fibre, comprising:

• a first box element for reception of the passive optical components with said ends extending from opposite ends of the box;
• a second box element for reception of the active fibre with portions of active fibre at at least one end of said second box element;
• and
• a third box element for reception of the welds with the ends of the welds extending from opposite ends of said third box element, and wherein
• the three box elements are removably secured to one another so as to form a monolithic structure of the container when assembled;
• and wherein:
• the first and the second box elements are superimposed with respect to each other, and
• the ends of the first and third box elements and said end of said second box element are oriented in the same direction, so that the lengths of optical fibre extending from the boxes are parallel to each other.