Fiber optic connector with micro-alignable sensing fiber and associated fabrication method

A method of fabricating a fiber optic connector, comprising the steps of:

• providing a connector housing having a base side, a pair of sidewalls upstanding from the base side that are spaced apart in relation to each other, and each said sidewall defining at least one aperture;
• disposing a pair of optical lens elements within the housing, and the lens elements have inner end portions facing each other in spaced apart relation;
• providing a sensing optical fiber co-linearly positioned between the pair of optical lens elements inside the housing where the sensing fiber comprises a discrete length of optical fiber comprising a longitudinal central portion and input and output terminal ends, wherein each terminal end of the sensing fiber is independently micropositionable in three orthogonal directions relative to one of the optical lens elements;
• disposing a pair of micro-aligners within the housing and attached to the housing, wherein each micro-aligner holds one of the terminal ends of the sensing fiber, and each micro-aligner induces movement to the associated terminal end of the sensing fiber in three orthogonal directions;
• positioning an input optical fiber adjacent one aperture and an output optical fiber adjacent another aperture in the opposite sidewall of the housing such that outer end portions of the lens elements face a respective end of one of the optical fibers;
• fixing the optical fibers in position in relation to the housing;
• providing a photodetector subsystem capable of assessing the optical alignment of each terminal end of the sensing fiber relative to either the input or output fiber, respectively, and this information is useable to direct the movement forces being induced by the micro-aligners on the terminal ends of the sensing fiber;
• and
• controllably positioning each of the terminal ends of the sensing fiber in three orthogonal directions relative to one of the input and output optical fibers such that optical signals transmitted between the aligned optical fibers can be effectively collimated by the lens elements for efficient coupling between the input and output optical fibers via the sensing fiber.