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US 6,719,608 B1Granted
Fabrication of devices with fibers engaged to grooves on substrates
AssigneeOluma, Inc.
InventorsVilas Koinkar, Timothy C. Collins, Joannes M. Costa, Joseph A. Levert
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Abstract
Fabrication techniques for polishing fibers engaged in grooves on substrates. A protection template assembly is disclosed to protect the unpolished portions of fibers. Chemical mechanical polishing may be used to achieve high fabrication throughput and high polishing uniformity. Optical monitoring may be used to monitor the polishing in real time.
Claims33
A method, comprising:
- placing fibers in respective grooves formed on a substrate;
- fixing the fibers in the grooves;
- placing the substrate and fibers fixed therein in a protection template assembly to expose only fiber portions to be polished and shield remaining fiber portions;
- engaging the protection template assembly holding the substrate and the fibers to a polisher;
- and
- polishing exposed portions of the fibers with the polisher to remove a portion of the fiber cladding in each fiber to form a side-polished surface.
3 more elements
A method, comprising:
- placing fibers fixed to a substrate in a protection template assembly to expose only fiber portions to be polished and a corresponding substrate underlying the fiber portions in a central void of the protection template assembly and to place remaining fiber portions in grooves fabricated in a peripheral portion of the protection template assembly;
- and
- placing the protection template assembly in a polisher to position the fiber portions to be polished and a corresponding substrate underlying the fiber portions at a location to which a polishing pad of the polisher can access.
A method for fabricating side-polish fiber devices, comprising:
- placing fibers in respective grooves formed on a substrate;
- fixing the fibers in the grooves;
- using a chemical mechanical polishing system to remove and polish one side of fiber cladding of a selected portion in each fiber to form a side-polished surface within a reach of an evanescent field of guided light in each fiber;
- coupling a monitor optical beam into each fiber;
- measuring output light from one end of each fiber to determine a degree of cladding removal;
- and
- using the measurement to terminate polishing.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.