Fiber-to-fiber coupling using interference to minimize power loss
AssigneeAgilent Technologies, Inc.
InventorGregory C. Zimmer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An optical fiber coupling reduces power loss by creating breaks in one or both of the optical fibers being joined so that destructive interference between modes of the signal escaping at the coupling and the breaks reduces total power loss. The breaks can be in the receiving and/or transmitting optical fiber, and each break generally correspond to a small region of changed refractive index in the cladding and/or core of an optical fiber. The breaks can be created using a laser or by removal and replacement of small regions of cladding material. An active alignment process can position the optical fibers for physical attachment.
Claims15
An optical device comprising:
- a first optical fiber;
- and
- a second optical fiber having an end adjacent to an end of the first optical fiber, the second optical fiber being positioned to receive an optical signal from the first optical fiber, wherein
- one of the first and second optical fibers includes one or more breaks that are positioned so that the optical signal escaping from the breaks interferes with the optical signal escaping at the end of the first optical fiber, and resulting interference reduces power loss at end of the first optical fiber.
A process for coupling optical fibers, comprising:
- treating a first optical fiber to create one or more breaks in the first optical fiber near an end of the first optical fiber;
- aligning the first optical fiber and a second optical fiber to permit transmission of an optical signal between ends of the first and second optical fibers, wherein alignment of the first and second optical fibers is such that the optical signal escaping at the breaks in the first optical fiber interferes with the optical signal escaping between the ends of the first and second optical fibers, and resulting interference improves coupling efficiency of the first and second optical fibers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.