Method for fusion splicing optical fibers and apparatus for heating spliced part by arc

Abstract

An object is to provide an optical fiber fusion splicing method in which splice loss can be reduced, and also to provide an arc-heating unit used for heating the fusion spliced part of an optical fiber. The method comprises a process of fusion-splicing together the end faces of two optical fibers and a process of continuously heating the fusion spliced part by arc while moving one pair of electrodes provided opposite to each other across the fusion spliced part. The arc heating process is performed with the operation for decreasing arc temperature. The operation for decreasing arc temperature may be achieved by flowing a gas having a molecular weight greater than the average molecular weight of air into a gas atmosphere in which arc heating is performed, or by adding a modulation to an electric discharge current such that the maximum value becomes equal to or more than an electric current for starting arc discharge and the minimum value becomes more than zero and less than the electric current for starting arc discharge.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.