Method of splicing an optical fiber with holes in the cladding
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsDana Craig Bookbinder, Ming-Jun Li, Mark Alan McDermott, Richard Edward Rebis
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Abstract
Methods are disclosed herein for joining a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber, wherein at least one of the first and second optical fibers has an annular glass region, such as a cladding, which is provided with a plurality of holes. The methods are well suited for joining a first microstructured optical fiber, such as a first optical fiber having a plurality of holes having a maximum cross-sectional diameter on the order of 7 microns or less, to another second optical fiber. The second optical fiber could be another microstructured optical fiber or a non-microstructured optical fiber.
Claims20
A method for joining a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber, the first optical fiber comprising a core and a cladding surrounding the core, a first end portion of the first optical fiber comprising a first mating end surface, wherein the cladding of the first end portion comprises a first plurality of holes disposed near the first mating end surface, the second optical fiber comprising a core and a cladding surrounding the core, a second end portion of the second optical fiber comprising a second mating end surface, the method comprising:
- heating a length of the first end portion and a length of the second end portion to between 1700 and 2700° K. for greater than 500 msec, wherein the first end portion does not contact the second end portion, and wherein first and second end portions are not fused together;
- moving the first and second mating end surfaces into mutual contact in a coaxial abutting relationship;
- and
- fusing together the first and second end portions while the first and second optical fibers contact each other.
A method for joining a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber, the first optical fiber comprising a core and a cladding surrounding the core, a first end portion of the first optical fiber comprising a first mating end surface, wherein the cladding of the first end portion comprises a first plurality of holes disposed near the first mating end surface, the second optical fiber comprising a core and a cladding surrounding the core, a second end portion of the second optical fiber comprising a second mating end surface, the method comprising:
- (a) directing light onto a first external surface of the first end portion in a direction transverse to the first longitudinal axis and directing light onto a second external surface of the second end portion in a direction transverse to the second longitudinal axis, wherein the light directed onto the first end portion forms an image of the first end portion of the first optical fiber;
- wherein the image has an outer width, WB, corresponding to an outermost width of the glass portion of the first optical fiber, and the image comprises a middle portion having a width WA, the middle portion corresponding to the light directed at the first optical fiber and also refracted by the first optical fiber, wherein the ratio WA/WB is less than 0.15;
- (b) moving the first and second mating end surfaces into mutual contact in a coaxial abutting relationship by utilizing a central region of image of the first optical fiber;
- and
- (c) fusing together the first and second end portions while the first and second optical fibers contact each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.