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US 9,103,983 B2Granted
Optical element with mechanical alignment and method of making same
AssigneePolymicro Technologies, LLC
InventorRobert B. Acuna
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A product and process for fabricating an optical element from a capillary ferrule includes fusing the optical element onto an optical fiber. The optical element starts with a capillary ferrule that is sculpted on one end to form an optical property such as a flat window, ball lens, angled endface or other sculpted shape. The ferrule is fused onto an optical fiber that has been inserted into the ID of the capillary ferrule. As a result, the ferrule serves as a mechanical aligner for the optical element to fiber fusion process.
Claims9
A method of manufacturing an optical element comprising:
- positioning a capillary tube having a selected length in a machining station;
- inserting an optical fiber into an opening of the capillary tube, leaving at least a distal portion of the capillary tube empty;
- heating the distal portion of the capillary tube to collapse the empty distal portion of the capillary tube and form an optical element mass formed from molten material of the collapsed distal portion of the capillary tube;
- fusing the optical element mass directly to an end face of the optical fiber;
- and
- machining the optical element mass to produce an optical element having a selected final geometry.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.