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US RE35,222 EGranted
Optical fiber component optical coupler and method of producing thereof
AssigneesSumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
InventorsSumio Hoshino, Masumi Ito, Masayuki Shigematsu, Hiroo Kanamori, Hisasi Izumita
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Abstract
There is disclosed an optical component capable of amolifying function by itself and a method of producing thereof. The component includes a light amplifying portion therein and the light amplifying portion includes active elements which serves the light amplification. In the producing method, the amplifying portion is, for example, formed by utilizing sol-gel method to introduce the active elements.
Claims17
An optical fiber component including an optical fiber comprising:
- a core portion formed of transparent material with a first refractive index;
- a cladding portion formed of transparent material with a second refractive index smaller than said first refractive index and located adjacent to the core portion, having a thin portion, which has a thinner diameter than the cladding portion, in at least a part of the cladding portion in a longitudinal direction of the optical fiber;
- and
- a light amplifying portion located at the thin portion, the light amplifying portion containing . .a sol which has.!. active elements having a light amplification ability , said light amplifying portion being made by a process comprising the steps of applying a sol containing said active elements and a polyethylene glycol to said thin portion, drying said sol, and sintering said sol to thereby form said light amplifying portion .
1 more element
A method of producing an optical fiber component comprising the steps of:
- forming by spinning an optical fiber having a core portion formed of translucent material with a first refractive index and a cladding portion formed of transparent material with a second refractive index smaller than said first refractive index;
- thinning a portion of the cladding portion in a longitudinal direction of the optical fiber to make a thin portion;
- and
- penetrating the thin portion of the cladding portion with a sol which has active ions and polyethylene glycol to make a light amplifying portion located at the thin portion.
1 more element
An optical coupler comprising:
- a first core portion made of transparent material with a first refractive index;
- a first cladding portion made of transparent material with a second refractive index smaller than said first refractive index and located adjacent to the first core portion, the first cladding portion having a thin portion, which has a thinner diameter than the first cladding portion, in a longitudinal direction of at least a part of the cladding portion;
- a second core portion made of transparent material with the first refractive index;
- a second cladding portion made of transparent material with the second refractive index and located adjacent to the second core portion, the second cladding portion having a thin portion, which has a thinner diameter than the second cladding portion, in a longitudinal direction of at least a part of the cladding portion, and the thin portion of the first cladding portion is fused to the thin portion of the second cladding portion;
- and
- a light amplifying portion located at the fused thin portions . .and contains a sol which has.!. containing active ions having a light amplification ability, said light amplifying portion being made by applying a sol containing said active ions and polyethylene glycol to said thin portions, drying said sol, and sintering said sol .
3 more elements
A method of producing an optical coupler comprising the steps of:
- forming at least two optical fibers, each of which has a core portion formed of translucent material with a first refractive index and a cladding portion formed of transparent material with a second refractive index smaller than said first refractive index and located adjacent to the core portion;
- thinning a portion of the cladding portion in a longitudinal direction of the optical fiber to make a thin portion on each optical fiber;
- fusing the thin portions together;
- and
- forming a light amplifying portion onto the fused thin portions by penetrating the fused thin portion with a sol which has active elements capable of amplifying light and polyethylene glycol.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.