Method of fabricating a low loss fused biconical taper fiber optic coupler

• US 4,426,215 A
• Filed: 04/12/1983
• Issued: 01/17/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1981
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Framatome Connectors Canada Inc. (Amphenol Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Telephone & Telegraph Corp. (ITT, Inc.)
• Inventors: Murphy, Kent A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fisher, Richard V.
• Application Number:
  US06/484,343
• Time in Patent Office: 280 Days
• Field of Search: 65/4.1, 65/4.2, 65/4.21, 65/56, 65/54, 65/55, 350/96.15, 350/96.21
• US Class Current: 65/402
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2856 formed or shaped by thermal heating means, e.g. splitting, branching and/or combining elements

Abstract

A known low loss fused biconical taper fiber optic coupler is fabricating by heating and pulling a plurality of fused optical fibers which may be twisted to provide a minimum biconical taper region. One method of improving this known biconical taper coupler is to simultaneously heat and push the known coupler to form a glass ball in the minimum taper region and then simultaneously heat and pull the ball to provide the improved biconical taper coupler. Another method of improving the known biconical taper coupler is to score and pull the minimum taper region of the known coupler to separate the minimum taper region into two halves and then heat and push the two halves together to provide the improved biconical taper coupler.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating a low loss fused biconical taper fiber optic coupler comprising the steps of:

simultaneously heating and pulling N optical fibers to provide a minimum biconical taper region wherein said fibers are fused, where N is an integer greater than one; and

deforming cores of said N fibers at said minimum taper region, said step of deforming including a pushing step at said minimum taper region.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of twisting said optical fibers prior to heating and pulling said fibers to provide the minimum biconical taper region.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step of deforming includes the steps of

heating said minimum region,

pushing said heated minimum region to form a glass ball thereat,

heating said glass ball, and

pulling said heated glass ball to provide a symmetrical looking taper in said minimum region.

4. The method according to claim 3 further comprising the step of twisting said optical fibers prior to heating and pulling said fibers to provide the minimum biconical taper region.

5. A method of fabricating a low loss fused biconical taper fiber optic coupler comprising the steps of:

simultaneously heating and pulling N optical fibers to provide a minimum biconical taper region wherein said fibers are fused, where n is an integer greater than one; and

deforming cores of said N fibers at said minimum taper region, said step of deforming including the steps of;

scoring said minimum region,

pulling said scored minimum region for separation thereof,

heating said separated minimum region, and

pushing said heated separated minimum region together to rejoin said separated minimum region.

6. The method according to claim 5 further comprising the step of twisting said optical fibers prior to heating and pulling said fibers to provide the minimum biconical taper region.