Substrate ruggedized optical fiber apparatus
First Claim
1. An optical device comprising:
- (a) an optical fiber having an outer surface; and
(b) a substrate rigidly supporting said optical fiber by forming a molecular interface with a portion of said outer surface while said fiber is maintained in axial tension.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Optical devices having one or more rigidly supported optical fibers and a method of making thereof are provided in which one or more optical fibers are interfaced with a rigid support material by molecular restructuring of interfacing surface areas of the fibers and the support material. The rigidly supported optical fiber may be fabricated by assembling a longitudinal outer surface portion of the fiber in juxtaposition with a rigid support material having a lower melting point than the fiber. This assembly may be heated to allow partial liquification of the support material and fiber along the outer surface of the fiber to allow fusing therebetween. The assembly may then be cooled below the melting point of the support material to provide a ruggedized fiber-optic assembly comprising an optical fiber fused to a rigid support material. A nonstick mold material also may be provided during assembly which has a substantially higher melting point than either the fiber or the support material. The mold may be placed in juxtaposition with the fiber to prevent the fiber from being totally embedded in the support material. Various optical devices may be formed from combinations of such rigidly supported optical fibers.
24 Citations
39 Claims
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1. An optical device comprising:
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(a) an optical fiber having an outer surface; and (b) a substrate rigidly supporting said optical fiber by forming a molecular interface with a portion of said outer surface while said fiber is maintained in axial tension. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of fabricating a rigidly supported optical fiber device comprising the steps of:
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(a) assembling a longitudinal, outer-surface portion of an optical fiber in juxtaposition with a rigid support material having a lower viscosity than said fiber; (b) maintaining said fiber in axial tension; (c) heating said assembly so as to allow partial softening of said support material to allow a bonded interface to be formed directly between said fiber and said support material; and (d) cooling said assembly to allow said interface to harden to form a rigid interface. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An optical device comprising:
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(a) an optical fiber; and (b) a rigid support material wherein said optical fiber is maintained in axial tension while said optical fiber is positioned asymmetrically with respect to said support material and while said support material is fused to the outer surface of the fiber. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. An optical device, comprising:
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(a) an optical fiber; (b) a rigid glass support material; and (c) an interface region in which said support material is fused directly to an outer surface portion of said optical fiber, at least one of said fiber and said support material being provided with a diffusible constituent which diffuses into the other material as said support material and said outer surface portion are fused together in said interface region to provide an optical device being capable of relatively uniform etching. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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Specification