Fused biconical taper fiber optic coupler station and fabrication techniques

• US 5,339,374 A
• Filed: 05/26/1993
• Issued: 08/16/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)
• Original Assignee: The Center For Innovative Technology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)
• Inventors: Claus, Richard O., Murphy, Kent A., Gunther, Michael F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ullah, Akm E.
• Application Number:
  US08/067,868
• Time in Patent Office: 447 Days
• Field of Search: 385/41-45
• US Class Current: 385/43
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2856 formed or shaped by thermal heating means, e.g. splitting, branching and/or combining elements

Abstract

The fibers are bound together about 1 cm apart. An oxy-propane torch is used to heat the fibers so that they fuse together. At the same time, the two relatively movable translational stages to which the fibers are clamped are pulled apart to form a biconical tapered region in the fibers. The fibers are tapered until a desired coupling ratio is achieved. After the insertion loss is measured, the torch is reintroduced into the taper region and one side (e.g., the right side) of the taper region is rotated with a minimal increase in the taper length, i.e., the distance between the two stations is increased only enough to keep an even tension in the taper region.

Claims

1. A biconical-taper coupler for distributing higher order modes and lower order modes in an input fiber uniformly to a plurality of output fibers, said plurality of output fibers including said input fiber, said coupler comprising a unitary unscrambled biconical-taper region including a first tapered region, a second tapered region and a minimum tapered region between said first tapered region and said second tapered region, said first tapered region being rotated with respect to said second tapered region.

2. A biconical-taper coupler for distributing higher order modes and lower order modes in an input fiber uniformly to a plurality of output fibers as in claim 1, wherein said first tapered region is rotated on the order of 270°

with respect to said second tapered region.

3. A biconical-taper coupler for distributing higher order modes and lower order modes in an input fiber uniformly to a plurality of output fibers as in claim 1, further including a "U"-shaped bend in said minimum tapered region.

4. A biconical-taper coupler for distributing higher order modes and lower order modes in an input fiber uniformly to a plurality of output fibers as in claim 1, further including a "S"-shaped bend in said minimum tapered region.

5. A biconical-taper coupler for distributing higher order modes and lower order modes in an input fiber uniformly to a plurality of output fibers as in claim 1, further including a plurality of microbends in said minimum tapered region.

6. A biconical-taper coupler for distributing higher order modes and lower order modes in an input fiber uniformly to a plurality of output fibers as in claim 1, wherein said first tapered region is rotated with respect to said second tapered region through an angle over which insertion loss uniformity in said plurality of output fibers improves.

7. A method of forming a biconical-taper coupler for distributing higher order modes and lower order modes in an input fiber uniformly to a plurality of output fibers, said plurality of output fibers including said input fiber, said method comprising the steps of:

forming a unitary unscrambled biconical-taper region including a first tapered region, a second tapered region and a minimum tapered region between said first tapered and said second tapered region;

heating said unitary unscrambled biconical-tapered region to soften said unitary unscrambled biconical-tapered region; and

rotating said first tapered region relatively to said second tapered region while unitary unscrambled biconical-tapered region is in a softened state.

8. A method of forming a biconical-taper coupler for distributing higher order modes and lower order modes in an input fiber uniformly to a plurality of output fibers as in claim 7, wherein said rotating step rotates said first tapered region relatively to said second tapered region on the order of 270°

.

9. A method of forming a biconical-taper couple for distributing higher order modes and lower order modes in an input fiber uniformly to a plurality of output fibers, said plurality of output fibers including said input fiber, said method comprising the steps of:

forming a unitary unscrambled biconical-taper region including a first tapered region, a second tapered region and a minimum tapered region between said first tapered and said second tapered region;

heating said unitary unscrambled biconical-taper region to soften said unitary unscrambled biconical-taper region;

rotating said first tapered region relatively to said second tapered region while unitary unscrambled biconical-taper region is in a softened state;

in conjunction with said rotating step, injecting said input fiber and determining the uniformity of insertion loss in said plurality of output fibers; and

continuing said rotating step so long as the uniformity of insertion loss in said output fibers improves.