End finishing of plastic optical fibers using laser ablation

• US 6,361,219 B1
• Filed: 07/29/1999
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Serafino, Anthony Joseph, Coyle, Richard James Jr., Grimes, Gary J., Sherman, Charles J., Blyler, Lee L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ullah, Akm E.
• Application Number:
  US09/363,542
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• Field of Search: 385/85, 385/88, 385/37, 385/38, 385/147, 451/42, 451/43, 653/85, 653/86, 653/87, 654/83, 654/84
• US Class Current: 385/85
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2791/009 Using laser curing using laser B29C2035/0838, welding using laser beams B29C65/16
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 67/0044 for shaping edges or extremities B29C57/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00663 Production of light guides
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2011/0075 Light guides, optical cables
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02033 Core or cladding made from organic material, e.g. polymeric material G02B1/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/25 Preparing the ends of light guides for coupling, e.g. cutting
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2552 reshaping or reforming of light guides for coupling using thermal heating, e.g. tapering, forming of a lens on light guide ends
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3863 fabricated by using polishing techniques grinding of the fibre ends B24B19/226

Abstract

Finishing an end of a plastic optical fiber by ablating the end of the plastic optical fiber by utilizing an Excimer laser so that the end of the optical fiber can be used in a optical connector. A high powered ultraviolet beam of light from the laser is absorbed by the end of the fiber and ablates the first few microns of the end face of the fiber. This process removes residual cracks and fissures to flatten the end of the fiber for use in the optical connector. The optical fiber is then ready to make a low loss interface with a source, a detector, or another optical fiber.

Claims

1. A method for finishing the end of an optical fiber for utilizing in an optical connector, comprising the steps of:

providing an optical fiber having a cut end;

generating light from an optical source;

forming the generated light onto the cut end of the optical fiber; and

ablating the cut end of the optical fiber by the formed light removing residual cracks and fissures from the cut end to finish the end of the optical fiber for utilization in the optical connector.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of forming comprises the steps of focusing the generated light with one or more lens;

and

masking the focused light with an aperture.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the optical source is a laser.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the generated light has a wavelength in a range of 193 to 353 nanometers.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of forming comprises the step of performing mode mixing of the light.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of mode mixing comprises the step of transmitting the generated light through glass optical fiber.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the optical source is a laser.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the generated light has a wavelength in a range of 193 to 353 nanometers.

9. An apparatus for performing the method of claim 1.

10. An apparatus for performing the method of claim 2.

11. An apparatus for performing the method of claim 5.