Method for making separable multiple core optical fibers, the resulting fiber structures, and uses thereof

• US 6,539,151 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2000
• Issued: 03/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Nolan, Daniel A., Wigley, Peter G., Gallagher, Michael T., Hackert, Michael J., Farwell, Selina G., Hawtof, Daniel W., Berkey, George E., Fajardo, James C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ullah, Akm E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CONNELLY, MICHELLE R
• Application Number:
  US09/741,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20030031434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 385/100-121, 653/85, 653/88--90, 654/01, 654/03, 654/06, 654/08--12, 654/27, 654/30--33, 654/35, 654/75, 654/77, 654/80
• US Class Current: 385/114
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 2203/34 Plural core other than bundles, e.g. double core
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 2203/40 Multifibres or fibre bundles, e.g. for making image fibres
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 37/01205 starting from tubes, rods, fibres or filaments C03B37/014 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 37/01214 for making preforms of multifibres, fibre bundles other than multiple core preforms
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 37/027 Fibres composed of different sorts of glass, e.g. glass optical fibresC03B37/0253, C03B37/028 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 37/028 Drawing fibre bundles, e.g. for making fibre bundles of multifibres , image fibres; drawing multicore or photonic crystal fibres C03B37/027
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 37/075 Manufacture of non-optical fibres or filaments consisting of different sorts of glass or characterised by shape, e.g. undulated fibres C03B37/022, C03B37/027, C03B37/028 take precedence; light guides G02B6/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02042 Multicore optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02366 Single ring of structures, e.g. "air clad"
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29353 with a wavelength selective element in at least one light guide interferometer arm, e.g. grating, interference filter, resonator
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29364 Cascading by a light guide path between filters or filtering operations, e.g. fibre interconnected single filter modules
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2937 In line lens-filtering-lens devices, i.e. elements arranged along a line and mountable in a cylindrical package for compactness, e.g. 3- port device with GRIN lenses sandwiching a single filter operating at normal incidence in a tubular package

Abstract

Optical fiber structures having at least two cores, whether unitary or separable, may be fabricated by controlling the placement of the cores prior to final processing to make the multi-core fiber structure. When the fiber is to be separable, at least two performs are attached, and the attachment height between adjacent canes is controlled to allow separation to be realized (or attachment to be maintained there between) anywhere along the separable multi-core fiber. These canes are then drawn together to form a desired composite fiber, either or both ends of which may be separated to allow for individual manipulation of fiber ends. The separable multi-core fiber may be utilized to fabricate a dual-port or multi-port optical component in which an input and an output (or multiple input/output) fibers are attached to the component, and the exposed distal ends of the separable multi-core fiber are thereafter separated from one another (even after the entire device is assembled and packaged) to provide separated waveguides for pigtailing or splicing to input or output fibers (or other planar or micro-optic components).

Claims

1. A separable multi-core optical fiber structure, comprising:

a plurality of fused optical fibers, the plurality of fused optical fibers defining an attachment height between adjacent fused optical fibers that is small enough to allow adjacent fused optical fibers to be separated into individual optical fibers at a desired point, and that is large enough to maintain a multi-corc optical fiber at other points of the separable multi-core fiber structure, wherein each of said fused optical fibers at said other points share a common single cladding layer formed by fusing respective cladding layers of individual optical fibers.

2. The separable multi-core fiber structure of claim 1 further comprising:

a spacer between outer fibers and fibers adjacent to the outer fibers.

3. The separable multi-core fiber structure of claim 2 wherein the plurality of fibers include outer fibers and inner fibers, and wherein the spacer comprises:

a dummy fiber disposed between each of the outer fibers and the adjacent fibers.

4. The separable multi-core fiber structure of claim 1 wherein the plurality of fibers include outer fibers and inner fibers, the separable multi-core fiber structure further comprising:

a dummy fiber adjacent to each outer fiber.

5. The separable multi-core fiber structure of claim 1, wherein adjacent cores of the separable multi-core fiber structure are evenly spaced.

6. The separable multi-core fiber structure of claim 1, wherein spacing of adjacent cores is 10-200 μ

m.

7. The separable multi-core fiber structure of claim 6, wherein spacing of adjacent cores is 100-150 μ

m.

8. The separable multi-core fiber structure of claim 7, wherein spacing of adjacent cores is 120-130 μ

m.

9. A separable multi-core fiber structure, comprising:

a plurality of fibers, the plurality of fibers defining an attachmcnt height between adjacent fibers that is small enough to allow adjacent fibers to be separated into individual fibers at a desired point, and that is large enough to maintain a multi-core fiber at other points of the separable multi-core fiber structure; and

the plurality of optical fibers include inner fibers and outer fibers, wherein the outer fibers are formed from canes having a larger outer diameter than canes which are used to form the inner fibers.