Facile production of optical communication assemblies and components

• US 8,135,250 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cirrex Systems, LLC
• Original Assignee: Cirrex Systems, LLC
• Inventors: Wach, Michael L., Holter, Dwight
• Primary Examiner(s): Petkovsek, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US11/980,337
• Time in Patent Office: 1,596 Days
• Field of Search: 385/37, 385/147, 359/566, 359/586, 359/900, 653/85, 653/92
• US Class Current: 385/37
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12007 forming wavelength selective elements, e.g. multiplexer, demultiplexer
• 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 6/29367 Zigzag path within a transparent optical block, e.g. filter deposited on an etalon, glass plate, wedge acting as a stable spacer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29368 Light guide comprising the filter, e.g. filter deposited on a fibre end G02B6/29359 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/30 for use between fibre and thin-film device
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3636 the mechanical coupling means being grooves G02B6/3652 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3644 the coupling means being through-holes or wall apertures
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3652 the additional structures being prepositioning mounting areas, allowing only movement in one dimension, e.g. grooves, trenches or vias in the microbench surface, i.e. self aligning supporting carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3881 using grooves to align ferrule ends

Abstract

A micro identification system supports facile optical assemblies and components. A segment of optical fiber can comprise an identifier formed via actinic radiation. The identifier can generate a laser interference pattern that can be read through a cylindrical surface of the optical fiber to determine a code. Modified optical fibers are those fibers that have been shaped or coated to an extent beyond the demands of normal communications optical fibers. In one example, modified fibers are no longer than about two feet in length. For another example, the modified fibers can have either a non-cylindrical end face, a non flat end face, an end face the plane of which is not perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the waveguide, an end face coated with high density filter, or an identifier on or near an end face.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a segment of optical fiber comprising a first end face, a second end face, and a cylindrical surface extending from the first end face to the second end face;

forming refractive index disruptions within a volume defined by the first end face, the second end face, and the cylindrical surface in response to illuminating the segment of optical fiber with actinic radiation;

generating a laser interference pattern from the formed refractive index disruptions;

reading the laser interference pattern through the cylindrical surface with a camera; and

determining a code based on the read laser interference pattern.