Fiber optic connector with micro-alignable lenses and associated fabrication method
US6302593A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 30, 1998 |
| Grant date | Oct 16, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 30, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B6/4236
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A fiber optic connector and an associated fabrication method where the connector has a connector housing having a base side, a and pair of sidewalls upstanding from the base side that are spaced apart in relation to each other, and each of the housing sidewalls define at least one aperture through which optical signals can be transmitted into and out of the housing by an input optical fiber and an output optical fiber, respectively, located in fixed positions outside the housing, and a pair of optical lens elements are contained within the housing which collimate optical signals transmitted via the respective optical fibers. The lens elements are precisely aligned with respective optical fibers within submicron tolerances using internally-housed micro-aligners. As a result, the fiber optic connector of the present invention can provide efficient coupling between optical fibers, such as optical fibers in two spliced composite parts. In addition, the lens elements can be controllably positioned via the micro-aligners, alternatively, before the housing is hermetically sealed, or after the housing is hermetically sealed to permit in-the-field implementations.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.