V-groove adapters for interconnecting optical conductors
US6402390B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 14, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jun 11, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 14, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B6/3696
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A V-groove adapter for interconnecting optical conductors includes V-grooves that are precisely aligned with respect to one another to provide a desired alignment of the respective cores of the optical conductors received within the respective V-grooves. By controlling the widths of the respective V-grooves and the axial alignment of the V-grooves with respect to one another, the cores of the optical conductors received within the respective V-grooves can be coaxially aligned or offset by predetermined distance with repeatable precision on the order of 1 &mgr;m. The V-grooves are initially fabricated in a monocrystalline material. A metal layer is formed over the V-grooves in order to form an inverse replica of the V-grooves which is used as an insert in an injection mold so that the V-groove adapters can be mass produced using injection molding techniques.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.