Connectorized nano-engineered optical fibers and methods of forming same

US7577330B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Corning Cable Systems LLC · US

Inventors

• Robert R. Beshears · Hickory, US
• Dana Craig Bookbinder · Corning, US
• Terry Lee Cooke · Hickory, US
• John B. Johnson · Hickory, US
• Dennis Michael Knecht · Hickory, US
• Ming-Jun Li · Horseheads, US
• Michael Heath Rasmussen · Copenhagen, DK

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 20, 2008
• Grant date: Aug 18, 2009
• Expiry date: Mar 20, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S977/762
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Connectorized nano-engineered optical fibers and method for forming them are disclosed. The methods include heating a mid-span bare fiber portion of the nano-engineered fiber to collapse the airlines therein so as to form an airline-free portion. The fiber is then inserted into a ferrule channel so that the fiber end protrudes beyond the ferrule end face, but with the airline-free portion positioned at the ferrule end face. The fiber is then cleaved at or near the ferrule end face in the airline-free portion, and the new fiber end face polished to create a solid fiber end face that coincides with the ferrule end face. The methods result in at most only minimal changes to the mode field diameter (MFD) and/or to the outer cladding diameter, which is essential in forming a connectorized nano-engineered fiber that can connect to like-size nano-engineered or non-nano-engineered fibers.