Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

3m Innovative Properties Company

Bruce A Rabine

Paul Eric Sanders

Bryon J Cronk

James Craig Novack

Gary A Ball

Harmeet Singh

Steven M Stensvad

The present invention is a process for manufacturing an optical fiber Bragg grating, which in a preferred embodiment includes the steps of: (a) removing at least a portion of a removable coating on an optical fiber element in at least one predetermined section to sufficiently expose the optical fiber in the section for a subsequent treatment by a source of optical radiation; (b) fixing the at least one section with respect to the source of optical radiation; (c) directing optical radiation from the source into the optical fiber to produce at least one Bragg grating in the at least one section; and (d) covering the at least one section. The present invention also extends to an apparatus for carrying out the process steps described above, which includes means for coating removal, means for fiber immobilization, means for writing a Bragg grating, and means for packaging.

Incremental method of producing multiple UV-induced gratings on a single optical fiber

A method of making an optical fiber device, which comprises the steps of providing an optical fiber element comprising an optical fiber having at least one thermally removable coating thereon, and thermally removing all or a predetermined portion of the thermally removable coating(s) to sufficiently expose said optical fiber for a subsequent processing step. Following removal of the thermally removable coating, the optical fiber has a predetermined median fracture stress, as measured according to FOTP-28. The optical fiber may then be processed into an optical fiber device and optionally recoated.

Process for preparation of optical fiber devices using optical fibers

The novel device prepares samples of loose particles such as roofing granules to present a level surface from which colorimeter measurements can be made. The particles to be measured overfill a dish, the lip of which has a bevel providing a knife edge at its inner diameter. A roller is rolled back and forth across the dish to push excess particles beyond the knife edge from which they fall through a grid on which the dish rests.

Device for preparing colorimeter sample

Growing community of inventors

Oakdale, MN, United States of America

Bruce A Rabine