At&t Bell Laboratories

Frederick M Sears

Calvin M Miller

David N Ridgway

A mechanical connection arrangement for two polarization-maintaining optical fibers (20--20) includes two ferrules (40--40). Each of the optical fibers to be connected includes an outer cladding layer (23) having a hybrid cross section transverse to a longitudinal axis of the fiber. The hybrid cross section is defined by two parallel sides and by two generally arcuate end portions. One of the polarization axes of the fiber is parallel to the parallel sides of the fiber. The ferrules were adjacent portions in a length (110) of stock material and are positioned in support means such that end faces of the ferrules which were contiguous to each other prior to the ferrules being separated from the length of material are adjacent to each other in the connection arrangement. Each ferrule prior to separation has a tab (126) associated therewith such that the tab of the adjacent portions are aligned longitudinally. An end portion of each optical fiber to be connected is disposed in a substantially rectangular passageway (122) formed through a ferrule and terminating in an end face. Each tab is normal to a long side of the rectangular passageway of the associated ferrule and hence is normal to the parallel sides of the outer cladding layer cross section of the optical fiber disposed therein. The ferrules are held to cause the tabs to be aligned longitudinally thereby causing the angular orientation of the polarization axes and the cores of the connected fibers to be aligned.

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Norcross, GA, United States of America

Frederick M Sears