Corning Incorporated

Corning Optical Communications LLC

Corning Research & Development Corporation

Corning Cable Systems

Joel P Carberry

Barada Kanta Nayak

Anping Liu

Robert Michael Morena

William James Miller

Steven Edward DeMartino

Henry Edwin Hagy

Dana Craig Bookbinder

Bruce Gardiner Aitken

Qi Wu

Alexander Mikhailovich Streltsov

David Wesley Chiasson

Joseph Francis Schroeder, Iii

Lisa Ann Lamberson

Brent M Wedding

Sujanto Widjaja

Richard J Miller, Ii

Scott Robertson Bickham

Robert Adam Modavis

Glenn E Kohnke

Peter Knowles

Craig John Mancusi Ungaro

Laura A Weller-Brophy

Gang Chen

Randy LaRue McClure

Lei Yuan

Ming-Jun Li

George Halsey Beall

Anne Germaine Bringuier

Kenneth Chyung

David L Weidman

Eric John Mozdy

James Ernest Webb

Kamjula Pattabhirami Reddy

Joseph E Pierson

Gaylord L Francis

Scott Glaeseman

Steven Demartino

Karl William Koch, Iii

Dale Robert Powers

Paul Stephen Danielson

Kenneth Edward Hrdina

Robert Stephen Wagner

Michael Thomas Gallagher

Jeffrey Dean Danley

Nikolaos Pantelis Kladias

Eric Raymond Logan

Mark Francis Krol

Chunfeng Zhou

Christopher Mark Quinn

Christopher Scott Thomas

Leonard Charles Dabich, Ii

David Alan Deneka

Mark Lawrence Powley

Mark Leon Morrell

Steven Akin Dunwoody

John Michael Jewell

Joseph Edward McCarthy

Ravindra Kumar Akarapu

Brett Jason Hoover

Minghan Chen

Vincent Matteo Tagliamonti

Yuanjie Jiang

The present disclosure relates to a process by which an optical fiber array is cleaved with a laser-cleaving apparatus. The coating material is stripped or removed from a section of an optical fiber array; a coated or ribbonized section of the optical fiber array is secured in a holder; the holder is aligned inside the laser-cleaving apparatus; the laser cleaves the stripped ends of the fibers in the optical fiber array; the laser-cleaved ends of the optical fibers are then mechanically separated to remove the free ends from the optical fibers in the optical fiber array, leaving a cleaved array of optical fibers. The cleaving process enables the optical fiber array to be cleaved at flexible locations along an optical fiber ribbon or optical fiber cable with no swelling, minimal cleave angle variation across the cores of the optical fibers, a controlled surface roughness of the optical fiber end-faces, and high process yield.

Laser-cleaving of an optical fiber array with controlled cleaving angle

In some embodiments, a method for processing an optical fiber includes: drawing an optical fiber through a draw furnace, conveying the optical fiber through a flame reheating device downstream from the draw furnace, wherein the flame reheating device comprises one or more burners each comprising: a body having a top surface and an opposing bottom surface, an opening within the body extending from the top surface through the body to the bottom surface, wherein the optical fiber passes through the opening, and one or more gas outlets within the body; and igniting a flammable gas provided by the one or more gas outlets to form a flame encircling the optical fiber passing through the opening, wherein the flame heats the optical fiber by at least 100 degrees Celsius at a heating rate exceeding 10,000 degrees Celsius/second.

Methods and systems for processing optical fiber

The present disclosure relates to a process by which an optical fiber array or a single optical fiber is cleaved with a laser-cleaving apparatus. The coating material is stripped or removed from a section of an optical fiber array or single optical fiber; a coated or ribbonized section of the optical fiber array or the single optical fiber is secured in a holder; the holder is aligned inside the laser-cleaving apparatus; the laser cleaves the stripped ends of the fibers in the optical fiber array or the single optical fiber; the laser-cleaved ends of the optical fiber(s) are then mechanically separated to remove the free ends from the optical fibers in the optical fiber array or the single optical fiber, leaving a cleaved array of optical fibers or a single cleaved optical fiber. The cleaving process enables the optical fiber array or single optical fiber to be cleaved at flexible locations along an optical fiber ribbon, optical fiber, or optical fiber apparatus (e.g., cleaving can be performed close to a ferrule end face) with no swelling, minimal cleave angle variation across the cores of the optical fibers, a controlled surface roughness of the optical fiber end faces, and high process yield.

An optical cable and method for forming an optical cable is provided. The cable includes a cable jacket including an inner surface defining a channel and an outer surface and also includes a plurality of optical fibers located within the channel. The cable includes a seam within the cable jacket that couples together opposing longitudinal edges of a wrapped thermoplastic sheet which forms the cable jacket and maintains the cable jacket in the wrapped configuration around the plurality of optical fibers. The method includes forming an outer cable jacket by wrapping a sheet of thermoplastic material around a plurality of optical core elements. The method includes melting together portions of thermoplastic material of opposing longitudinal edges of the wrapped sheet such that a seam is formed holding the sheet of thermoplastic material in the wrapped configuration around the core elements.

Laser welding of cable jacket

A method of cleaving an optical fiber comprises inserting the optical fiber through a bore of a holding member, securing the optical fiber to the holding member with a bonding agent, operating at least one laser to emit at least one laser beam, and directing the at least one laser beam from the at least one laser to the end face of the holding member. At least a portion of the at least one laser beam reflects off the end face of the holding member and is thereafter incident on an end portion of the optical fiber. The at least one laser beam cleaves the end portion of the optical fiber less than 20 &#x3bc;m from the end face of the holding member. Related systems are also disclosed.

Methods and systems for laser cleaving optical fibers

A system and method for marking a moving surface of a fiber optic cable is provided. The system includes a supply of the fiber optic cable, a laser generating device configured to generate a laser beam that forms markings by interacting with the material of the moving surface of the fiber optic cable. The system includes a movement device moving the fiber optic cable through the system at a speed of at least 50 m per minute. The system includes a laser directing device located in the path of the laser beam and configured to change the path of the laser beam to direct the laser beam to a plurality of discrete locations on the moving surface to form a series of marks on the moving surface. The moving surface includes a plurality of tracking indicia to allow the position of the moving surface to be determined.

Marking system for an optical cable component

A method of forming an optical surface on an end portion of an optical fiber comprises inserting the optical fiber through a ferrule bore of a ferrule so that the end portion extends past an end face on the ferrule. At least one laser beam is emitted from at least one laser and directed to the end face of the ferrule. The at least one laser beam is shaped into an ellipse and comprises at least 90 percent linearly-polarized light incident on the end face of the ferrule as S-polarized light. The at least one laser is operated so that the S-polarized light reflects off the end face of the ferrule and cleaves the end portion of the optical fiber.

Methods and systems to form optical surfaces on optical fibers

An optical communication cable and related systems and methods are provided. The optical cable includes a plurality of wrapped core elements, and the outer surfaces of adjacent wrapped core elements are joined together by discrete bond sections. The discrete bonds sections may be structures such as laser welds, ultrasonic welds, or adhesive material. The discrete bonds hold the wrapped core elements together in the wrapped pattern, such as an SZ stranding pattern.

Optical fiber cable with bonded core elements

A crush resistant, kink resistant optical cable including crush resistant, kink resistant optical fiber buffer tubes and systems and method for making the same are provided. The buffer tubes include a depression pattern formed along the outer surface of the buffer tube. The depression pattern provides areas of decreased thickness in the buffer tube facilitating flexibility and kink resistance. The system and method relates to laser ablation for forming the depression pattern in the buffer tube.

Optical fiber cable with crush resistant, kink resistant buffer tube

System and method for marking optical component at high speed

A method of forming an optical surface on an end portion of an optical fiber inserting the optical fiber through a ferrule bore of a ferrule so that the end portion extends past an end face on the ferrule. At least one laser beam is emitted from at least one laser and directed to the end face of the ferrule at a location spaced from the ferrule bore. The at least one laser beam is also directed at an angle relative to the end face of the ferrule so as to be incident on the end portion of the optical fiber after reflecting off the end face of the ferrule. The at least one laser is operated to cleave the end portion of the optical fiber, and the end face on the ferrule does not crack due to thermal expansion when the at least one laser is operated.

A method cleaving an end portion of an optical fiber involves providing a ferrule having a first end, a second end, and a ferrule bore extending between the first and second ends. An optical fiber is inserted through the ferrule bore so that an end portion of the optical fiber extends past an end face on the second end of the ferrule. At least one laser beam is emitted from at least one laser and directed to be incident on the end portion of the optical fiber at a first location. The at least one laser beam is emitted and directed to have a maximum beam width that is less than an outer diameter of the optical fiber at the first location so that the at least one laser can be operated to form a hole in the optical fiber at the first location.

Methods of laser cleaving optical fibers

Systems and methods for laser cleaving optical fibers are disclosed. In certain embodiments discussed herein, a ferrule of a fiber optic connector with an optical fiber disposed therein may precisely position an optical surface of the optical fiber when establishing an optical connection with another optical fiber. The optical surface may be thermally formed by laser beam(s) directed to an end face of the ferrule and to an end portion of the optical fiber extending therefrom. By having at least ninety (90) percent of the light incident on the ferrule as S-polarized light, the optical surface may be formed closer to the ferrule. This is because the laser beam may be more readily reflected away from the ferrule instead of being absorbed within the ferrule and thereby causing ferrule damage.

Systems and methods for laser cleaving optical fibers

Growing community of inventors

Horseheads, NY, United States of America

Joel P Carberry