At&t Bell Laboratories

Lucent Technologies Inc.

At+t Corp.

Avaya Technology LLC

John J Burack

Jane Deborah LeGrange

William R Holland

Treliant Fang

Frederick Simchock

Jose A Ors

Hung Chi Ling

Bassel Hage Daoud

Ivan Pawlenko

David S Kerr

Jason A Kay

Larry Samson

Wesley P Townsend

Thomas Michael Hamilton

Robert P Stawicki

Peter Albert Yurcick

Michael V Occhipinti

Richard Borutta

John C Manock

In accordance with the invention, rather than embedding them collectively in potting compound, wire to pin connections on a connector block are separately coated with protective gel for resisting corrosion. The coating can be effected with high volume gel dispensing equipment in shop environments and by manual gel dispensing in the field, providing significant advantages rework and repair in the field.

Method for protecting and reworking connector block wiring

A pressure-sensitive, flame-retardant adhesive is disclosed comprising a composition fabricated with the polymerization of acrylic esters, dibromostyrene, and vinyl phosphonic acid, with or without acrylic acid, mixed with dispersions of antimony trioxide. The adhesive composition preferably is an emulsion polymer fabricated with dibromostyrene, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, and vinyl phosphonic acid, mixed with Sb.sub.2 O.sub.3 in an approximate ratio of 100 parts polymer per about 8-12 parts Sb.sub.2 O.sub.3. Preferred polymers are those containing at least about 11.6% to 15.6% bromine and from 0.25 to 2.5% phosphorous. The adhesive is particularly advantageous in fabricating optical circuit devices.

Pressure-sensitive flame retardant adhesive

A flexible energy-carrying circuit device has reduced flame retardancy while maintaining desired levels of adhesion between the energy-carrying filaments and the substrate with use of a flame-retardant pressure-sensitive adhesive comprised of a polymer of one or more acrylic esters with bromine and phosphorous compounded into the polymer to provide an adhesive having inherent flame retardancy. Small quantities of antimony trioxide may be dispersed in the adhesive to enhance flame retardancy.

Flexible filament device with pressure-sensitive flame retardant adhesive

An apparatus for testing the attachment reliability of a device mounted at least by an electrically conducting joint to a surface of a circuit board is provided. The apparatus includes an environmental chamber in which the board can be placed; an actuator for applying a force to the device; an electrical monitoring unit for monitoring any events at the electrically conducting joint; and a memory unit for storing an event profile that includes information related to the events. The apparatus may further include a processing unit for characterizing the quality of the electrically conducting joint based on the stored event profile and for performing various other functions. A method for testing the attachment reliability of the device is also provided.

Testing attachment reliability of devices

A method for encapsulating optical fibers (26, FIG. 2) comprises the steps of bonding optical fiber to a first surface of a rigid flat member (17) and placing the flat member in a substantially air-tight chamber (10, FIG. 1). An encapsulating sheet (13) is located in the air-tight chamber, such that it faces the flat member. The air pressure on the flat member is then made to be significantly lower than the air pressure on the encapsulating sheet, thereby to cause the encapsulating sheet (13) to press against the flat member (17, FIG. 3). The encapsulating sheet is made of a flexible flame-resistant material that maintains its structural integrity and does not melt or ignite at temperatures of at least two hundred degrees Centigrade. For example, the encapsulating sheet may be of Kapton (a trademark), doped Mylar (a trademark) or aluminum foil. The encapsulating sheet (13) is bonded to the flat member by an adhesive (31, FIG. 2) so that, after the sheet has been pressed against the optical fibers (26), it thereafter permanently supports each optical fiber in its assigned position.

Optical fiber encapsulation techniques

Optical fibers are encapsulated, first by bonding them to a first surface (18) of a flat member (17) having first and second opposite major surfaces. The flat member and a sheet of thermoplastic (13) are placed in an air-tight chamber (10) such that a first major surface of the sheet faces the first major surface (18) of the flat member (17). Next, the air pressure on the second major surface of the flat member is made to be significantly lower than the air pressure on the second surface of the thermoplastic sheet (13), thereby to cause the sheet to press against the flat member. The thermoplastic sheet is heated sufficiently during this process to cause it to adhere to the first surface (18) of the flat member, thereby to encapsulate the optical fibers.

A plurality of optical fibers (13) are first bonded to an upper surface of a flat flexible plastic substrate (12). The optical fibers are covered with a layer (20) of thermoplastic material to form a composite structure comprising the thermoplastic material, the optical fibers and the plastic substrate. The composite structure is then compressed at a first elevated temperature and at a first relatively high pressure which are sufficient to bond or tack the thermoplastic material to the plastic substrate. The temperature of a composite structure is then cool while maintaining the first relatively high pressure. Thereafter, a second elevated temperature is applied to the thermoplastic material while compressing the composite structure at a second pressure. The second elevated temperature is higher than the first temperature and is sufficiently high to cause the thermoplastic material to flow about and encase the optical fibers, while the second pressure is smaller than the first pressure and is sufficiently small to avoid damaging said optical fibers. The various compression steps are applied by upper (17) and lower (16) platens of a press machine which are appropriately heated to apply the temperatures described above.

Optical fiber encapsulating techniques

Apparatus for routing optical fiber comprises an elongated manipulator (20, FIG. 2) having a vertical axis which can be controlled to move in an X-Y plane and in the .theta. direction around its vertical axis. A rotatable wheel (21) is mounted on a free end of the manipulator, and a reel (19) containing optical fiber (17) is mounted on one side of the manipulator. The fiber is threaded over a peripheral portion of the wheel and the wheel presses the fiber against an adhesive-coated surface of a substrate (18) to cause it to adhere to the coated surface. The manipulator is then moved in a direction parallel to the flat surface at an appropriate speed and direction to cause the wheel to rotate and to exert tension on the optical fiber. The tension causes additional optical fiber to unwind from the reel and to be fed to the wheel for adherence to the coated surface, thereby to form a continuous optical fiber portion extending along, and adhered to, the coated surface.

Optical fiber interconnection apparatus and methods of making

An optical waveguide (11) is composed substantially entirely of triazine.

Triazine optical waveguides

An optical waveguide (11) is composed substantially entirely of triazine. Various methods for making desired triazine waveguide patterns are described.

Method of making triazine optical waveguides

A Langmuir-Blodgett monolayer polyimide film and a bulk amorphous polyimide film are in contacting superposed relation to form a composite film having improved moisture resistance. The composite film may be either a free film or provide an insulating coating on the surface of a microelectronics device.

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Toms River, NJ, United States of America

John J Burack