Imra America, Inc.

Tyco Electronics Corporation

Jun Li

Liang Dong

Libin Fu

Andrius Marcinkevicius

Hugh McKay

David James Fabian

James Patrick Mosier

Dwight David Zitsch

James Leo Barry

Kyle Jay Glatfelter

Embodiments of optical fiber may include cladding features that include a material (e.g., fluorine-doped silica glass) that may produce a very low relative refractive index difference with respect to cladding material in which the cladding features are disposed. This relative refractive index difference may be characterized by (n&#x2212;n)/n, where nis the index of refraction of the cladding material in which the cladding features are included, and nis the index of refraction of the cladding features. In certain embodiments, the relative refractive index difference may be less than about 4.5&#xd7;10. In various embodiments, the configuration of the cladding features including, for example, the size and spacing of the cladding features, can be selected to provide for confinement of the fundamental mode yet leakage for the second mode and higher modes, which may provide mode filtering, single mode propagation, and/or low bend loss.

Glass large-core optical fibers

Embodiments of optical fiber may include cladding features that include a material (e.g., fluorine-doped silica glass) that may produce a very low relative refractive index difference with respect to cladding material in which the cladding features are disposed. This relative refractive index difference may be characterized by (n-n)/n, where nis the index of refraction of the cladding material in which the cladding features are included, and nis the index of refraction of the cladding features. In certain embodiments, the relative refractive index difference may be less than about 4.5&#xd7;10. In various embodiments, the configuration of the cladding features including, for example, the size and spacing of the cladding features, can be selected to provide for confinement of the fundamental mode yet leakage for the second mode and higher modes, which may provide mode filtering, single mode propagation, and/or low bend loss.

A terminus assembly is provided for terminating an optical cable that includes a plastic optical fiber (POF) having a tip segment that includes a tip surface. The terminus assembly includes a shell that includes a cable passage. The cable passage is configured to receive at least a portion of a length of the optical cable therein such that the tip segment of the POF extends within the cable passage. A POF stub is held by the shell. The POF stub extends a length from a mating end to a fiber end. The mating end of the POF stub is configured to optically couple with a mating POF of a mating connector. The fiber end of the POF stub includes a coupling surface. The POF stub is held by the shell such that the fiber end extends within the cable passage of the shell. The coupling surface of the fiber end is configured to be aligned with the tip surface of the POF within the cable passage of the shell such that the POF stub is optically coupled to the POF. The POF stub serves as a forward stop for the POF of the optical cable.

Terminus assembly for terminating an optical cable

An optical cable assembly includes an optical cable having an end that extends a length. The optical cable includes a plastic optical fiber (POF) and a buffer surrounding the POF along a portion of the length of the end of the optical cable. A terminus assembly terminates the end of the optical cable. The terminus assembly includes a terminus body having a cable passage and a crimp zone. At least a portion of the length of the end of the optical cable extends within the cable passage of the terminus body such that the terminus body surrounds the buffer of the optical cable at the crimp zone. The terminus body is mechanically crimped over, in engagement with, the buffer of the optical cable at the crimp zone.

An optical cable assembly includes an optical cable having an end. The optical cable includes a plastic optical fiber (POF) having a tip segment that includes a tip surface. The optical cable assembly also includes a socket terminus assembly that terminates the end of the optical cable and is configured to mate with a pin terminus assembly. The socket terminus assembly includes a terminus body having a cable passage. At least a portion of the end of the optical cable extends within the cable passage such that the tip surface of the tip segment of the POF is configured to engage a mating POF of the pin terminus assembly to optically couple the POF to the mating POF.

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Harrisburg, PA, United States of America

Jun Li