Xanoptix Inc.

Cubic Wafer, Inc.

Keith Kang

John A Trezza

Greg Dudoff

Roger Dugas

Richard Stack

Mark Czoschke

Ronald E Olson

Chuang Zhou

Misu Kang

Robert Otto

An apparatus to accurately hold an optical fiber within a commercial fiber optic connector. The connector has a first high precision slice having multiple holes of a first area and a first alignment opening and a second high precision slice having multiple holes of a second area and a second alignment opening. The holes of the first high precision slice are arranged relative to the first alignment opening so that, when the second high precision slice and the first high precision slice are juxtaposed with one another and the first alignment opening and the second alignment opening are aligned, the holes of the first high precision slice and the holes of the second high precision slice will be offset relative to each other and will define an opening having an area less than a smaller of the first area and second area. The opening is capable of closely constraining an optical fiber inserted therethrough. A method of making a fiber optic connector adapted to receive a fiber bearing unit involves coupling at least two high precision pieces, having misaligned holes relative to each other, together coupling the at least two high precision pieces to a low precision piece to form a unit, inserting optical fibers into the unit, terminating the fibers in the holes, and housing the unit within a fiber optic connector housing.

Multi-piece fiber optic component and manufacturing technique

A long-throw, tight focussing optical coupler has a first passive optical element capable of coupling light between an optical source and an optical destination and a second passive optical element, capable of coupling light between the optical source and the optical destination, located between the first passive optical element and one of the optical source or the optical destination such that, a light beam from the optical source will be transferred to the optical destination when the optical source and optical destination are spaced apart by a distance.

Long-throw, tight focusing optical coupler

A method of making A fiber optic connector adapted to receive a fiber bearing unit involves coupling at least one high precision piece, having holes configured to accept an array of optical fibers, to a low precision piece to form a unit, inserting optical fibers into the unit and housing the unit within a fiber optic connector housing. A commercial fiber optic connector of a style constructed to accept a ferrule-like unit therein has a connector housing, at least 36 optical fibers, a low precision piece, and at least one high precision slice having at least 36 fiber holes each adapted to accept one of the optical fibers, the low precision piece and the at least one high precision slice being contained substantially within the connector housing and forming the ferrule like unit.

A method involves aligning each of two optical components to be joined relative to a common standard, removing the common standard, and joining each of two optical components to each other in alignment.

Simple deterministic method for array based optical component packaging

A system and method for insertion of fibers into respective rows of fiber holes in a ferrule that involves mounting the ferrule in a first element and a proximal end of a first cable containing exposed fibers onto a movable element, adjusting the movable element until the fibers are adjacent to a bottom-most row of fiber holes, inserting each fiber into its respective hole in the bottom-most row, mounting the first cable in a second element, releasing the first cable from the movable element, mounting a second cable containing exposed fibers onto the movable element, adjusting the movable element until the fibers are adjacent to a second row of ferrule fiber holes, and inserting each fiber into its respective hole in the second row.

Method and system for insertion of fibers of a fiber cable into a ferrule

An apparatus for use in a commercial fiber optic connector is made up of an assembly of a set of slices. Each of the slices having multiple through holes of a specified arrangement. At least some of the through holes on any two adjoining slices are aligned with respect to each other so as to define a conduit between them. A transmission medium is within the holes. A method of making a fiber optic connector adapted to receive a fiber bearing unit is also described. The method involves coupling at least two high precision pieces together, the at least two high precision pieces having holes configured with an optical medium inserted therein after the coupling and cured to form a waveguide structure, coupling the at least two high precision pieces to a low precision piece to form a unit, and housing the unit within a fiber optic connector housing.

A ferrule has a body, peripherally dimensioned for receipt within a commercially available fiber optic connector, the body has a forward portion comprising a front side and a rear side, the front side defining a face of the ferrule, the rear side defining an inner surface. The forward portion has a large format array of fiber holes, each of the fiber holes in the array extending between the front side and the rear side and being sized to accept an optical fiber inserted therein, and the forward portion having a thickness, T, less than 3000 microns but at least a minimum thickness sufficient to support optical fibers inserted into the fiber holes. An optical connector, having a ferrule, and a fiber optic cable assembly are also described.

Optical fiber ferrule

A female format connector, usable for connection with a male format connector having an alignment pin is described as having a high-precision piece coupled to a low precision piece. The low precision piece has an alignment opening dimensioned to accept the alignment pin of the male format device. The high-precision piece also has an alignment opening. The alignment openings are sized and positioned for accurate alignment between the pieces during coupling and, after coupling, the high-precision piece is modified such that the second alignment opening, after modification, is larger than it was prior to the coupling. A method of forming a female format ferrule involves coupling a high precision piece to a low precision piece, via alignment holes on each, the alignment holes are sized to accept a common alignment pin for maintaining accurate alignment between the pieces during coupling, and, after coupling, removing some of the alignment hole wall.

High-precision female format multifiber connector

An optical unit has multiple optical devices, a collimated coupler disposed relative to the multiple optical devices so that laser light can be transferred between at least two of the multiple optical devices and the collimated coupler without crosstalk, and a fused glass collimator, disposed within the collimated coupler, having multiple optical fibers arranged in a predetermined arrangement relative to the multiple optical devices so that the number of optical fibers is always equal or greater than the number of optical devices on a use basis.

Integration of fused glass collimated coupler for use in opto-electronic modules

A coupler adapter has a base and at least one alignment feature disposed upon the base. The at least one alignment feature is constructed for aligning a multi-fiber bundle to an opto-electronic module to permit transmission of optical signals between the multi-fiber bundle and optical devices within the opto-electronic module when the opto-electronic module is larger in span than a spacing of alignment elements used in a commercial connector that holds the multi-fiber bundle.

Module mounted aligning optical connector

An optical unit has multiple optical devices, a collimated coupler disposed relative to the multiple optical devices so that laser light can be transferred between at least two of the multiple optical devices and the collimated coupler without crosstalk, and a fused glass collimator, disposed within the collimated coupler, having multiple optical fibers arranged in a predetermined arrangement relative to the multiple optical devices so that the number of optical fibers is always equal to or greater than the number of optical devices on a use basis.

A method of optimizing a feature, defined by a wall in a wafer material, to an accuracy of better than 1 micron involves treating the wall with a reactive gas, by exposing the wall to the reactive gas, to cause the wall to become a cladding material and expand outwards from the wall in a defined, uniform manner until a desired size for the feature is achieved. An alternative method of optimizing a feature, defined by a wall in a wafer material, to an accuracy of better than 1 micron involves depositing a base material on at least part of the wall to facilitate plating of a material on the wall, on top of the base material, in a defined, uniform manner, and plating the at least part of the wall with the material until a desired size for the feature is achieved.

Post-formation feature optimization

A method of forming a guide for light in a high refractive index material involves forming a guiding structure into a surface of the material, treating the material with a reactive gas to cause the wall to become a cladding material having a relatively low refractive index, and after treating, filling the cavity with an optically transparent material having a refractive index sufficiently above that of the cladding. A light guiding device is also described. The light guiding device has a slab having a high refractive index, a guide located within the slab. The guide has a wall surface covered with a material, derived from the slab, having a first refractive index lower than the high refractive index, and a filler material having a second refractive index sufficiently higher than the first refractive index such that light entering the guide will be directed towards the second end.

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Hollis, NH, United States of America

Keith Kang