Corning Incorporated

Corning Research & Development Corporation

Corning Optical Communications LLC

Ccs Technology Corporation

Klaus Hartkorn

Venkata Adiseshaiah Bhagavatula

Woraphat Dockchoorung

Riley Saunders Freeland

Mark Alan McDermott

Aislin Karina Sullivan

Pushkar Tandon

Daniel Max Staloff

Raisa Rose Boben

Angela Rief

Theresa Chang

David Wesley Chiasson

Terry Dean Cox

Anthony Sebastian Bauco

Gregory A Mills

Julie Ann Chalk

John Himmelreich

Wolfgang Schweiker

Xiaomin Zhao

Markus Meinelt

Mateusz Tomasz Zujewski

Markus Melnelt

Wolfgang Schwelker

Franz Draxler

Stephen Quenton Smith

Gregory Alan Mills

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to an optical fiber ribbon. The optical fiber ribbon includes a plurality of subunits each comprising a subunit coating surrounding at least two optical fibers arranged adjacently to each other. The subunit coating is made of a first material. A plurality of bonds are intermittently formed between adjacent subunits of the plurality of subunits. The plurality of bonds are made of a second material. The optical fiber ribbon includes a diffusion zone at an interface between each of the plurality of bonds and the subunit coating of each adjacent subunit. Each diffusion zone has a gradient of the second material in the first material. Further, the intermittent bonds may include one or more saddle surfaces formed by intersecting convex and concave curvatures. A method of forming such optical fiber ribbons is also disclosed.

Intermittently bonded ribbon with intermittent bonds created with a wet-on-wet process

A method of terminating an optical fiber having an inner core with a fiber optic connector including a ferrule having a micro-bore and an end face with a mating location is disclosed. The method includes determining a bore bearing angle of a bore offset of the micro-bore in the ferrule; determining a core bearing angle of a core offset of the inner core in the optical fiber; orienting the ferrule and the optical fiber relative to each other to minimize the distance between the inner core and the mating location; heating the ferrule to an processing temperature above room temperature; and coupling the optical fiber to the micro-bore of the ferrule. The size of the micro-bores and optical fibers may be selected to maximize the number of interference fits in a population of ferrules and optical fibers while minimizing failed fittings between the ferrules and optical fibers in the populations.

Method for making a low-loss fiber optic connector

A method and system for reading a marker embedded in a fiber optic connector, and a connector configured to be read by the method and system. The connector includes an outer assembly and a marker that is overlaid by the outer assembly. To read the marker, the connector is illuminated with an illuminating light in a first spectral band, and an image is formed using the light within the first spectral band that is reflected from the fiber optic connector. The reflected light includes at least a portion of the illuminating light which was transmitted through the outer assembly and reflected back toward a reader by the marker. Data contained in the marker is then extracted from the image.

Method of marking a fiber optic connector for low-loss optical connections

A fiber bulge ('bulge') formed in an end of an optical fiber for positioning the optical fiber in a ferrule bore is disclosed. An energy source is controlled to direct focused energy to the end of the optical fiber extended from the front end face of the ferrule to expose and melt the end of the optical fiber into a bulge of desired geometry and size. The bulge comprises a cross-sectional region having an outer surface having a minimum outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the ferrule bore. Thus, the optical fiber may be pulled back in the ferrule bore such that at least a portion of the outer surface of the interface region of the bulge interferes with and engages the front opening of the ferrule bore to position the fiber core within the ferrule bore.

Fiber optic assemblies with fiber bulge for positioning an optical fiber in a ferrule bore

Optical fiber coating stripping through relayed thermal radiation is disclosed. A heat source is provided that is configured to emit thermal radiation when activated. A relay system is provided that is configured to receive the emitted thermal radiation from the heat source and relay the emitted thermal radiation to a heating region. For example, the relay system may be configured to relay (i.e., re-direct) the thermal radiation to a concentrated heating region. The heat source and relay system are configured such that thermal radiation relayed by the relay system causes the temperature in the heating region to reach or exceed a vaporization or thermal decomposition temperature of a coating(s) of an optical fiber to be stripped. When an optical fiber is disposed in the heating region, and the heat source is activated, a coating(s) of the optical fiber decomposes thus stripping the coating(s) from the optical fiber.

Optical fiber coating stripping through relayed thermal radiation

A non-cylindrical hypotube is disclosed, such as for use in OCT and endoscopy. The hypotube is defined by a non-cylindrical, rotationally symmetric tube and has an interior, a proximal-end section with an outer diameter Da distal-end section with an outer diameter Dand a middle section between the proximal-end and distal-end sections and having an outer diameter Dwherein D&#x3c;Dand D&#x3c;DThe distal-end section is sized to accommodate the optical probe and includes an outer surface with an aperture that allows for optical communication therethrough.

Non-cylindrical hypotubes

A beam-shaping optical system suitable for use with optical coherence tomography includes a beam-shaping body having a beam-shaping element and an alignment feature. An optical fiber is coupled to the alignment feature. The fiber has a fiber end configured to emit an electromagnetic beam. The fiber and the body are configured to direct the beam into the beam-shaping element such that the beam is shaped solely by reflection into an image spot.

Reflective optical coherence tomography probe

Systems and methods for multiple-pass stripping of an optical fiber are disclosed. The method include irradiating a first portion of the coating with a first beam of radiation having a wavelength at which the coating is substantially transparent and an intensity that exceeds the optical-damage threshold of the coating to form a first damaged coating portion. The method also includes receiving at least a portion of the first radiation beam and redirecting it as a one or more redirected radiation beam to either the first portion of the coating to assist in forming the first damaged coating portion, or to one or more second portions of the coating to form one or more second damaged coating portions. The method additionally includes exposing a section of the central glass portion damaged portions of the coating.

Systems and methods for multiple-pass stripping of an optical fiber coating

Forming a fiber bulge in an optical fiber end for positioning the optical fiber in a ferrule bore

Monolithic beam-shaping optical systems and methods are disclosed for an optical coherence tomography (OCT) probe that includes a transparent cylindrical housing having asymmetric optical power. The system includes a transparent monolithic body having a folded optical axis and at least one alignment feature that supports the end of an optical fiber adjacent an angled planar end wall. The monolithic body also includes a total-internal reflection surface and a lens surface that define object and image planes. Light from the optical fiber end traverses the optical path, which includes the cylindrical housing residing between the lens surface and the image plane. Either the lens surface by itself or the lens surface and the reflective (eg, TIR) surface in combination are configured to substantially correct for the asymmetric optical power of the cylindrical housing, thereby forming a substantially rotationally symmetric image spot at the image plane.

Monolithic beam-shaping optical systems and methods for an OCT probe

Methods of forming a total-internal-reflection (TIR) optical fiber lens are disclosed. The methods include heating an end of an optical fiber with a defocused infrared laser beam to form a bulbous tip having a curved outer surface that defines a lens surface. The bulbous tip is laser cleaved to define a TIR facet. Light traveling in the fiber diverges at an effective fiber end and is reflected by the TIR facet through the lens surface to form an image at an image plane.

Methods of forming a TIR optical fiber lens

A compact optical splitter module is disclosed. One type of compact optical splitter module is a planar attenuated splitter module that includes a branching waveguide network having j&#x2267;1 50:50 splitters that form up to n&#x2266;2output waveguides having associated n output ports, wherein only m&#x3c;n output ports are suitable for transmitting light to the at least one external output device. This provides a 1&#xd7;m splitter module wherein each output port has the attenuation of a 1&#xd7;n splitter module, thereby obviating the need for external attenuation. Another type of compact optical splitter module is a direct-connect splitter module that eliminates the need for an optical fiber array when coupling to external optical fibers. Another type of compact optical splitter module is a microsplitter module that serves as device and module at the same time and that eliminates the differentiation between device and module. The integration of device and module also makes manufacturing the microsplitter module cost-effect. Embodiments of microsplitter modules that account for differences in the coefficient of thermal expansion of the materials making up the microsplitter are also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Painted Post, NY, United States of America

Klaus Hartkorn