Corning Incorporated

Romain Ramel

Thierry L A Dannoux

Xavier Tellier

Jean-Pierre Lereboullet

Bertrand Paris

Brahim Dahmani

Systems and methods for aligning High Density Array ('HDA') pin plates, substrates and reservoirs with respect to each other. The system includes a flexure having a flexible print head, elongated members flexibly connected off-axis to the system and a pin plate support assembly detachably connected to the flexure allowing the pin plate assembly to adapt its position during a printing operation. The pin plate has alignment ball receptacles on its surface and the reservoir has alignment balls on its surface facing the pin plate. The pin plate is positioned with respect to the reservoir such that each of the alignment balls is located within one of the alignment ball receptacles to achieve the alignment. Once the pin plate is aligned, it is secured to a supporting assembly such as a vacuum bridge, and inking and printing operations are performed.

Flexible high density array print head with systems and methods for aligning pin plate, reservoir and substrate with respect to each other

Systems and methods for aligning High Density Array (&ldquo;HDA&rdquo;) pin plates, substrates and reservoirs with respect to each other. The system includes a flexure having a flexible print head, elongated members flexibly connected off-axis to the system and a pin plate support assembly detachably connected to the flexure allowing the pin plate assembly to adapt its position during a printing operation. The pin plate has alignment ball receptacles on its surface and the reservoir has alignment balls on its surface facing the pin plate. The pin plate is positioned with respect to the reservoir such that each of the alignment balls is located within one of the alignment ball receptacles to achieve the alignment. Once the pin plate is aligned, it is secured to a supporting assembly such as a vacuum bridge, and inking and printing operations are performed.

A fiber splicing apparatus of the present invention includes a support ( ) for supporting the two optical fibers ( ) such that the ends ( ) thereof are aligned and in physical contact, and a laser ( ) emitting a laser beam ( ) onto the ends of the optical fibers to heat and thereby fuse together the ends ( ) of the fibers ( ). According to another embodiment, an apparatus is provided for heating a region ( ) of one or more optical fibers( ). This apparatus includes a laser ( ) emitting a laser beam ( ) and an optical modulator ( ) positioned to receive and selectively modulate the intensity of the laser beam ( ) to project a modulated laser beam ( ) along a first optical path that terminates at the end ( ) of the optical fiber(s) ( )to be heated. This apparatus further includes a control loop ( ) to monitor the intensity of the modulated laser beam ( ) and control the optical modulator ( ) to thereby regulate the intensity of the modulated laser beam ( ) in response to the monitored intensity level.

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Fontainebleau, France

Romain Ramel