The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 28, 1998
Filed:
Apr. 04, 1996
Jeffrey C Lundberg, Lenoir, NC (US);
Donald Lee Knasel, Hickory, NC (US);
Toshiaki Satake, Hickory, NC (US);
US Conec Ltd., Hickory, NC (US);
Abstract
The method and associated apparatus of the present invention polishes the front face of a ferrule with first and second slurries such that an end portion of each optical fiber which extends through and is held by the ferrule protrudes beyond the preferentially etched front face of the ferrule by a preselected length. In order to preferentially etch the front face of ferrule as desired, the front face of the ferrule is polished with a first slurry having a plurality of suspended particulates of a first predetermined size on average which initiates the preferential etch of the ferrule relative to the optical fibers. Thereafter, the front face of the ferrule is polished with a second slurry having a plurality of suspended particles of a second predetermined size on average. The slurries are preferably selected such that the second predetermined size is less than the first predetermined size so that the polishing of the front face of the ferrule with the second slurry completes the preferential etch of the ferrule relative to the optical fibers. By preferentially etching the front face of the ferrule relative to the optical fibers, the optical fibers will protrude beyond the front face of the ferrule by a preselected length which does not vary significantly from fiber to fiber.