Abstract:
Optical interface devices and methods employing optical fibers and support member having a bend section are disclosed, wherein the optical interface device is used for optically connecting at least one photonic device to at least one optical device via at least one optical fiber. An array of optical fibers is arranged immediately adjacent a portion of the outer curved surface at the bend section. A fiber alignment member having a fiber alignment feature engages the array of optical fibers at a back-end flat portion of the support member so that end faces of the optical fibers are substantially co-planar with a bottom surface of the fiber alignment member and a back end of the support member. A securing layer disposed over the optical fiber array serves to secure the optical fiber array to the outer
Abstract:
An optical interface device for optically connecting photonic devices to optical device along with methods of making. The method includes providing a glass support member that is either monolithic or laminated. A laser beam is used to write cores in the body of the support member. The support member includes a bend section and the cores generally follow the bend section and serve to define curved optical waveguides. The cores provide strong out-of-plane optical confinement, thereby allowing for strong bends and therefore a compact design for the optical interface device.
Abstract:
Methods of reducing and/or avoiding fiber ordering during preparations of a multi-fiber, fiber optic cable to provide a connectorized multi-fiber, fiber optic cable system, and related fiber optic cables and assemblies are also disclosed. The embodiments disclosed herein allow for a section of a multi-fiber, fiber optic cable to be prepared to form two or more connectorized fiber optic cables as part of a multi-fiber cable system without requiring specific fiber ordering in the fiber optic connectors. The natural ordering of the optical fibers in the fiber optic cable is fixed in place in at least one section of the fiber optic cable before the optical fibers are cut to form adjacent fiber optic connectors in the cable system. Thus, the fiber ordering between adjacent fiber optic connectors in the cable system will be the same even though the fiber ordering of the optical fibers was random during cable preparations.
Abstract:
Methods of forming a ferrule are disclosed where the ferrule includes an inner member and an outer member. An optical fiber is secured in an axial bore of the inner member, and then offset of a core of the optical fiber from a geometric center of the inner member is determined. The outer member is then formed over the inner member to “correct” for this offset so that the core of the optical fiber ends up closer to the geometric center of the resulting ferrule. Related ferrules and cable assemblies including the same are also disclosed.
Abstract:
The optical-electrical interconnection device comprises a glass support member with front-end and back-end portions that define a plane and an aperture. A cantilever member extends from the back-end portion into the aperture. The cantilever member supports an interconnection optical waveguide. The cantilever member comprises a bend region that causes a front-end section of the cantilever member to extend out of the plane. The front-end section is flexible, which allows for the interconnection optical waveguide to be aligned and optically coupled to a device waveguide of an optical-electrical device. A photonic assembly is formed using the optical-electrical interconnection device and at least one optical-electrical device. Methods of forming optical and electrical interconnections using the optical-electrical interconnection device are also disclosed.
Abstract:
An optical coupler that provides evanescent optical coupling includes an optical fiber and a waveguide. The optical fiber has a glass core, a glass inner cladding surrounding the glass core, and a polymeric outer cladding surrounding the glass inner cladding. The glass core and glass inner cladding define for the fiber a glass portion, which can be exposed at one end of the fiber by removing a portion of the polymeric outer cladding. The glass portion has a glass-portion surface. The waveguide has a waveguide core and a surface, and can be part of a photonic device. The glass portion of the fiber is interfaced with the waveguide to establish evanescent coupling between the fiber and the waveguide. Alignment features are used to facilitate aligning the fiber core to the waveguide core during the interfacing process to ensure suitable efficiency of the evanescent coupling.
Abstract:
Optical waveguide connector elements for optical coupling optical components of an optical assembly, such as the edge coupling of optical printed circuit boards. In one embodiment, a waveguide connector element includes a first end face and a second end face, a pre-existing optical waveguide within or on a surface of the waveguide connector element, and a laser written optical waveguide optically coupled to an end of the pre-existing optical waveguide and extending toward one of the first end face and the second end face.
Abstract:
Methods of forming a ferrule are disclosed where the ferrule includes an inner member and an outer member. An optical fiber is secured in an axial bore of the inner member, and then offset of a core of the optical fiber from a geometric center of the inner member is determined. The outer member is then formed over the inner member to “correct” for this offset so that the core of the optical fiber ends up closer to the geometric center of the resulting ferrule. Related ferrules and cable assemblies including the same are also disclosed.
Abstract:
The micro-optical systems disclosed herein employ a glass tube having a body, a front end, a back end, an outer surface, and a bore that runs through the body between the front and back ends and that has a bore axis. The outer surface has a maximum outer dimension between 0.1 mm and 20 mm and includes at least one flat side. At least one optical element is inserted into and operably disposed and secured within the bore. The micro-optical assemblies are formed by securing one or more micro-optical systems to a substrate at the flat side of the glass tube. The glass tube is formed by a drawing process that allows for the dimensions of the glass tube to be small and formed with relatively high precision. An example of a compact WDM micro-optical assembly that employs micro-collimators is disclosed.
Abstract:
The optical-electrical interconnection device comprises a glass support member with front-end and back-end portions that define a plane and an aperture. A cantilever member extends from the back-end portion into the aperture. The cantilever member supports an interconnection optical waveguide. The cantilever member comprises a bend region that causes a front-end section of the cantilever member to extend out of the plane. The front-end section is flexible, which allows for the interconnection optical waveguide to be aligned and optically coupled to a device waveguide of an optical-electrical device. A photonic assembly is formed using the optical-electrical interconnection device and at least one optical-electrical device. Methods of forming optical and electrical interconnections using the optical-electrical interconnection device are also disclosed.