Title :
Mass Manufacturable 180 °-Bend Single-Mode Fiber Socket Using Hole-Assisted Low Bending Loss Fiber
Author :
Van Erps, Jürgen ; Debaes, Christof ; Singh, Rahul ; Nasilowski, Tomasz ; Mergo, Pawel ; Wojcik, Jan ; Aerts, Tim ; Terryn, Herman ; Vynck, Pedro ; Watté, Jan ; Thienpont, Hugo
Author_Institution :
Vrije Univ. Brussel, Brussel
Abstract :
High-efficiency low-cost field-installable 180deg-bend single-mode fiber (SMF) sockets are promising new fiber connector components that can facilitate network element footprint reduction and allow for more comfortable connector handling in the field. We present a novel type of small-form-factor 180deg coupling SMF socket component, yielding coupling losses between two side-by-side positioned fibers as low as 0.5 dB, making use of specially designed low bending loss hole-assisted fiber. The components are prototyped in a polymer using deep proton writing and show all the potentialities for low-cost fabrication in different types of plastics.
Keywords :
optical fibre communication; optical fibre couplers; optical fibre fabrication; optical fibre losses; optical interconnections; polymers; deep proton writing; hole-assisted low bending loss fiber; optical fiber connectors; plastics; polymer; rapid prototyping; single-mode fiber socket; Connectors; Enterprise resource planning; Manufacturing; Optical fiber cables; Optical fiber losses; Optical fibers; Optical network units; Protons; Prototypes; Sockets; Deep proton writing (DPW); hole-assisted fiber; low bending loss fiber; optical fiber connectors; plastics; rapid prototyping;
Journal_Title :
Photonics Technology Letters, IEEE
DOI :
10.1109/LPT.2007.912973
