DE2510114A1 - Branch dividing one optical waveguide into two - is obtained by splitting optical fibre end into two during manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

The branch divides the light energy transmitted by a waveguide equally between two waveguides having the same or larger cross-section. The branch comprises an optical fibre split along its axis into two strands. The optical fibre is pref., of the core and sheath type and the two strands pref., have the same cross-section. The cross-section of the strands may be semi-circular. The advantages of this Y-shaped branch are that no adjustments are needed between the waveguides which are connected to each other and there are practically no losses at the connecting point.

Description

Light Guide Branch The present invention relates to a light guide branch for evenly dividing the light energy guided in a waveguide into two waveguides with the same or larger cross-section.

Known branching elements for optical fibers best usual travel from three different maneuverable waveguides at the branch point, which have to be put together with a great deal of adjustment.

The object of the present invention is to provide a light guide branch for evenly dividing the light energy guided in a waveguide into specify two waveguides with the same or larger cross-section for which at ideal gap course at the branch point no losses occur and at which none Adjustment more is required.

To solve this problem it is proposed according to the invention that the light guide branch consists of an optical fiber be available from one end starting along its axis is split into two sub-strands.

The optical fiber is advantageously of the Ker-clad type and the both strands are preferably of the same cross-section.

It is particularly favorable if the partial strands are semicylindrical Have cross-section.

In the following the invention is illustrated by way of example with the aid of the drawing described in the schematically an inventive Fiber optic branching is shown.

In the figure, a Y-shaped light guide branch 4 is from a split optical fiber of the core-clad type shown. It connects one incoming light guide 1 with two outgoing light guides 3, 8, which have connecting sleeves 2 are connected to each other. With a potting compound is referred to, which on a Base plate 8 is arranged and the optical embedding and the mechanical Fixing the light guide branch 4 is used. With 7 is still a suitable one Called immersion media.

The splitting of the fiber to achieve the fiber optic branching according to the invention takes place by thermal treatment. This can be done, for example, when pulling the Optical fiber from the massive output body through axially asymmetrical locally Overheating and thus generation of a strong temperature gradient in the forming and Achieve softening zone of the optical fiber. Subsequent cooling is this temperature gradient as thermal stress in the finished optical fiber frozen, whereby a cleavage tendency of the optical fiber occurs along its axis.

When the fiber produced in this way is broken, the result is now higher Yield fiber pieces with a longitudinal gap that goes straight through the center of the fuser go-t and divide the cross-section of the fiber into two equal halves.

In one experiment, a light guide branch according to the invention was used from a total of 160 μm thick fiber with a core diameter of 100 μm manufactured using the rod-and-tube method. The samples were loosely put together and under Apply a negative pressure of approx. 0.15 bar with a drum speed of 127 mm / sec pulled out to the fiber. Overheating of the stove temporarily turned on strong temperature gradient is generated in the softening zone, which is then followed by Cooling has been frozen.

The depth of the gap in subsequent attempts at breaking the Fiber ends ranges from a few fiber diameters up to 30 mm.

The achievable flatness of the cleavage surfaces is so good that one Reworking is not necessary.

The Y-shaped light guide branch according to the invention has one the advantage that there are no costly adjustments to be made between the Waveguides is required, the second also has the further advantage that at the junction point 9 practically no losses occur. Since the width of the gap at the Branch point 9 is namely submicroscopic, i.e. smaller than a light length, there are no losses of the guided light energy due to shadowing at all and by diffraction only to a negligible extent.

3 claims 1 figure

Claims (3)

Claims 1. Light guide branch for evenly dividing the light energy guided in a waveguide into two waveguides with the same or larger cross-section, in that they are made up of a Optical fiber is made, starting from one end along its axis in two Partial strands is split. 2. Optical fiber junction according to claim 1, characterized in that g e k e n n -z e i c h e t that the optical fiber is of the core-clad type and that the two Partial strands are of the same cross-section. 3. Lich-tleiterverz eigung according to claim 2, characterized in that g e k e n n -z e i c h n e t that the partial strands have a semi-cylindrical cross section.