WO2003042739A1 - Procede de durcissement - Google Patents

Procede de durcissement Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2003042739A1
WO2003042739A1 PCT/SE2002/001935 SE0201935W WO03042739A1 WO 2003042739 A1 WO2003042739 A1 WO 2003042739A1 SE 0201935 W SE0201935 W SE 0201935W WO 03042739 A1 WO03042739 A1 WO 03042739A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
ferrule
hole
optical fiber
fiber
mouth
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/SE2002/001935
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Anders Sjöberg
Original Assignee
Sjoeberg Anders
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from SE0103585A external-priority patent/SE0103585D0/xx
Application filed by Sjoeberg Anders filed Critical Sjoeberg Anders
Publication of WO2003042739A1 publication Critical patent/WO2003042739A1/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/36—Mechanical coupling means
    • G02B6/38—Mechanical coupling means having fibre to fibre mating means
    • G02B6/3807—Dismountable connectors, i.e. comprising plugs
    • G02B6/3833—Details of mounting fibres in ferrules; Assembly methods; Manufacture
    • G02B6/3855—Details of mounting fibres in ferrules; Assembly methods; Manufacture characterised by the method of anchoring or fixing the fibre within the ferrule
    • G02B6/3861—Adhesive bonding
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/36—Mechanical coupling means
    • G02B6/38—Mechanical coupling means having fibre to fibre mating means
    • G02B6/3807—Dismountable connectors, i.e. comprising plugs
    • G02B6/3833—Details of mounting fibres in ferrules; Assembly methods; Manufacture
    • G02B6/3863—Details of mounting fibres in ferrules; Assembly methods; Manufacture fabricated by using polishing techniques

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a method and a device for mounting optical fibers in ferrules.
  • alignment of the fibers is required. Alignment means that the ends of the optical fibers have to be aligned with each other or with input/output areas of optical components. If such an accurate alignment is not made, a too large attenuation can be obtained in splices between optical fibers or in the transition region between an optical fiber and an optical component.
  • connectors that are permanently attached to the ends of the fibers can be used.
  • such connectors can comprise a guiding sleeve or socket, also called ferrule, in particular a fiber-optical ferrule, to achieve the accurate positioning of the fibers, in particular an accurate positioning in directions transverse to the fibers.
  • end portions of the fibers are introduced in central longitudinal holes in the ferrules so that the fibers project from the front surfaces of the ferrules. Then, the end portions of the fibers are attached or fixed in the holes using a curable adhesive, usually an adhesive that can be cured by being exposed to heat. After having performed the curing of the adhesive, this being made by placing the ferrules including the fibers, in a batch- wise manner, in an oven and allowing them to stay there during a considerable period of time, the end of the fiber attached in each of the ferrules is polished, so that the end surface of the fiber becomes positioned in the plane corresponding to or in the front surface of the ferrule.
  • a curable adhesive usually an adhesive that can be cured by being exposed to heat.
  • This polishing operation can also require a considerable period of time since it has to be performed in several substeps using successively finer polishing materials, because the ends of the fibers project a rather long distance from the front surfaces of the ferrules.
  • This assembling method in- eludes plural steps including manual handling and at least the polishing step can require a considerable period of time, these facts together implying that the cost of each mounted ferrule will be high.
  • an active/passive axial positioning of a cut and stripped optical fiber is used.
  • a curing pro- cedure for curing a curable adhesive for example an adhesive curable in heat, performed in two steps, is used to rapidly fix, in a first step, the optical fiber in a predetermined and well defined position in relation to the mouth of the hole of in the ferrule.
  • This procedure results in that the optical fiber can with a good accuracy be placed in a position having its end surface in the same level as the tip or peak of the ferrule.
  • This obtained position implies in turn that relatively, only a minimum of machining or working the ferrule and fiber material is required to achieve desired mechanical properties. Thereby, the total working time becomes short and damages created in the polishing of the end surface of the fiber are limited. This means that reflective losses in the connecting surface between two optical fibers are minimized. Because of very good control of relevant parameters short processing times and good optical and mechanical performance are obtained.
  • - Fig. la is a view from the side of a fiber-optical ferrule having an optical fiber mounted therein,
  • - Fig. lb is a sectional view corresponding to the elevational view of Fig. la
  • - Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. la of a ferrule including a longitudinal hole in which a curable adhesive has been applied
  • FIG. 3 a is a schematic view from the side of a ferrule holder in which a ferrule is retained that includes an optical fiber placed in it,
  • - Fig. 3b is a sectional, detail view of the region at the end surface of the fiber
  • - Fig. 4a is a schematic view from the side of a station for longitudinally aligning a fiber end including a ferrule holder
  • FIG. 4b and 4c are sectional, detail views of the region at the end surface of the fiber after pushing the end surface back, longer and longer, for aligning it,
  • - Fig. 4d is a sectional, detail view of the region at the end surface of the fiber after pushing the fiber back and aligning it,
  • - Fig. 5 a is a schematic view from the side of a station for cleaning a fiber end and the region of the front surface of a ferrule located around the fiber end,
  • - Figs. 5b and 5c are sectional, detail views of the region at the front surface of the fiber before and after cleaning it, respectively
  • - Fig 6a is a schematic view from the side of a ferrule holder including a ferrule held therein in an operational step for performing a well defined advancement of a fiber end
  • FIG. 6b and 6c are sectional, detail views of the front surface of the fiber before and after an advancement of the fiber end, respectively,
  • - Fig. 1 7a is a schematic view from the side of a station for performing a first curing step for cur- ing adhesive that is applied to an optical fiber and is located in the front-most portion of a hole in a ferrule,
  • Fig. 7b is a sectional, detail view of the region at the front surface of the fiber in which a region heated in a curing step is shown,
  • - Fig. 8 is a schematic view from the side of a station for polishing a fiber end
  • - Fig. 9 is a schematic view from the side of a station for visual inspection and interferometric measurement of the position of the end surface of a fiber mounted in a ferrule
  • - Fig. 10 is a schematic view from the side of a station for measuring optical performance of a ferrule having an optical fiber mounted therein
  • - Fig. 1 la is a sectional view of a device for performing a second curing step, a final curing operation, of adhesive in ferrules having optical fibers fixed therein in a first curing step
  • Fig. 1 lb is a view from above of the device of Fig. 1 la,
  • Fig. 1 lc is a view from the side, taken in a longitudinal direction, of the device of Fig. 11a,
  • - Fig. 12 is a view from above of a mounting installation including a plurality of stations for mounting optical fibers in ferrules,
  • FIG. 13a is a schematic view from the side of an optional station for angular alignment of a ferrule in a ferrule holder
  • FIG. 13b is a schematic view from the front of a ferrule rotator.
  • Optical fibers are often provided with ferrules in order to achieve detachable interfaces to optical components.
  • a ferrule 1 for connecting an optical fiber and it comprises a circular-cylindrical body 3 having a somewhat rounded, convex front surface 5.
  • a centrally placed hole 7 passes which has a circular cross-sec- tion and the front portion of which is adapted to the diameter of a bare optical fiber, having been rid of its protective coating.
  • a cylindrical collar or flange like portion 9 may be provided at the rear end of the body.
  • the optical fiber is mounted in the ferrule 1 with a fiber portion 11, that has no protective coating, passes through the hole 7 and has a flat end surface.
  • This end surface is located perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the fiber and the ferrule and is aligned with the axially outermost portion of the convex surface 5 so that the convex surface together with the end surface of the fiber forms a smooth surface having no steps or shoulders.
  • the fiber is fixed in the ferrule hole by an adhesive.
  • the protective coating 11 of the optical fiber passes a distance into the rear portion of the hole 7 that has a larger diameter than the front portion and is there also attached inside a rear portion 13 of the ferrule.
  • a defined quantity of an adhesive that is curable in heat is applied in the longitudinal hole 7 of the ferrule, see Fig. 2.
  • the quantity of adhesive is adapted so that the adhesive in all of the following procedure will substantially fill all the space between an introduced fiber and the wall of the hole. Applying the adhesive can be made manually or automatically using a syringe or pipette 15. When operating the syringe, un- cured adhesive is from the syringe point 17 squirted into the rear portion of the hole 7 having a larger diameter.
  • the end of the fiber projects from the front surface 5 of the ferrule by a relatively well defined distance of for example about 0.5 mm, such as by the method that the protective coating of the fiber is removed over a region at the fiber end and thereafter the optical fiber is cut at a predetermined distance from the end of the remaining protective coating. Thereby, an end surface located approximately perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction or longitudinal axis of the fiber is obtained. Thereupon, the bare fiber end is introduced in the ferrule 1 up to the position in which the protective coating of the fiber is stopped at a surface located at the transition to the front, narrower portion of the hole 7 intended for the very fiber, i.e. generally stopped by a rear engagement surface in the ferrule.
  • the predetermined distance can be selected so that it somewhat exceeds the distance between the corre- sponding surfaces in the ferrule, i.e. between the front surface of the ferrule and the surface in the hole at the transition between the two different diameters, or generally so that the outermost portion of the optical fiber will project from the ferrule the intended distance of about 0.5 mm.
  • Uncured adhesive accompanies the fiber 11 to be located along the cylindrical surface of the fiber and up to the front surface 5 of the ferrule, where it can form a string or bead 19 of adhesive located at the fiber, see the detail view of Fig. 3b.
  • the ferrule together with the fiber introduced therein is then placed in a ferrule holder 21, see Fig. 3 a, in a suitable hole or recess in a front upstanding portion 23 thereof and is firmly held therein.
  • the ferrule 1 obtains an accurately determined position by the flange 9 of the ferrule coming in contact with the rear surface of the upstanding part.
  • the ferrule holder 21 includes a base part 25 to which a fiber holder 27 is connected.
  • the fiber holder can be standard type and holds the fiber at a portion thereof located a distance from the front support 23 and from the ferrule 1.
  • the fiber holder can be fixed or maintained in this position using some suitable device 28, that for example can use a vacuum or include an electromagnet.
  • Such a fixing can be made at an intermediate part which in the illustrated procedure is a unit for performing a well determined micro displacement in the direction of the fiber, the unit for example comprising a piezo-electri- cal block 29 that can be supplied witch electrical voltage from a control unit 31.
  • the unit for micro displacement can alternately include a step motor or similar device having for example a mechanical reduction of a linear or rotating movement.
  • the ferrule holder 21 together with the ferrule held thereby is thereafter placed or located in the position of station 1 in the device.
  • an active/passive positioning of the optical fiber 11 is performed by pressing, using a suitable tool, against the free end surface of the fiber to mode the fiber back into the ferrule 1. Then, the fiber holder 27 can freely slide longitudinally on the intermediate part 29.
  • the tool can for example have a very smooth and rounded surface with e.g. approximately the same radius as the front surface of the ferrule, such as a radius of about 15 mm.
  • a cylindrical roller 31 can be used, mounted to have a horizontal axis perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fiber 11 and mounted on a moveable frame 33.
  • the frame is mounted to slide in the longitudinal direction of the fiber along mechanical guides such as a rail, not shown, in a fixedly arranged base part 33.
  • the frame 33 is activated by a linear motor 37, that through a compression spring 39 is connected to the frame 33.
  • a linear motor 37 that through a compression spring 39 is connected to the frame 33.
  • tools having a flat surface, not shown, such as a knife blade can be used.
  • the elastic pushing-back operation of the fiber end appears from Figs. 3b and 3c.
  • the pushing- back movement stops when the surface that presses against the end of the fiber reaches a position of contact with the front surface 5 of the ferrule and thereby the fiber obtains the position having its surface in level with the front surface of the ferrule.
  • the pushing-back tool is then retracted from contact with the fiber end in the ferrule so that the fiber obtains its desired position, see Fig. 3d.
  • the adhesive residues 19 on the front surface of the ferrule have now been spread over
  • An active positioning of the fiber end can also be made using a camera, not shown, for capturing pictures of the front surface of the ferrule comprising interference flanges and subsequent image processing in a suitable electronic circuit unit, compare Fig. 9, the result of the image processing being used to control a linear motor.
  • a linear motor can be a modified intermediate part 29, designed to perform somewhat larger movements, for displacing the fiber holder 27, which in this case must be attached to the intermediate part 29.
  • the end surface of the cut fiber 11 should have an axial position that well agrees with the tip 5 of the ferrule.
  • the difference between the position of the end surface of the fiber and the portion of the front surface of the ferrule close to the mouth of the hole 7 is less than an few ⁇ m and can even be smaller than 1 ⁇ m.
  • This position is fixed by fixing the fiber or a detachable fiber holder 27, as is shown in the figure, which holds the fiber at its projecting portion including the remaining protecting coating, in the obtained position.
  • This fixing can be achieved, as has been indicated above, by retaining or attaching the fiber or fiber holder using a vacuum in a fixture, in the figure at the intermediate part 29.
  • Other mechanical methods of fixing for example using an electromagnet, can also be used as has been mentioned above.
  • This processing step in station 1 is important in order to obtain a well defined reference position for the further processing. Then, the ferrule holder 21 including the held ferrule and the well positioned fiber is transferred to the next station.
  • the ferrule holder passes an intermediate station for removing adhesive from the front surface of the ferrule.
  • the fiber presses, when it is pushed into the hole 7 of the ferrule, at the same time out a little quantity of the adhesive which is curable in heat and with which the hole has been filled, before the fiber was pushed into the ferrule.
  • This adhesive is in station 1 spread over the front surface of the ferrule and is removed in an intermediate station by a cleaning operation using alcohol or another solvent when the optical fiber has been fixed as to its po- sition. A front surface of the ferrule and an end surface of the fiber are obtained which are completely free of adhesive.
  • This processing step for removing all excessive adhesive before curing the adhesive is very important. If all excessive adhesive is not removed, a longer and rougher polishing operation must be performed in a successive step for removing this adhesive. The procedure then takes a longer time and more used valuable material, i.e. primarily grinding and polishing abrasives, is consumed.
  • a cleaning cloth 41 attached to a rotating plate 43 can be used.
  • the plate is rotated by a motor 45 that is mounted to slide along a base part 47 and can be elastically advanced against the ferrule using a linear motor, not shown, in the same way as the frame 33 in station 1.
  • the motor 45 can be displaced laterally or transversely, for example periodically, using a suitable mechanism, not show, in order that different portions of the cleaning cloth 41 soaked with alcohol, in the rotation in the plate 43, will come in contact with the front surface 5 of the ferrule.
  • the optical fiber will project with some predetermined distance, of the magnitude of order of 10 ⁇ m, for example between 5 ad 15 ⁇ m, see Figs. 6a, 6b and 6c, from the front surface 5 of the ferrule. It is made to ensure that some "fiber protrusion" exists that is larger than possible errors in the position of the end surface of the fiber. Such errors can have been pro- prised by the fact that the end surface of the fiber is not always completely perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fiber. It is also made to compensate for process variations that can have been produced in station 1.
  • Such an advancement of the fiber 11 can in the embodiment shown be achieved by activating, by the control unit 31, the piezo-electric intermediate part 29 for micro displacement using a fixed applied electric voltage, whereafter a very short fiber por- tion projecting from the front surface 5 is obtained, as appears from Fig. 6c. Station 2.
  • the adhesive is cured in a first step to achieve a sufficient permanent fixing or retaining of the fiber 11 in the ferrule 5 in order that it will be possible to directly continue with the first polishing step in the next station. It is not until after all of the complete process has been finished that the final and second curing step is performed, see the description below.
  • Using a curing procedure including two steps is a condition that it will be possible to perform the different step of the process successively after each other without requiring too long time periods in any of the stations.
  • the primary curing step is that to sufficiently fix, in the shortest pos- sible time period, the optical fiber for allowing different forms of mechanical working.
  • the first curing process is made by locally heating the outermost portion of the front surface of the optical fiber 1.
  • the local heating can be produced by e.g. directing a gas flame towards the front surface of the ferrule and towards the optical fiber during a short time period.
  • Alternative ways of locally heating the front surface of the ferrule includes placing a resistively heated filament, an electric arc or a volume that has been heated in some other way close to the center part of the front surface 5 of the ferrule.
  • Another method of local heating the ferrule tip is to illuminate the region using e.g. a CO 2 laser.
  • a small heating oven or heating unit 51 for example using electrical resistive heating, can be attached to the free end of an arm 53 that is mounted to swing at a base part 55.
  • the heating unit has in a front surface a recess 57, that in the swung-up position of the arm and the advanced position of the. heating unit obtained thereby, surrounds the front end of the ferrule including its front surface 5.
  • the heating unit can be designed in such way that the highest temperature exists at the bottom of the recess. Thereby the adhesive is cured only in a small area 58 at the mouth of the hole 7 at the front surface 5, see Fig. 7b.
  • the cured region can have a length along the fiber of a few fiber diameters, such as 0.5 - 1 mm.
  • Advancement of the heating unit 51 is in the embodiment shown accomplished by swinging the arm 53 up using a linear motor 59, that is elastically connected to the arm. After this curing step having been finished, after the heating unit has surrounded the front surface of the ferrule during a predetermined time, the heating unit 51 is returned from its advanced position and thereupon, the ferrule holder 21 including the held ferrule is transferred to the next step.
  • Station 3 First polishing step
  • the polishing procedure can be rapidly and simply performed without requiring mount- ing/dismounting in a special polishing fixture.
  • a plurality of ferrules are mounted in a special fixture to thereby reduce the production time per ferrule. Since certain variations exist as to the lengths of the ferrules this means that if stations 1 - 2 according to the description above are used and then the conventional manufacturing procedure is used, too high pressing forces will be applied on some ferrules and too low pressing forces on other ferrules in the polishing fixture used. Then, a large distribution of mechanical characteristics, i.e. characteristics indicating how fast and how well the end surface can be polished in the intended way, can be expected.
  • offset is a value which indicates the position of the end surface of the fiber core in relation to the highest point of the ferrule, i.e. to the outermost point on the front surface of the ferrule taken in the longitudinal direction of the ferrule and the fiber, and which should be smaller than 50 ⁇ m, since very little material has been removed.
  • this offset value should be smaller than 50 ⁇ m.
  • the polishing station can include a rotating plate or disc 61 at the front sur- face of which a polishing cloth 63 is attached.
  • the polishing cloth can be soaked with a suitable polishing liquid, for example water.
  • the disc 61 is rotated by a motor 65 attached to or included in a frame 67 that is mounted to slide at a base part 69 along suitable mechanical guides.
  • the frame can be displaced by a linear motor 71 that is rigidly attached to the base part and is elasti- cally connected to the actuating rod of the linear motor.
  • the frame 67 or the rotary motor 65 can be moved laterally or transversely, for example periodically by a suitable mechanism, not shown, in order that the contact between the polishing cloth 63 and the front surface 5 of the ferrule will be at varying radii of the polishing cloth.
  • the disc 61 is advanced towards the front surface of the ferrule by activating the linear motor 71 acting on the frame. Due to the elastic connection 73 between the linear motor and the accurately determined positions of the front surface of the ferrule and the end surface of the fiber, the rotating plate 61 including the polishing cloth is with a predetermined pressing force applied against these surfaces. After finished polishing operation the plate 61 is retracted by a suitable activation of the linear motor 71. Thereupon, the ferrule holder including the held ferrule is transferred to station 4.
  • polishing is performed in the same way as in the preceding step but a polishing film or cloth having a finer polishing material is used. It is not necessary to use this station if the polishing in the preceding step can be made sufficiently fine.
  • the same kind of device as is used in station 3 can be used, see Fig. 8.
  • Optical inspection including visual inspection and interferometric measurement
  • image processing of images of the end of the fiber is used, which have been taken using a camera connected to a microscope, and interferometric information to detect surface damages.
  • Mechanical parameters are defined by interferometric methods. This can be achieved because the position of the ferrule is well defined.
  • a device is illustrated that can be used in this station.
  • a frame 81 is provided that is mounted to slide along mechanical guides on a base part 83.
  • the movement of the frame is determined by a linear motor 85 rigidly attached to the base part and connected to the frame.
  • the frame carries an optical unit including a light source 91, that emits parallel light in a downwards vertical direction.
  • the light is deflected to a horizontal direction by a semitransparent mirror 93 so that the light comes to pass in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the fiber 11, towards the end surface of the fiber.
  • the horizontal light is focused by a lens system 95 of the type microscope objective towards the end surface of the fiber. The focusing is made so that interference patterns are formed.
  • the light reflected by the end surface of the fiber and by adjacent areas of the front surface 5 of the ferrule is refracted by the lens system 95 to a parallel light beam propagating away from the fiber and the ferrule. It passes without changing its direction through the mirror 93 to hit the light sensitive area of a CCD camera 97.
  • the signal provided by the camera is supplied to a computer 99 connected to a display 101.
  • On the display the end surface of the fiber and adjacent portions of the front surface of the ferrule can be observed in detail and in particular interference patterns can be observed indicating how well these surfaces are located in the same plane as each other.
  • An inspector can on a keyboard, not shown, or another input unit of the computer 99 indicate whether the fiber end surface is accepted or not.
  • the ferrule holder 21 including the held ferrule is displaced to station 6.
  • a device therefor is schematically shown in Fig. 10.
  • a frame 111 is in the same way as above mounted to slide along mechanical guides on a base part 113.
  • the dis- placement of the frame is determined by a linear motor 115 rigidly attached to the base part and connected to this frame.
  • the frame carries a reference ferrule 117 or some similar connector including a reference fiber 119 that is very accurately mounted in the reference ferrule.
  • the other end of the reference fiber is connected to a combined laser/measuring unit 121 for light power.
  • the frame 111 is advanced so that the reference ferrule comes in contact with the fiber 1 in the ferrule holder 21 or is located at a very small distance from it.
  • a material for enhanced optical contacting applied between the end surfaces of the light guiding fibers can be used.
  • the light from the laser/measuring unit 21 is conducted by the reference cable 119 and is reflected by among other things, the end surface of the fiber 11 mounted in the ferule.
  • the reflected light is conducted back to the laser/measuring unit in which it is detected. From the received light parameters can be determined indicating how well the light transmission is to/from the fiber 11.
  • the fiber holder 21 is detached from the intermediate portion 29 and then the ferrule 1 including the fiber 11 attached therein is detached from the front upstanding part 23 of the ferrule holder 21.
  • the ferrule can in the conventional way be placed in a heating oven or heated in some other way. As is illustrated in Figs. 11a, l ib and l ie the ferrule together with other ferrules that have passed the stations 1 - 6 and been found to have acceptable performance are placed in suitably designed holes 131 in a block 133 of a heat conducting material. The ferrules can be retained in the holes by elastically biased devices 135. The block can at the surface parallel to the holes carry a resistive heating element 137 that is supplied with electric current from a controlled power supply 139.
  • the power supply is controlled to supply suitable electric current/voltage in accordance with a signal obtained from a temperature sensor 141 mounted in the block 133. After all holes 131 in the block have been provided with the ferrules, the heating of the block is started and then the final curing of the adhesive in the ferrules is started. After a predetermined time the heating is interrupted, the ferrules and the block are allowed to cool, whereupon the ferrules are detached from the holes 131 and are ready to be used.
  • the stations 1 - 6 can be mounted evenly distributed along the periphery of a circle so that they can by a rotating movement be reached by a ferrule holder 21 including a held ferrule.
  • a ferrule holder 21 including a held ferrule an inner table part 151 designed as a circular plate having the stations 1 - 6 symmetrically placed at the periphery of the plate is illustrated.
  • an intermediate station is provided between stations 1 and 2 for washing/cleaning.
  • a similar station can be arranged between the two polishing steps 3 and 4 to ensure that no rough polishing material re- mains on the front surface of the ferrule and this end surface of the fiber in the fine polishing step in station 4.
  • the inner table part is surrounded by an outer table part 153 designed as a rotatable ring on which ferrule holders 21 are attached in a number corresponding to the number of stations, the ferrule holders being, like the stations, evenly distributed over the periphery.
  • the outer table part is rotated by a corresponding angle, in the embodiment shown 60°, whereby all ferrules except that in station 6 arrive to the next respective station.
  • the ferrule is removed that has just passed station 6 including an optical characterization and instead, a new ferrule having applied adhesive and an introduced fiber is placed in its ferrule holder.
  • the following stations can be used.
  • this station that can also be passed before the first curing step, i.e. before the stations 1 and 2, the fact is used that the optical fiber has a position, before the curing and polishing processes have been performed, that well agrees with the position that it will have after finished processing. It means that if the contact attenuation is measured at the same time as the ferrule is rotated, the ferule can be locked in the angular position which gives the lowest measured attenuation. The process is then performed as has been described above.
  • PM-fibers Mounting polarizing maintaining fibers
  • a procedure is performed that is similar to that used in minimizing contact attenuation as has been described above, but the ferrule is aligned in relation to a reference line on the ferrule by measuring the angular orientation of the fiber that is to be contacted. The ferrule is then rotated by an angle that is equal to the difference between the angular position of the reference line and the angular orientation of the fiber that is to be mounted.
  • an optical installation including image processing can be used, see Fig. 13 a, that is similar to that in station 5, compare Fig. 9.
  • the rotating unit 161 can include a linear motor 163 that displaces a gear rack 165 in a direction perpendicular to the fiber direction and the axis of the ferrule.
  • the gear rack can be engaged with teeth provided on the flange 9 of the ferrule.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Coupling Of Light Guides (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)

Abstract

Lorsqu'on installe, à l'aide d'un adhésif durcissable, une fibre optique (11) dans une ferrule (1) à l'intérieur d'un trou de passage longitudinal formé dans cette dernière, on place tout d'abord la fibre de sorte qu'une surface terminale de cette fibre se trouve dans une position prédéterminée par rapport à la surface avant de la ferrule (5) afin que la fibre ne dépasse que d'une faible distance à l'extérieur de la surface avant. On durcit ensuite l'adhésif uniquement au niveau de l'ouverture du trou, c'est-à-dire de sorte que seule soit durcie la partie de l'adhésif qui se trouve au niveau de l'ouverture du trou ou à proximité de cette dernière. De cette manière, la position de la fibre dans le trou est fixée rapidement. On peut ensuite procéder à l'usinage mécanique de la région de l'extrémité de la fibre, tel que le polissage, pour produire une surface terminale entièrement lisse ayant le même niveau que la surface avant. Pour terminer, on chauffe la ferrule tout entière afin de durcir la partie restante de l'adhésif qui n'a pas été durcie. Etant donné que la partie saillante de la fibre peut être réalisée avec une taille très courte, il est juste nécessaire d'éliminer un minimum de matière de la fibre. De même, les détériorations pouvant être liées au polissage de la surface terminale de la fibre peuvent être limitées.
PCT/SE2002/001935 2001-10-23 2002-10-23 Procede de durcissement WO2003042739A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
SE0103585A SE0103585D0 (sv) 2001-10-23 2001-10-23 Härdningsprocess
SE0103585-6 2001-10-23
SE0202649A SE0202649D0 (sv) 2001-10-23 2002-09-05 Härdningsprocess
SE0202649-0 2002-09-05

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WO2003042739A1 true WO2003042739A1 (fr) 2003-05-22

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WO (1) WO2003042739A1 (fr)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
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CN103273415A (zh) * 2013-05-31 2013-09-04 深圳日海通讯技术股份有限公司 光纤端面处理方法及光纤连接器
CN107272121A (zh) * 2013-06-03 2017-10-20 康宁光电通信有限责任公司 具有粘合材料的光学连接器
US10094984B2 (en) 2013-06-03 2018-10-09 Corning Optical Communications LLC Method of forming an optical connector
EP3377929A4 (fr) * 2015-11-18 2019-08-07 Commscope Technologies LLC Procédés permettant de traiter des ferrules et/ou des fibres optiques

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Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN103273415A (zh) * 2013-05-31 2013-09-04 深圳日海通讯技术股份有限公司 光纤端面处理方法及光纤连接器
CN107272121A (zh) * 2013-06-03 2017-10-20 康宁光电通信有限责任公司 具有粘合材料的光学连接器
EP3285104A1 (fr) * 2013-06-03 2018-02-21 Corning Optical Communications LLC Connecteur optique comportant un matériau adhésif
US10094984B2 (en) 2013-06-03 2018-10-09 Corning Optical Communications LLC Method of forming an optical connector
CN107272121B (zh) * 2013-06-03 2019-09-13 康宁光电通信有限责任公司 具有粘合材料的光学连接器
EP3377929A4 (fr) * 2015-11-18 2019-08-07 Commscope Technologies LLC Procédés permettant de traiter des ferrules et/ou des fibres optiques
US10451815B2 (en) 2015-11-18 2019-10-22 Commscope Technologies Llc Methods for processing ferrules and/or optical fibers

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