Optical multiplexing/demultiplexing device

Claim 2

An optical multiplexing/demultiplexing device consisting of a plurality of units, each of said units being composed of one or more components connected in series, each of said components comprising: a substrate having a V-groove arranged along a lateral edge thereof; and an optical fiber installed in said groove and fastened to said substrate; wherein the cladding of each optical fiber is scrubbed together with the corresponding substrate to expose the core of each optical fiber, and a pair of substrates constituting a component are in contact with each other so that one optical fiber contacts the other optical fiber so that an optical input to one optical fiber is branched and output to the other optical fiber by photocoupling by the Evanescent field effect generated between said optical fibers; thereby constituting a set of units, each consisting of a first optical fiber attached to a first V-groove on a first substrate; and another set of units, each consisting of a plurality of components with a second single optical fiber passing therethrough, each of said components consisting of a second optical fiber attached to a second V-groove on a second substrate, so that said plurality of components are arranged so that the surfaces of said substrates whereon said first and second optical fibers are installed in said first and second V-grooves of said first and second substrates are scrubbed in parallel with the optical axes of said optical fibers until the cores of said optical fibers are just exposed and that the corresponding pairs of scrubbed surfaces can mate each other.

Claim 3

An optical multiplexing/demultiplexing device according to claim 1, wherein the optical multiplexing/demultiplexing device has four ports, said device comprising two units, each having a first optical fiber attached to a first V-groove on a first substrate; and two units each having a second single optical fiber attached to two second V-grooves on two second substrates.

Claim 4

An optical multiplexing/demultiplexing device according to claim 1, wherein the optical multiplexing/demultiplexing device has eight ports, said device comprising four units, each having a first optical fiber attached to a first V-groove on a first substrate; two units each having a second single optical fiber attached to two second V-grooves on two second substrates; and two units each having a third single optical fiber attached to two third V-grooves on two third substrates.

Claim 5

An optical multiplexing/demultiplexing device having n tandem stages for coupling optical power from an input stage to 2 n output ports of an output stage, said device comprising: 2 n-1 components, each of said components comprising first and second substrates having contiguous parallel surfaces, the contiguous surfaces of said first and second substrates having first and second V-shaped directly opposing grooves therein, the input stage of said device having one of said components, the output stage having 2 n-1 of said components, and each of the stages interposed between said input and output stages having twice the number of components as the preceding stage; and 2 n continuous optical fibers, each having a core and a cladding region surrounding said core, each continuous optical fiber being disposed in a groove of one component of at least one of said tandem stages, 2 n-1 of said continuous optical fibers being disposed in the first grooves of respective components of only the nth of said tandem stages; 2 n-2 of said continuous optical fibers being disposed in the first grooves of respective components of the n-1st of said tandem stages and second grooves of the nth of said tandem stages; said input stage having an optical fiber disposed in each of the first and second grooves thereof, each of the optical fibers disposed in the first and second grooves of said input stage being further disposed in respective second grooves of each succeeding stage of said tandem stages; portions of the cores of each of said optical fibers being exposed in the grooves of each of the components in which they are disposed by the removal of portions of the cladding of each core thereby permitting transfer of power therebetween, power applied to an optical fiber of said input stage being coupled to the 2 n output ports of said output stage.

Claim 6

An optical multiplexing/demultiplexing device having n tandem stages for coupling optical power from an input stage to 2 n output ports of an output stage, said device comprising: 2 n-1 components, each of said components comprising first and second substrates having contiguous parallel surfaces, the contiguous surfaces of said first and second substrates having first and second V-shaped directly opposing grooves therein, the input stage of said device having one of said components, the output stage having 2 n-1 of said components, and each of the stages interposed between said input and output stages having twice the number of components as the preceding stage; and 2 n continuous optical fibers, each having a core and a cladding region surrounding said core, each continuous optical fiber being disposed in a groove of one component of at least one of said tandem stages, 2 n-1 of said continuous optical fibers being disposed in the first grooves of respective components of only the nth of said tandem stages; 2 n-2 of said continuous optical fibers being disposed in the first grooves of respective components of the n-1st of said tandem stages and second grooves of the nth of said tandem stages; said input stage having an optical fiber disposed in each of the first and second grooves thereof, each of the optical fibers disposed in the first and second grooves of said input stage being further disposed in respective second grooves of each succeeding stage of said tandem stages; portions of the cores of each of said optical fibers being exposed in the grooves of each of the components in which they are disposed by the removal of portions of the cladding of each core thereby permitting transfer of power therebetween, power applied to an optical fiber of said input stage being coupled to the 2 n output ports of said output stage.

Claim 7

An optical multiplexing/demultiplexing device according to claim 4 where n is equal to 3.