US5212746A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Single wafered ferrule fiber fabry-perot filters
Assignee: Luna Innovations Inc
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Filing: 1992-01-15
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Granted: 1993-05-18
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Expires: 2012-01-15
Abstract
Abstract A single wafered optical fiber ferrule assembly useful in fixed and tunable fiber Fabry-Perot (FFP) filters is described. The ferrule assembly contains a wafered ferrule with embedded mirror and a mirrored-end ferrule which are aligned with respect to each other along a longitudinal axis in an alignment fixture. The ferrules are aligned and spaced with respect to each other to maximize transmission of light of a selected wavelength through the filter. The wafered ferrule is composed of a fiber ferrule and a wafer greater than or equal to about 5 μm in thickness which are bonded together with a mirror embedded between the wafer and the ferrule. The ferrule assembly forms a FP optical resonance cavity between the two mirrors. The single wafered ferrule design produces more easily manufactured and more stable FFP than prior art designs.
Inventors
- 👤 Calvin M. Miller
- 👤 Jeffrey W. Miller
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 12:08
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B6/00; G02B6/24; G02B6/26; G02B6/28; G02B6/293; G02B6/29379; G02B6/29395; G02B6/241; G02B6/29346; G02B6/29358; G02B6/29359; G02B6/36; G02B6/38; G02B6/3807; G02B6/3873; G02B6/3882; G02B6/29398; G02B6/3833; G02B6/3845
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 41
Claim 1
Independent Claim
233 words
A fiber Fabry-Perot filter (FFP) having: a. a fiber ferrule assembly through which an optical fiber extends and which has an optical resonance cavity along a length of said optical fiber, said assembly comprising a first and a second ferrule each of which has a substantially axial bore therethrough in which a portion of said optical fiber is positioned, and a first and a second mirror positioned to interrupt said optical fiber and thereby form said resonance cavity, said mirrors located in parallel planes with respect to one another, said planes substantially normal to the axis of said length of optical fiber, said first ferrule is a wafered ferrule comprised of a wafer with a first end and a second end, said first end bonded to said first ferrule to form a wafer portion of said wafered ferrule, said first mirror embedded between said first ferrule and said first end of said wafer, said wafer portion thereby residing within said resonance cavity, said second ferrule is a mirrored-end ferrule having no wafer bonded thereto but having said second mirror deposited on an end thereof, said cavity containing a gap located directly between said second mirror and said second end of said wafer, and b. means for holding said ferrules in an aligned relative axial relation to one another such that an optical signal can be transmitted through the optical fiber of said assembly.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
233 words
A fiber Fabry-Perot filter (FFP) having: a. a fiber ferrule assembly through which an optical fiber extends and which has an optical resonance cavity along a length of said optical fiber, said assembly comprising a first and a second ferrule each of which has a substantially axial bore therethrough in which a portion of said optical fiber is positioned, and a first and a second mirror positioned to interrupt said optical fiber and thereby form said resonance cavity, said mirrors located in parallel planes with respect to one another, said planes substantially normal to the axis of said length of optical fiber, said first ferrule is a wafered ferrule comprised of a wafer with a first end and a second end, said first end bonded to said first ferrule to form a wafer portion of said wafered ferrule, said first mirror embedded between said first ferrule and said first end of said wafer, said wafer portion thereby residing within said resonance cavity, said second ferrule is a mirrored-end ferrule having no wafer bonded thereto but having said second mirror deposited on an end thereof, said cavity containing a gap located directly between said second mirror and said second end of said wafer, and b. means for holding said ferrules in an aligned relative axial relation to one another such that an optical signal can be transmitted through the optical fiber of said assembly.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
15 words
The FFP of claim 1 wherein said wafer portion of said wafered ferrule is beveled.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
21 words
The FFP of claim 1 wherein said wafer portion of said wafered ferrule is less than about 10 microns in length.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
The FFP of claim 1 wherein said wafer portion of said wafered ferrule is greater than or equal to about 10 microns in length.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
23 words
The FFP of claim 1 wherein said wafer portion of said wafered ferrule is bonded to said ferrule with a UV curable epoxy.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
The FFP of claim 1 which has finesse equal to or greater than about 50.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
15 words
The FFP of claim 1 which has finesse equal to or greater than about 300.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
15 words
The FFP of claim 1 which has finesse equal to or greater than about 600.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
15 words
The FFP of claim 1 in which said mirrors are multi-layer deposited Si/SiO 2 mirrors.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
17 words
The FFP of claim 1 in which the reflectivities of said mirrors are both 95% or greater.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
8 words
The FFP of claim 1 which is tunable.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
17 words
The FFP of claim 1 in which said filter is tuned by changing the resonance cavity length.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
19 words
The FFP of claim 12 which comprises a piezoelectric transducer system which functions to change said resonance cavity length.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
The FFP of claim 1 in which said filter is tuned by changing the index of refraction of the resonance cavity.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
11 words
The FFP of claim 1 which is a fixed wavelength filter.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
28 words
The FFP of claim 15 in which an index matching material is positioned between said second mirror and said second end of said wafer to fill said gap.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
24 words
The FFP of claim 11 in which said means for holding said ferrules in an aligned relative axial relation is a rotary mechanical splice.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
26 words
The FFP of claim 1 in which said first mirror does not cover the entire area of the ferrule end face on which it is deposited.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
27 words
The FFP of claim 1 having less than 5% variation in FSR as a function of wavelength over the wavelength region from about 1.45 to 1.7 μm.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
20 words
The FFP of claim 1 having less than 5% variation in finesse over the operable wavelength range of said FFP.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
11 words
The FFP of claim 1 wherein said mirrored-end ferrule is beveled.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
11 words
The FFP of claim 2 wherein said mirrored-end ferrule is beveled.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
30 words
The FFP of claim 21 further including a piezoelectric transducer means for changing the length of said resonance cavity, said transducer means connected to said means for holding said ferrules.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
30 words
The FFP of claim 22 further including a piezoelectric transducer means for changing the length of said resonance cavity, said transducer means connected to said means for holding said ferrules.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
41 words
The fixed FFP of claim 15 wherein said means for holding said ferrules is a rotary mechanical splice fixture including a plurality of rods having substantially the same thermal coefficient of expansion as the material from which said ferrules are made.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
15 words
The filter of claim 25 wherein said rods and said ferrules are made of glass.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
15 words
The filter of claim 1 wherein said gap is filled with an index matching material.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
35 words
The filter of claim 27 wherein the index of refraction of said index matching material can be controlled by application of an electric or magnetic field to thereby tune said filter to a selected frequency.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
36 words
The filter of claim 27 wherein the index of refraction of said index matching material can be controlled by changing the temperature of said index matching material to thereby tune said filter to a selected frequency.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
53 words
The filter of claim 1 wherein said means for holding said ferrules is a rotary mechanical splice fixture including a plurality of alignment rods and clamping means for clamping said alignment rods in rigid contact with said ferrules, said alignment rods fabricated from a different material from that material used in said ferrules.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
19 words
The filter of claim 30 wherein said ferrules are made of glass and said rods are made of metal.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
22 words
The filter of claim 30 wherein said alignment rods are fabricated from a material having a large positive coefficient of thermal expansion.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
14 words
The filter of claim 32 wherein said material for fabricating said rods is metallic.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
33 words
The filter of claim 32 wherein said wafer portion has an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of said ferrule portion, said wafer portion not held in rigid contact with said fixture.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
34 words
The filter of claim 32 wherein said second mirror and an adjacent portion of said second ferrule have an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the remaining portion of said second ferrule.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
34 words
The filter of claim 35 wherein said second mirror and an adjacent portion of said second ferrule have an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the remaining portion of said second ferrule.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
64 words
The filter of claim 1 wherein said means for holding said ferrules comprises a one-piece body fabricated from materials having the same coefficient of thermal expansion having an alignment passage therethrough for receiving said ferrules and further including a plurality of holding screws which traverse said body to said passage such that said holding screws can be adjusted to hold said ferrules in alignment.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
26 words
The filter of claim 37 wherein said means for holding said ferrules further include means for adjusting the axial alignment of said ferrules in said passage.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
64 words
The filter of claim 38 wherein said means for holding said ferrules comprises a one-piece body fabricated from materials having a different coefficient of thermal expansion having an alignment passage therethrough for receiving said ferrules and further including a plurality of holding screws which traverse said body to said passage such that said holding screws can be adjusted to hold said ferrules in alignment.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
26 words
The filter of claim 39 wherein said means for holding said ferrule further includes means for adjusting the axial alignment of said ferrules in said passage.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-05-17 | 1996-11-16 | 1997-05-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-05-17 | 2000-11-16 | 2001-05-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-05-17 | 2004-11-16 | 2005-05-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |