US5420949A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Polarization-splitting fiber coupler and method of making same
Assignee: Fujitsu Ltd
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Filing: 1993-08-03
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Granted: 1995-05-30
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Expires: 2013-08-03
Abstract
Abstract Disclosed is a polarization-splitting fiber coupler capable of stably executing a polarization separation/coupling and a method of stably manufacturing the polarization-splitting fiber coupler at a low cost. The method comprises the steps of (1) arranging a plurality of non-polarization fibers in parallel so that the side surfaces thereof come into contact to each other; (2) heating and fusing a portion of the arranged non-polarization fibers by controlling a heating temperature and a heating time so that the cross section of the fused portion thereof has an aspect ratio of 1.85-1.95; (3) thereafter, forming a fused/drawn portion by drawing the fused portion while keeping the aspect ratio after lowering the heating temperature; and (4) connecting polarization-maintaining fibers to the respective ends of the fused/drawn portion, respectively. Further, a portion of the connected polarization-maintaining fiber is heated and drawn to a taper-shape to provide the heated-fused portion with a polarizer function.
Inventors
- 👤 Tadao Arima
- 👤 Koji Okamura
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 16:07
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B6/00; G02B6/24; G02B6/26; G02B6/28; G02B6/2804; G02B6/2821; G02B6/2835; G02B6/2843
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
102 words
A method of manufacturing a polarization-splitting fiber coupler, comprising the steps of: (1) arranging a plurality of non-polarization fibers in parallel so that the side surfaces thereof come into contact to each other; (2) heating and fusing a portion of said arranged non-polarization fibers by controlling a heating temperature and time so that the cross section of the fused portion thereof has an aspect ratio of 1.85-1.95; (3) thereafter, forming a fused/drawn portion by drawing said fused portion while keeping the aspect ratio after Lowering the heating temperature; and (4) connecting polarization-maintaining fibers to the respective ends of said fused/drawn portion, respectively.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
102 words
A method of manufacturing a polarization-splitting fiber coupler, comprising the steps of: (1) arranging a plurality of non-polarization fibers in parallel so that the side surfaces thereof come into contact to each other; (2) heating and fusing a portion of said arranged non-polarization fibers by controlling a heating temperature and time so that the cross section of the fused portion thereof has an aspect ratio of 1.85-1.95; (3) thereafter, forming a fused/drawn portion by drawing said fused portion while keeping the aspect ratio after Lowering the heating temperature; and (4) connecting polarization-maintaining fibers to the respective ends of said fused/drawn portion, respectively.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method of manufacturing a polarization-splitting coupler according to claim 1, further comprising the step (5) of heating and drawing a portion of said connected polarization-maintaining fiber to a taper shape to provide said heated/fused portion with a polarizer function.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
110 words
A method of manufacturing a polarization-splitting fiber coupler, comprising the steps of: (1) connecting polarization-maintaining fibers to the respective ends of a plurality of non-polarization fibers; (2) arranging said non-polarization fibers of said plurality of the fibers obtained at step in parallel so that the side surfaces thereof come into contact to each other; (3) heating and fusing a portion of said arranged non-polarization fibers by controlling a heating temperature and time so that the cross section of the fused portion thereof has an aspect ratio of 1.85-1.95; and (4) thereafter, forming a fused/drawn portion by drawing said fused portion while keeping the aspect ratio after lowering the heating temperature.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
110 words
A method of manufacturing a polarization-splitting fiber coupler, comprising the steps of: (1) connecting polarization-maintaining fibers to the respective ends of a plurality of non-polarization fibers; (2) arranging said non-polarization fibers of said plurality of the fibers obtained at step in parallel so that the side surfaces thereof come into contact to each other; (3) heating and fusing a portion of said arranged non-polarization fibers by controlling a heating temperature and time so that the cross section of the fused portion thereof has an aspect ratio of 1.85-1.95; and (4) thereafter, forming a fused/drawn portion by drawing said fused portion while keeping the aspect ratio after lowering the heating temperature.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
44 words
A method of manufacturing a polarization-splitting fiber coupler according to claim 3, further comprising the step (5) of heating and drawing a portion of said polarization-maintaining fiber connected at step (1) to a taper shape to provide said heated-fused portion with a polarizer function.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
98 words
A polarization-splitting fiber coupler, comprising: a plurality of polarization-maintaining fibers arranged in parallel so that the side surfaces thereof come into contact to each other, said polarization-maintaining fibers having a portion heated and fused by controlling a heating temperature and time so that the cross section of the fused portion has an aspect ratio of 1.85-1.95 and thereafter drawn in the axial direction thereof while keeping the aspect ratio after lowering the heating temperature and formed to a fused/drawn portion; and plurality of polarization-maintaining fibers connected to the respective ends of the plurality of said non-polarization fibers, respectively.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
98 words
A polarization-splitting fiber coupler, comprising: a plurality of polarization-maintaining fibers arranged in parallel so that the side surfaces thereof come into contact to each other, said polarization-maintaining fibers having a portion heated and fused by controlling a heating temperature and time so that the cross section of the fused portion has an aspect ratio of 1.85-1.95 and thereafter drawn in the axial direction thereof while keeping the aspect ratio after lowering the heating temperature and formed to a fused/drawn portion; and plurality of polarization-maintaining fibers connected to the respective ends of the plurality of said non-polarization fibers, respectively.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
36 words
A polarization-splitting fiber coupler according to claim 5, further comprising a polarizer provided with a portion of said polarization-maintaining fiber and obtained by heating and drawing a portion of said polarization-maintaining fiber to a taper shape.
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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) | 1998-05-29 | 1998-11-28 | 1999-05-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-05-29 | 2002-11-28 | 2003-05-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-05-29 | 2006-11-28 | 2007-05-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |