WO2001027691A1 - Method and apparatus for manufacturing optical fiber components - Google Patents
Method and apparatus for manufacturing optical fiber components Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2001027691A1 WO2001027691A1 PCT/US2000/025364 US0025364W WO0127691A1 WO 2001027691 A1 WO2001027691 A1 WO 2001027691A1 US 0025364 W US0025364 W US 0025364W WO 0127691 A1 WO0127691 A1 WO 0127691A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- fiber
- substrate
- center wavelength
- grating
- cwl
- Prior art date
Links
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
- G02B6/02—Optical fibres with cladding with or without a coating
- G02B6/02057—Optical fibres with cladding with or without a coating comprising gratings
- G02B6/02076—Refractive index modulation gratings, e.g. Bragg gratings
- G02B6/02123—Refractive index modulation gratings, e.g. Bragg gratings characterised by the method of manufacture of the grating
-
- 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
- G02B6/02—Optical fibres with cladding with or without a coating
- G02B6/02057—Optical fibres with cladding with or without a coating comprising gratings
- G02B6/02076—Refractive index modulation gratings, e.g. Bragg gratings
- G02B6/02171—Refractive index modulation gratings, e.g. Bragg gratings characterised by means for compensating environmentally induced changes
- G02B6/02176—Refractive index modulation gratings, e.g. Bragg gratings characterised by means for compensating environmentally induced changes due to temperature fluctuations
- G02B6/0218—Refractive index modulation gratings, e.g. Bragg gratings characterised by means for compensating environmentally induced changes due to temperature fluctuations using mounting means, e.g. by using a combination of materials having different thermal expansion coefficients
Definitions
- the present invention relates to relates generally to the manufacturing of optical fiber components and particularly to a method and apparatus for precisely controlling the optical path length of an optical fiber component.
- Optical fiber based devices are widely utilized as components for optical corrimunications due to their relatively low insertion loss and low cost.
- Foremost of optical fiber components are fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) which are typically made by ultraviolet (UN) wavelength energy exposure.
- FBG fiber Bragg gratings
- UN ultraviolet
- the center wavelength (CWL) of a packaged fiber Bragg grating can vary as much as +/- 60 picometers from the desired CWL.
- a typical attachment process for a fiber Bragg grating is to bond one end of the fiber to a substrate, tension the fiber by an empirically determined amount, and bonding the opposite end of the fiber.
- Fig. 1 shows the distribution of the CWL for samples manufactured by this process. Since the total available margin is only +/- 40 picometers, only a fraction (20% to 30%) of the gratings can be employed.
- Precise control of optically tuned fiber-optic devices with a CWL within less than +/- 15 picometers is desired to minimize cross-talk between adjacent communication channels of a system.
- a ⁇ -eucryptite substrate has been employed having a coefficient of temperature expansion of - 7.5 ppm/°C to compensate for the refractive index change of the fiber with temperature variations. With such substrates, the CWL shift due to temperature changes over a range of from 0°C to 70°C has been reduced to +/- 15 pm.
- the substrate selection has improved the stability of the device once manufactured, there remains a need to manufacture devices such as fiber Bragg gratings or other optically tuned components to a CWL that produces a yield rate for precise CWL devices higher than that previously available with existing manufacturing techniques. It has been discovered that the variability of the CWL of fiber-optic devices is not a function of the laser power employed in the manufacturing of the devices nor is it a result of the substrate material. Instead, it appears that the variability is inherent in the attachment process and there remains a need, therefore, for a process and system for manufacturing precisely tuned fiber-optic devices.
- the method and apparatus of the present invention achieves the manufacturing of fiber-optic devices to precise CWL specifications by plasticizing one attachment end of a mounted fiber-optic device and finely adjusting the fiber tension while monitoring the CWL.
- a method of manufacturing an optical fiber component to a precise CWL includes the step of affixing the ends of a fiber component under tension to a substrate to approximate a desired CWL. Subsequently, one end of the fiber is gripped with a movable clamp and the adjacent attachment plasticized while the tension on the fiber is adjusted until the CWL is within a desired range. The attachment is rehardened while the tension on the fiber is maintained by the movable clamp.
- one end of a fiber is bonded to a negative coefficient of expansion substrate using a glass frit and the opposite end gripped under tension by a movable clamp while the CWL is monitored.
- the fiber tension is adjusted by moving the clamp until the CWL is about .35 nm below the target CWL for 70 mm substrates.
- a second frit bonds the fiber to the substrate at an opposite end adjacent the movable clamp.
- the CWL is again checked and, if off more than 10 picometers, the fiber is retensioned by moving the clamp to the previous position, reheating and plasticizing the second frit, and adjusting the clamp while monitoring the CWL until the CWL change equals an amount corresponding to the difference between the first measured CWL and the target CWL.
- Fig. 1 is a chart illustrating the variations in CWL of fiber Bragg gratings manufactured by conventional techniques
- Fig. 2 is an enlarged schematic, side-elevational view of a fiber Bragg grating, shown partially packaged and manufactured according to the present invention
- Fig. 3 is a schematic, side-elevational view of a fiber Bragg grating and an apparatus for manufacturing the same according to the present invention during a first step in the manufacturing process;
- Fig. 4 is a schematic, side-elevational view of the next step in the manufacturing process of the fiber Bragg grating shown in Fig. 2;
- Fig. 5 is a schematic, side-elevational view of a successive step in the manufacturing process of the fiber Bragg grating shown in Fig. 2;
- Fig. 6 is a chart illustrating the high yield of precise CWL fiber Bragg gratings resulting from the manufacturing process of the present invention.
- the chart of Fig. 1 illustrates the CWL shift between predicted CWL and actual CWL for 40 samples made using existing techniques which, as seen, vary between approximately 70 nm below the desired CWL (shown by the dotted line in the chart) to about 75 nm above the desired CWL.
- the number of samples falling within +/- 40 picometers of the desired CWL is relatively small, representing from 20% to 30% of the total number of fiber Bragg gratings made by the conventional empirical process.
- the fiber Bragg grating illustrated in Fig. 2 is manufactured according to the process and apparatus described in connection with Figs. 3-5.
- a sample of approximately 70 fiber Bragg gratings manufactured according to the present invention yields 80% of gratings falling within +/- 10 picometers of the desired CWL.
- This tolerance band of precisely manufactured gratings is shown between the dotted lines in Fig. 6. Even gratings falling outside the precisely controlled band for the most part fell well within an acceptable range of +/- 40 picometers for most applications.
- a partially packaged fiber Bragg grating assembly 10 is shown in Fig. 2 and includes an optical fiber 12 in which there is imprinted a grating 14 in a central area with a precisely controlled CWL of, for example, 1559.25 nm.
- the optical fiber 12 is supported on a negative coefficient of expansion substrate 16, such as ⁇ -eucryptite, by a pair of spaced glass frits 18 and 20. between the glass frits 18 and 20, there exists fiber end zones 22 and 24 spanning the grating 14.
- Fiber 12 is mounted to an upper surface 15 of the substrate 16 according to the manufacturing process of the present invention, with grating 14 being conventionally formed utilizing ultraviolet light to selectively change the index of refraction of the core of the fiber 12 in a pattern selected for a wavelength of approximately 1559.25 nm in the example.
- grating 14 being conventionally formed utilizing ultraviolet light to selectively change the index of refraction of the core of the fiber 12 in a pattern selected for a wavelength of approximately 1559.25 nm in the example.
- Other frequency fiber Bragg gratings or other tuned optical devices can be manufactured with the method of the present invention.
- Fig. 3 there is shown the apparatus for manufacturing the fiber Bragg grating 10 according to the present invention.
- the apparatus includes a holder 30 for the substrate, which holder generally comprises an open rectangular frame into which the substrate 16 is positioned for holding it in place without adding any significant lateral forces to the substrate during the manufacturing process.
- the holder 30 rests upon a reference surface 32 during the manufacturing process.
- At one end (shown on the left in Fig. 3) is a fixed clamp 34 holding one end 19 of the fiber 12 in position with respect to the substrate 16.
- a movable clamp 36 comprising a clamp mounted on a moveable stage with micrometer adjustment capabilities.
- Coupled to the left end of the fiber 12, as seen in Fig. 3, is a broad band optical source 40 while coupled to the opposite end of the optical fiber 12 is an optical spectral analyzer 42 to allow the CWL of the grating to be monitored during the manufacturing process.
- a 5 gram load is placed on the fiber.
- a frit paste 18 is applied to the area adjacent end zone 22 of fiber 12 and a beam from a CO2 laser 50 is directed to the undersurface 17 of substrate 16 directly under frit paste 18, heating the undersurface of the substrate to a temperature of between 800 °C to 900 °C and the upper surface
- the stage for movable clamp 36 is moved to the right in the direction shown by arrow A in Fig. 4 while watching the CWL from analyzer 42 until the CWL is at a predetermined relationship to the desired final CWL.
- a negative temperature coefficient 70 mm substrate such as ⁇ -eucryptite employed in the present invention
- typically the strain placed upon the fiber 12 by movable clamp 36 places the CWL below the desired CWL to account for substrate expansion during the cooling of the substrate.
- the selected CWL is .35 nm below the target wavelength.
- a second bead 20 of glass frit paste is applied to the right end of the fiber 12, as shown in Fig. 4, and the CO2 laser 50 is positioned under the frit 20 to again heat the under surface of substrate 16 to from 800 °C to 900 °C and the top surface to from
- the CWL is measured twenty seconds after the top hold segment (the twenty second CWL value) while the clamp 36 is held in position. Substrate 16 is then allowed to cool for approximately five minutes, after which the movable clamp releases the tension on the end 21 of fiber 12, and, again, the CWL is tested.
- the CWL will at this stage be higher or lower than the target CWL by an amount greater than 10 picometers.
- 10 picometers above or below the CWL is the tolerance limit desired for such precise gratings.
- movable clamp 36 With clamp 34 continuing to maintain the left end of the fiber anchored together with frit 18, movable clamp 36 is moved to the same position as before the load was released to retension the fiber while the second frit 20 is reheated by laser 50.
- the movable clamp 36 is either moved in a direction indicated by arrow A to the right in Fig. 5 to increase the tension and thereby increase the CWL or to the left as indicated by arrow B in Fig. 5 to decrease the tension in the fiber 12, thereby decreasing the CWL.
- the movable clamp is moved in a direction indicated by arrow A while monitoring the CWL through analyzer 42 until the twenty second CWL value is increased by 40 picometers.
- Movement of movable clamp 36 during the fine tuning of the grating, while observing the CWL, allows real time control of the manufacturing of the grating 10, and, when at the desired changed twenty second CWL, the clamp 36 holds the fiber 12 stationary for a five minute cooling period of the substrate 16.
- the final CWL is then recorded and typically falls well within the +/- 10 picometers criteria, with over 80% of samples tested, as shown by Fig. 6, falling within such range.
- a strain relief epoxy is placed over the ends of fiber 12 adjacent the outside edges of frits 18 and 20 on the substrate, and the substrate removed from holder 30. Subsequently, the partially assembled grating is finally packaged in a conventional process to complete the manufacture of the optical fiber device.
- any anchoring material which can be plasticized after an initial estimated manufacturing CWL has been tested can be employed for manufacturing an optical device, such as a fiber Bragg grating, employing the technique of the present invention.
- the method and apparatus of the present invention can be employed to manufacture any fiber-optic device requiring precise tuning.
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2001530642A JP2003511741A (en) | 1999-10-12 | 2000-09-15 | Apparatus and method for manufacturing optical fiber component |
CA002385604A CA2385604A1 (en) | 1999-10-12 | 2000-09-15 | Method and apparatus for manufacturing optical fiber components |
AU75838/00A AU7583800A (en) | 1999-10-12 | 2000-09-15 | Method and apparatus for manufacturing optical fiber components |
EP00965052A EP1221067A4 (en) | 1999-10-12 | 2000-09-15 | Method and apparatus for manufacturing optical fiber components |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/417,261 US6278819B1 (en) | 1999-10-12 | 1999-10-12 | Method and apparatus for manufacturing optical fiber components |
US09/417,261 | 1999-10-12 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2001027691A1 true WO2001027691A1 (en) | 2001-04-19 |
Family
ID=23653230
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US2000/025364 WO2001027691A1 (en) | 1999-10-12 | 2000-09-15 | Method and apparatus for manufacturing optical fiber components |
Country Status (8)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US6278819B1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1221067A4 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2003511741A (en) |
CN (1) | CN1378658A (en) |
AU (1) | AU7583800A (en) |
CA (1) | CA2385604A1 (en) |
TW (1) | TW542925B (en) |
WO (1) | WO2001027691A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN110233415A (en) * | 2019-05-29 | 2019-09-13 | 山东省科学院激光研究所 | Wavelength can multiple tuned distributed feedback optical fiber laser |
CN110941044A (en) * | 2019-12-27 | 2020-03-31 | 天津工业大学 | Convex cone cascade-based ultra-compact ultra-long period fiber grating manufacturing method |
Families Citing this family (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO1999047955A1 (en) * | 1998-03-17 | 1999-09-23 | Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company | Passively compensated optical fibers |
US6360042B1 (en) * | 2001-01-31 | 2002-03-19 | Pin Long | Tunable optical fiber gratings device |
US6925263B2 (en) * | 2001-09-28 | 2005-08-02 | Intel Corporation | Method and apparatus for transmission of upstream data in an optical network |
US20030108286A1 (en) * | 2001-12-06 | 2003-06-12 | Jacques Albert | Adjustable temperature compensating package for optical fiber devices |
EP1345059A1 (en) * | 2002-03-16 | 2003-09-17 | Agilent Technologies, Inc. (a Delaware corporation) | Integrated micro-optical elements |
CN1295531C (en) * | 2004-12-21 | 2007-01-17 | 中国科学院上海光学精密机械研究所 | Soft packaging optical fiber grating sensor with vernier wavelength |
US9988295B2 (en) * | 2016-02-15 | 2018-06-05 | FOMS Inc. | Fiber optic manufacturing in space |
Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5218655A (en) * | 1992-05-29 | 1993-06-08 | At&T Bell Laboratories | Article comprising an optical waveguide with in-line refractive index grating |
US5949934A (en) * | 1996-04-05 | 1999-09-07 | Fujikura, Ltd. | Optical waveguide grating and production method therefor |
US6137932A (en) * | 1998-10-02 | 2000-10-24 | Korea Institute Of Science And Technology | Apparatus for controlling gain of an optical fiber amplifier and method thereof |
Family Cites Families (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5841920A (en) * | 1997-03-18 | 1998-11-24 | Lucent Technologies Inc. | Fiber grating package |
-
1999
- 1999-10-12 US US09/417,261 patent/US6278819B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
2000
- 2000-09-15 CA CA002385604A patent/CA2385604A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2000-09-15 EP EP00965052A patent/EP1221067A4/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2000-09-15 JP JP2001530642A patent/JP2003511741A/en active Pending
- 2000-09-15 CN CN00814036A patent/CN1378658A/en active Pending
- 2000-09-15 AU AU75838/00A patent/AU7583800A/en not_active Abandoned
- 2000-09-15 WO PCT/US2000/025364 patent/WO2001027691A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 2000-10-13 TW TW089121536A patent/TW542925B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5218655A (en) * | 1992-05-29 | 1993-06-08 | At&T Bell Laboratories | Article comprising an optical waveguide with in-line refractive index grating |
US5949934A (en) * | 1996-04-05 | 1999-09-07 | Fujikura, Ltd. | Optical waveguide grating and production method therefor |
US6137932A (en) * | 1998-10-02 | 2000-10-24 | Korea Institute Of Science And Technology | Apparatus for controlling gain of an optical fiber amplifier and method thereof |
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
---|
See also references of EP1221067A4 * |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN110233415A (en) * | 2019-05-29 | 2019-09-13 | 山东省科学院激光研究所 | Wavelength can multiple tuned distributed feedback optical fiber laser |
CN110233415B (en) * | 2019-05-29 | 2020-05-01 | 山东省科学院激光研究所 | Distributed feedback fiber laser with multiple tunable wavelengths |
CN110941044A (en) * | 2019-12-27 | 2020-03-31 | 天津工业大学 | Convex cone cascade-based ultra-compact ultra-long period fiber grating manufacturing method |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
AU7583800A (en) | 2001-04-23 |
CA2385604A1 (en) | 2001-04-19 |
TW542925B (en) | 2003-07-21 |
EP1221067A4 (en) | 2005-04-27 |
CN1378658A (en) | 2002-11-06 |
US6278819B1 (en) | 2001-08-21 |
JP2003511741A (en) | 2003-03-25 |
EP1221067A1 (en) | 2002-07-10 |
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