Glass manufacturing – Processes – Forming product or preform from molten glass
Patent
1987-06-11
1989-04-04
Lindsay, Robert L.
Glass manufacturing
Processes
Forming product or preform from molten glass
65 311, 65 37, 65 39, 65 63, 65 65, 65102, 65142, 264 15, 350 9615, C03B 37027, C03B 1108
Patent
active
048182630
ABSTRACT:
A microlens is precisely positioned on the end of an optical fiber by urging the fiber against a moving abrasive lap at a desired angle and simultaneously turning the fiber end, either continuously or in discrete steps. The turning causes the fiber end to contact the abrasive at points all around its periphery, thereby removing material equally from all sides of the fiber and producing a precise lens form. The pressure with which the fiber end is urged against the abrasive is maintained substantially constant by spring action of the fiber. The resulting conical lens is centered on the fiber by action of friction forces which constrain the fiber to rotate in a fixed position despite the fiber's freedom of movement within a guide tube. The invention repeatably provides optically accurate lenses of a variety of conifurgations centered to within one micron on fibers of all types, including polarization-preserving fibers.
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Giok-Djan Khoe et al, Progress in Monomode Optical-Fiber Interconnection Devices (Journal of Lightwave Technology), Jun. 1984, pp. 217-227.
Kyung S. Lee et al, Microlenses on the End of Single-Mode Optical Fibers for Laser Applications (Applied Optics), Oct. 1, 1985, pp. 3134-3139.
Jun-ichi Yamada et al, Characteristics of a Hemispherical Microlens for Coupling Between a Semiconductor Laser and Single-Mode Fiber (IEEE), Oct. 1980, pp. 1067-1072.
Kenji Kawano et al, Combination Lens Method for Coupling a Laser Diode to a Single-Mode Fiber (Applied Optics), Apr. 1, 1985, pp. 984-989.
Conwell William Y.
Lindsay Robert L.
Lovell William S.
Tektronix Inc.
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