Claims
- 1. An optical fiber, comprising:
a polymer or resin cladding; and a plurality of polymer or resin optical pathways in the cladding.
- 2. The optical fiber of claim 1, further comprising a ferrule attached to an end of the optical fiber.
- 3. The optical fiber of claim 2, further comprising a second ferrule attached to an opposite end of the optical fiber.
- 4. The optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the polymer or resin cladding comprises at least one material from the subset of a cyclic olefin copolymer, cyclic olefin polymer, a polysulfone, poly(methyl(methacrylate)) (PMMA), polystyrene, polycarbonate, a polyurethane, and a fluoropolymer.
- 5. The optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the plurality of polymer or resin optical pathways comprise at least one material from the subset of a cyclic olefin copolymer, cyclic olefin polymer, a polysulfone, poly(methyl(methacrylate)) (PMMA), polystyrene, polycarbonate, a polyurethane, and a fluoropolymer.
- 6. The optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the plurality of polymer or resin optical pathway to have a stepped index or graded index profile configuration.
- 7. The optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the plurality of polymer or resin optical pathways to have a single mode, multimode, photonic bandgap, or holey fiber index profile configuration.
- 8. The optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the melting temperatures of the optical pathway material and the cladding material are within approximately 150 degrees Celsius of one another.
- 9. An optical fiber interconnect, comprising:
an optical fiber, comprising:
a polymer or resin cladding; and a plurality of polymer or resin optical pathways in the cladding; and a ferrule attached to an end of the optical fiber.
- 10. The optical fiber interconnect of claim 9, further comprising a second ferrule attached to an opposite end of the optical fiber.
- 11. A method of forming an optical fiber, comprising:
forming a fiber preform comprising:
a polymer or resin cladding; and a plurality of polymer or resin optical pathways in the cladding; and drawing the preform so as to form an optical fiber.
- 12. The method of claim 11, wherein forming the fiber preform comprises annealing the polymer or resin cladding and plurality of polymer or resin optical pathways together prior to drawing the preform.
- 13. The method of claim 11, wherein forming the fiber preform comprises annealing the polymer or resin cladding and plurality of polymer or resin optical pathways while drawing the preform.
- 14. The method of claim 11, further comprising, prior to forming the fiber preform, forming the cladding preform in an annealing process and utilizing multiple polymer or resin pieces.
- 15. The method of claim 11, further comprising, prior to forming the fiber preform, forming the cladding preform in a chamber having an interior shaped to match an exterior of the cladding preform.
- 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the chamber comprises a plurality of rods for shaping holes in the cladding preform for the plurality of optical pathways.
- 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising removing the plurality of rods after forming the cladding preform, and inserting the plurality of optical pathways into the holes to form the fiber preform.
- 18. The method of claim 11, further comprising machining the optical fiber after drawing.
- 19. The method of claim 11, further comprising annealing the fiber preform prior to drawing.
- 20. The method of claim 11, wherein a cross section of the fiber preform comprises an aspect ratio less than or equal to approximately 4 to 1.
- 21. The method of claim 11, further comprising adding a sacrificial cladding around at least a part of the fiber preform prior to drawing.
- 22. The method of claim 21, wherein a cross section of the fiber preform comprises an aspect ratio greater than 4 to 1, and wherein the aspect ratio of the combination of the sacrificial cladding and the fiber preform is less than or equal to approximately 4 to 1.
- 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the aspect ratio of the a combination of the sacrificial cladding and the fiber preform is approximately equal to 1.
- 24. The method of claim 21, wherein the wherein the melting temperatures of the fiber preform and the sacrificial cladding are within approximately 150 degrees Celsius of one another.
- 25. The method of claim 21, wherein the sacrificial cladding is added to the fiber preform by annealing.
- 26. The method of claim 21, wherein the sacrificial cladding is added to the fiber preform by melting or polymerization.
- 27. The method of claim 21, further comprising removing at least a portion of the sacrificial cladding after drawing.
- 28. The method of claim 27, wherein the portion is removed by etching.
- 29. The method of claim 27, wherein the portion is removed by melting.
- 30. The method of claim 27, wherein the portion is removed by mechanical removal.
- 31. The method of claim 27, wherein the portion comprises substantially all of the sacrificial cladding.
- 32. The method of claim 11, further comprising attaching at least one ferrule to an end of the optical fiber.
- 33. A method of forming an optical fiber, comprising:
inserting a polymer or resin optical pathway into a polymer or resin cladding so as to form a fiber preform; applying vacuum to the polymer or resin optical pathway and the polymer or resin cladding so as to remove air between the two; applying heat and drawing the fiber preform, the heat being sufficient to meld the polymer or resin optical pathway to the polymer or resin cladding and to allow drawing of the fiber preform; and drawing the fiber preform.
- 34. The method of claim 33, wherein the fiber preform includes a sacrificial cladding about at least a part of its outer surface, and wherein the vacuum is also applied to the sacrificial cladding and applying heat causes the sacrificial cladding to meld to the fiber preform.
- 35. A method of forming an optical fiber, comprising:
inserting a plurality of polymer or resin optical pathways into a polymer or resin cladding so as to form a fiber preform; applying vacuum to the plurality of polymer or resin optical pathways and the polymer or resin cladding so as to remove air between the plurality of polymer or resin optical pathways and the polymer or resin cladding; applying heat to meld the plurality of polymer or resin optical pathways to the polymer or resin cladding; and drawing the fiber preform.
- 36. The method of claim 35, wherein the heat is sufficient to meld the plurality of polymer or resin optical pathways to the polymer or resin cladding and allow drawing of the fiber preform.
- 37. The method of claim 35, wherein the fiber preform includes a sacrificial cladding about at least a part of its outer surface, and wherein the vacuum is also applied to the sacrificial cladding and applying heat causes the sacrificial cladding to meld to the fiber preform.
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional application number 60/370,174, incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60370174 |
Apr 2002 |
US |