Abstract: A four polarization maintaining optical fiber ferrule is provided which comprises a cylindrical body with a throughhole at the center into which four polarization maintaining optical fiber elements having polarization maintaining planes are fastened, and at least one angular first reference portion on the outer surface of the cylindrical body of the ferrule, wherein the polarization maintaining planes of at least one pair of polarization maintaining optical fiber elements arranged symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the ferrule are fastened at certain angles with respect to the angular first reference portion. An optical coupler is provided which comprises a cylindrical sleeve, a pair of graded index rod lenses within the sleeve which are separated by a thin film for partially transmitting incident light and reflecting the remainder of the light, and the above-referenced four polarization maintaining optical fiber ferrules positioned at each end of the sleeve.

Abstract: A splice housing assembly for joining together at least two fiber optic cables. The splice housing assembly has a housing adapted to create a water impervious seal around both a splicing chamber and at least two fiber optic cables that lead into the splicing chamber though the housing. Within the splicing chamber, the various fiber optic cables are joined together via a grounding block or by a direct optical splice. The housing provides structural integrity, electrical insulation and water tightness to the splice, yet the housing can be selectively opened and closed. As a result, any splice can be made and tested, then repaired or adjusted before the housing is permanently sealed with an encapsulation compound.

Abstract: An optical coupler is formed comprising a pair of optical fiber ferrules having four optical fibers fastened within a throughhole in the ferrule, a pair of contiguous graded index rod lenses, and a thin film between the graded index rod lenses which partially transmits incident light and reflects the remainder. One ferrule is attached to one graded index rod lens and another ferrule is attached to the other graded index rod lens. The central axes of the ferrules are aligned to the optical axes of the graded index rod lenses. The optical axis of each optical fiber in one ferrule is aligned to the optical axis of a corresponding optical fiber in the other ferrule by rotating the former ferrule around its optical axis so that the four optical fibers of the ferrule are symmetrically arranged with respect to the optical axis of the graded index rod lens to which the ferrule is attached. The ferrules, graded index rods lenses and thin film are fastened together.

Abstract: A semiconductor laser module is described in which the vicinity of one end of optical fiber 22 is fixed to one side wall of the semiconductor laser module 20, an electronic cooling element 23 is secured to the interior bottom surface of a module package 21, and a substrate 24 composed of a metal plate having a two-level construction in which the upper-level portion 24U and the lower-level portion 24D have a level difference h, the upper surface of the electronic cooling element 23 being secured to the lower surface of upper-level portion 24U, a semiconductor laser 25 being secured to the end portion of the upper surface of upper-level portion 24U, and a lens 26 being mounted on the upper surface of lower-level portion 24D of the substrate; whereby the overall height occupied by all components is reduced by the level difference h as compared with a semiconductor laser module in which the lower surface of the substrate is a single plane.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for stabilizing a fiber optic relative to the skin surface of a patient so that radiation from the fiber optic strikes a defined surface area on the skin independently of patient movement. The apparatus comprises a polypod support having a fiber optic supporting platform and at least three legs to form a tripod. Each of the legs has two ends, a first of which is secured to the fiber optic supporting platform and the second of which is securely attached to the skin of the patient, either directly or by means of a foot attached to the second end. The method of the present invention comprises attaching a polypod, as above described, to the skin of a patient and irradiating a defined surface area by means of an end of a fiber optic held by the polypod support.

Abstract: A light transmitting structure or optical waveguide (47) of the present invention can provide both optical and electrical conductivity. The optical waveguide (47) is capable of simultaneously transmitting multiple optical and electrical signals. The optical waveguide (47) has several cladding layers (40, 41, 42, 43, 44) which optically isolate several different regions of waveguide core material (45, 46) through which the multiple optical signals are transmitted. To provide a compact structure, portions of the cladding layers (42, 43, 44) of the optical waveguide (47) are used as electrical conductors while the waveguide core material (45, 46) is used as an electrical insulator for the electrical conductors.

Abstract: A fiber optic optical rate sensor includes two channels, each of which provides an angular rate signal, and a light source common to the two channels. The channels are oriented in opposite directions whereby the angular rate signals are added and noise signals are subtracted. The output of the sensor is the result of the subtraction of the outputs of the two channels whereby common mode noise is minimized.

Abstract: An acoustic-optical device for optical filtering includes two successive acoustic-optical interaction segments separated by an intermediate polarizer and each modifying the polarization of light guided by it. The modification depends on the frequencies of the interacting optical and acoustic waves. The acoustic waves are supplied symmetrically to the two interaction segments from a common electro-optical transducer. The transmission spectrum of the optical filter is subject to apodization by coupling between an auxiliary acoustic waveguide including the transducer and a main acoustic waveguide including the optical waveguide. Applications of the device include fiber optic telecommunication systems.

Abstract: The multiferrule for connecting optical fibers together has a series of internal capillary channels of transverse dimensions that are defined to leave substantial clearance for the fibers, at least in the two end portions of the channels where they open out into two end faces of the multiferrule. The multiferrule further includes middle necking in which the corresponding middle portions of the channels have their transverse dimensions reduced so as to leave only minimal clearance for the fibers, to enable them to be put into contact and connected together directly in this location. The multiferrule is applicable to making an optical fiber connector.

Abstract: The specification describes a molded plastic package for a surface normal optoelectronic device. The package is designed to passively align precisely the optoelectronic device with an optical fiber. Passive alignment is achieved by forming the optoelectronic device in a pyramid shape, and forming an identical pyramid shape in a mating molded plastic cover for the device. The mating pyramid shapes serve to center the optical fiber core precisely over the active optical region of the surface normal optoelectronic device.

Abstract: An optical coupler 10 has two fibers 20, 30 that are adjacent each other in a coupling region 12. One of the fibers has a clad doped with a photosensitive glass, such as germania. The photosensitive glass is exposed to suitable radiation to alter the index of refraction of fiber and tune the coupler 10 to the selected coupling frequency.

Abstract: This invention discloses broad bandwidth optical fibers which have a broad bandwidth suitable for data-communication, are free from fiber cracking or chipping if a crimp-type connector is attached with sufficient pulling resistant force to hold the fiber firmly, minimize the connection loss through a small crimping optical loss and a accurate axial alignment, facilitate connection with existing GI quartz optical fibers, which have a fiber diameter of 125 .mu.m, and offer excellent compatibility with such existing GI quartz optical fibers. Broad bandwidth optical fibers pertaining to this invention are graded index broad bandwidth optical fibers fabricated from a core made of quartz-based glass with a graded refractive index profile, a quartz glass cladding provided over said core, and polymer covering layer provided over said cladding, with said polymer covering layer made of a UV-cured hard polymer with a Shore hardness of D 55 or more and a thickness of 5 .mu.m or more.

Abstract: An optical connector including a ferrule having a butt end face at a front portion thereof and positioning holes formed at opposite sides of the ferrule in a widthwise direction of the ferrule. A plurality of optical fibers are coupled to the ferrule, and the optical connector is adapted to be abutted against another optical connector in an abutting direction. The positioning pin holes and the plurality of optical fibers are arranged in parallel with each other at least in the vicinity of the butt end face of the ferrule so that an arrangement plane of the plurality of optical fibers and the positioning pin holes is inclined at an inclination angle of .theta. with respect to a plane of the abutting direction, and so that a line where the butt end face and the arrangement plane cross each other is orthogonal to each axis of the plurality of optical fibers.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of coupling a multi-core optical fiber to a plurality of single-core optical fibers, the multi-core optical fiber comprising N mutually parallel optical cores (N.gtoreq.4) embedded in common optical cladding, and each of the single-core optical fibers comprising one optical core surrounded by optical cladding. In this method, the coupling is distributed over P coupling levels (2.ltoreq.P<N), each coupling level including at least two single-core optical fibers. The coupling levels are offset longitudinally relative to one another along said multi-core optical fiber, and are such that each of said fibers belonging to the coupling levels is disposed parallel to and facing a core of the multi-core fiber, and is secured to the optical cladding of the multi-core fiber so as to obtain lateral evanescent-wave coupling.

Abstract: A low-cost fabrication technique, readily extensible to volume manufacturing is presented for an electrooptically active fiber segment that can be simply integrated into optoelectronic devices. The fabrication technique offers a dielectric isolation structure surrounding the fiber to allow high field poling, a pair of electrodes used both for poling and for inducing an electrooptic effect, and ends of the fiber unaffected by the fabrication and available for splicing with additional fiber sections. The technique is readily adaptable to specialized electrode structures including striplines and/or microstrip lines for high frequency applications and segmented electrodes for quasi-phasematched three-wave mixing applications. By combining the electrooptically active fiber segment with other fibers in an integrated fiber modulator, high frequency modulation of an optical signal may be achieved with applications in telecommunications.

Abstract: A class of polycyclic aromatic compounds containing at least two fused rings, is used to produce very bright liquid or plastic scintillators. When a member of this class, such as pyrene, is added at high concentration to a liquid or polymeric organic solvent, scintillation light output may be increased by between 40 and 100% as compared to existing commercial scintillating compositions. These new bright scintillator compositions can be used in scintillating optical fibers and plates made therefrom. These new scintillating optical fiber plates are particularly useful for diagnostic medical X-ray detection, and superior spatial resolution particle detection and measurement of high energy particles and radiation.