Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method of making a lensed connector in which a glass ferrule has holes within the body of the glass ferrule, and the glass ferrule is subsequently processed to form lens structures along the ferrule.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method of making a lensed connector in which a glass ferrule has holes within the body of the glass ferrule, and the glass ferrule is subsequently processed to form lens structures along the ferrule.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a matched pair detachable connector for high fiber count applications where the configuration of the connector maintains optical fiber alignment and ferrule alignment during assembly of the connector.

Abstract: The methods disclosed herein include forming an expanded core in an optical fiber with a glass core having a core dopant and a core outer surface, and a glass cladding immediately surrounding the core and having a flat glass-portion surface closest to the core outer surface at a first core spacing S1. The methods include applying heat to a section of the optical fiber to cause the glass core to expand toward the flat glass-portion surface due to thermal diffusion of the core dopant. The methods also include terminating the application of heat to define the expanded core in the heated section of the optical fiber. The expanded core defines an evanescent coupling region having a second core spacing 0?S2<S1 and an adiabatic transition region between the core and the evanescent coupling region of the expanded core.

Abstract: The liquid-assisted micromachining methods include methods of processing a substrate made of a transparent dielectric material. A working surface of the substrate is placed in contact with a liquid-assist medium that comprises fluorine. A focused pulsed laser beam is directed through a first substrate surface and through the opposite working surface to form a focus spot in the liquid-assist medium. The focus spot is then moved over a motion path from its initial position in the liquid-assist medium through the substrate body in the general direction from the working surface to the first surface to create a modification of the transparent dielectric material that defines in the body a core portion. The core portion is removed to form the substrate feature, which can be a through or closed fiber hole that supports one or more optical fibers. Optical components formed using the processed substrate are also disclosed.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method of making a lensed connector in which a glass ferrule has holes within the body of the glass ferrule, and the glass ferrule is subsequently processed to form lens structures along the ferrule.

Abstract: The methods of singulating an optical waveguide sheet that supports sheet optical waveguides include irradiating the optical waveguide sheet with a focused laser beam comprising ultrafast light pulses to form within the body of the optical waveguide sheet modified regions, which along with unmodified regions, that define a singulation line. The modified regions define modified sections that are spaced apart by the unmodified sections, which reside at locations of the sheet optical waveguides. The optical waveguide sheet is separated along the singulation line to form an optical waveguide substrate with substrate waveguides formed by sections of the sheet optical waveguides. The optical waveguide substrate has an end face with both smooth and rough sections. The substrate waveguides have end surfaces that terminate at the smooth sections, thereby enabling low-loss optical coupling to other optical components.

Abstract: The methods of singulating an optical waveguide sheet that supports sheet optical waveguides include irradiating the optical waveguide sheet with a focused laser beam comprising ultrafast light pulses to form within the body of the optical waveguide sheet modified regions, which along with unmodified regions, that define a singulation line. The modified regions define modified sections that are spaced apart by the unmodified sections, which reside at locations of the sheet optical waveguides. The optical waveguide sheet is separated along the singulation line to form an optical waveguide substrate with substrate waveguides formed by sections of the sheet optical waveguides. The optical waveguide substrate has an end face with both smooth and rough sections. The substrate waveguides have end surfaces that terminate at the smooth sections, thereby enabling low-loss optical coupling to other optical components.

Abstract: The low-loss ion exchanged (IOX) waveguide disclosed herein includes a glass substrate having a top surface and comprising an alkali-aluminosilicate glass with between 3 and 15 mol % of Na2O and a concentration of Fe of 20 parts per million (ppm) or less. The glass substrate includes a buried Ag—Na IOX region, wherein this region and a surrounding portion of glass substrate define the IOX waveguide. The IOX waveguide has an optical loss OL?0.05 dB/cm and a birefringence magnitude |B|?0.001. The glass substrate with multiple IOX waveguides can be used as an optical backplane for systems having optical functionality and can find use in data center and high-performance data transmission applications.

Abstract: Optical assemblies and lensed connector ferrule assemblies having one or more optical fibers aligned to one or more lenses of a lens substrate and methods of their manufacture are disclosed. In one embodiment, an optical assembly includes a ferrule and a mirror surface. The ferrule includes a lens holder having a lens substrate cavity and an engagement surface. The ferrule further includes a lens substrate disposed within the lens substrate cavity. The lens substrate has at least one lens. The mirror surface is coupled to the engagement surface such that the at least one lens is offset from the mirror surface by an offset distance.

Abstract: Disclosed are optical plug connectors and optical receptacles for making optical connections. In one embodiment, the optical plug connector includes an optical portion having an optical interface and a cover for protecting the optical interface. The cover can translate toward the optical interface when connecting the optical plug connector and a portion of the cover allows transmission of optical signals therethrough.

Abstract: Optical waveguide connector elements for optical coupling optical components of an optical assembly, such as the edge coupling of optical printed circuit boards. In one embodiment, a waveguide connector element includes a first end face and a second end face, a pre-existing optical waveguide within or on a surface of the waveguide connector element, and a laser written optical waveguide optically coupled to an end of the pre-existing optical waveguide and extending toward one of the first end face and the second end face.

Abstract: The methods disclosed herein include forming an expanded core in an optical fiber with a glass core having a core dopant and a core outer surface, and a glass cladding immediately surrounding the core and having a flat glass-portion surface closest to the core outer surface at a first core spacing S1. The methods include applying heat to a section of the optical fiber to cause the glass core to expand toward the flat glass-portion surface due to thermal diffusion of the core dopant. The methods also include terminating the application of heat to define the expanded core in the heated section of the optical fiber. The expanded core defines an evanescent coupling region having a second core spacing 0?S2<S1 and an adiabatic transition region between the core and the evanescent coupling region of the expanded core.

Abstract: The optical-electrical interconnection device comprises a glass support member with front-end and back-end portions that define a plane and an aperture. A cantilever member extends from the back-end portion into the aperture. The cantilever member supports an interconnection optical waveguide. The cantilever member comprises a bend region that causes a front-end section of the cantilever member to extend out of the plane. The front-end section is flexible, which allows for the interconnection optical waveguide to be aligned and optically coupled to a device waveguide of an optical-electrical device. A photonic assembly is formed using the optical-electrical interconnection device and at least one optical-electrical device. Methods of forming optical and electrical interconnections using the optical-electrical interconnection device are also disclosed.

Abstract: Optical assemblies and lensed connector ferrule assemblies having one or more optical fibers aligned to one or more lenses of a lens substrate and methods of their manufacture are disclosed. In one embodiment, an optical assembly includes a ferrule and a mirror surface The ferrule includes a lens holder having a lens substrate cavity and an engagement surface. The ferrule further includes a lens substrate disposed within the lens substrate cavity. The lens substrate has at least one lens. The mirror surface is coupled to the engagement surface such that the at least one lens is offset from the mirror surface by an offset distance.

Abstract: Backplane optical connectors and optical connections are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a backplane optical connector includes a ferrule element that includes a body portion having optical interface, at least two bores positioned through the body portion, at least two posts extending from the body portion, and a fiber inlet portion extending from the body portion. The fiber inlet portion includes a fiber receiving opening. The backplane optical connector further includes a magnet disposed within each bore of the at least two bores, and a bias member coupled to the at least two posts.

Abstract: The liquid-assisted micromachining methods include methods of processing a substrate made of a transparent dielectric material. A working surface of the substrate is placed in contact with a liquid-assist medium that comprises fluorine. A focused pulsed laser beam is directed through a first substrate surface and through the opposite working surface to form a focus spot in the liquid-assist medium. The focus spot is then moved over a motion path from its initial position in the liquid-assist medium through the substrate body in the general direction from the working surface to the first surface to create a modification of the transparent dielectric material that defines in the body a core portion. The core portion is removed to form the substrate feature, which can be a through or closed fiber hole that supports one or more optical fibers. Optical components formed using the processed substrate are also disclosed.

Abstract: Backplane optical connectors and optical connections are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a backplane optical connector includes a ferrule element that includes a body portion having optical interface, at least two bores positioned through the body portion, at least two posts extending from the body portion, and a fiber inlet portion extending from the body portion. The fiber inlet portion includes a fiber receiving opening. The backplane optical connector further includes a magnet disposed within each bore of the at least two bores, and a bias member coupled to the at least two posts.

Abstract: Optical waveguide connector elements for optical coupling optical components of an optical assembly, such as the edge coupling of optical printed circuit boards. In one embodiment, a waveguide connector element includes a first end face and a second end face, a pre-existing optical waveguide within or on a surface of the waveguide connector element, and a laser written optical waveguide optically coupled to an end of the pre-existing optical waveguide and extending toward one of the first end face and the second end face.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a fiber optic-to-waveguide coupling assembly with an overlap for edge coupling. The fiber optic-to-waveguide coupling assembly includes a first coupler having a substrate and at least one data fiber, and an interposer with at least one waveguide. A first coupler overlap portion of the substrate is positionable proximate a first interposer overlap portion of the interposer to form a first overlap therebetween to align the at least one data fiber with the at least one waveguide. The substrate and the interposer may each include complementary alignment features to further align the at least one data fiber and the at least one waveguide. The fiber optic-to-waveguide coupling assembly provides simple and accurate alignment with simplified manufacture and assembly.