An optical fiber securing structure includes: an optical fiber including a coating, and a coating-removed section in which a partial section of the coating is removed from the optical fiber; a reinforcement member including main surfaces and a groove formed from one of the main surfaces toward an inside of the reinforcement member, where the groove has a pair of side walls and a bottom wall; and a resin member that secures the coating-removed section to the pair of side walls and the bottom wall. A bottom part of the groove that includes the bottom wall has a widthwise cross-sectional shape where the bottom wall constitutes a trapezoidal shape such that a distance between the pair of side walls becomes greater in a direction away from the bottom wall.

An apparatus for fusion welding one or several parallel optical fibers (102) to the same number of waveguides (101) includes a fiber guiding device and a highly reflective surface (104) located below the fiber for each fiber-waveguide pair, and a laser beam (103) whose wavelength is chosen such that its light is strongly absorbed by the fiber material and its shape is properly adjusted.

Described herein are systems, methods, and articles of manufacture for reducing coupling loss between optical fibers, more particularly, to reducing coupling loss between a hollow-core optical fiber (HCF) and another fiber, such as solid core fibers (SCF), through the use of mismatched mode field diameter (MFD) and optical connector assemblies for low latency patchcords. According to one embodiment, an article is configured to reduce a coupling loss between multiple optical fibers, wherein the article includes an HCF supporting the propagation of a first mode and an SCF coupled to the HCF. According to a further embodiment, a method is described for reducing the coupling loss or splicing loss between optical fibers, such as an exemplary HCF and a solid core SMF. These exemplary articles and methods may include coupling/splicing an exemplary HCF to an exemplary SMF with significantly smaller MFD as well as a splice-on-connector (SOC) assembly including a bridge fiber spliced between the HCF and the SCF, wherein the bridge fiber has a third MFD that is greater than the second MFD and smaller than the first MFD. Additional embodiments may feature a SCF having a second MFD at the proximal end and a third MFD at the distal end, wherein the second MFD is greater than the third MFD, and the third MFD is no greater than 90% of the first MFD of the HCF.

Described herein are systems, methods, and articles of manufacture for reducing coupling loss between optical fibers, more particularly, to reducing coupling loss between a hollow-core optical fiber (HCF) and another fiber, such as solid core fibers (SCF), through the use of mismatched mode field diameter (MFD) and optical connector assemblies for low latency patchcords. According to one embodiment, an article is configured to reduce a coupling loss between multiple optical fibers, wherein the article includes an HCF supporting the propagation of a first mode and an SCF coupled to the HCF. According to a further embodiment, a method is described for reducing the coupling loss or splicing loss between optical fibers, such as an exemplary HCF and a solid core SMF. These exemplary articles and methods may include coupling/splicing an exemplary HCF to an exemplary SMF with significantly smaller MFD as well as a splice-on-connector (SOC) assembly including a bridge fiber spliced between the HCF and the SCF, wherein the bridge fiber has a third MFD that is greater than the second MFD and smaller than the first MFD. Additional embodiments may feature a SCF having a second MFD at the proximal end and a third MFD at the distal end, wherein the second MFD is greater than the third MFD, and the third MFD is no greater than 90% of the first MFD of the HCF.

In some implementations, an optical fiber may include a core and a cladding surrounding the core. The core and the cladding may provide light guidance along the optical fiber in a light propagation direction. The core may have a taper in the light propagation direction in a section of the optical fiber. A diameter of the core may decrease independently of a diameter of the cladding in the section of the optical fiber.

In some implementations, an optical fiber may include a core and a cladding surrounding the core. The core and the cladding may provide light guidance along the optical fiber in a light propagation direction. The core may have a taper in the light propagation direction in a section of the optical fiber. A diameter of the core may decrease independently of a diameter of the cladding in the section of the optical fiber.

The present disclosure relates to a method of forming a tapered optical fiber, where the optical fiber has a cladding encasing a core and has an initial outer diameter. The method involves applying opposing forces to spaced apart sections of the optical fiber. The spaced apart sections define a length portion representing a waist region. While applying the opposing forces, simultaneously applying heat to the waist region to gradually produce a taper of the optical fiber within the waist region. The taper has a first diameter at a midpoint of the waist region which is less than the initial outer diameter. An etch operation is then performed by chemically etching at least a subportion of the waist region of the optical fiber to reduce the subportion to a second diameter which is less than the first diameter.

An optical connection component includes an optical fiber; a high relative refractive-index difference optical fiber that is fusion-spliced to the optical fiber and has a greater relative refractive-index difference to a cladding of a core than the optical fiber; and an accommodating member accommodating the entire length of the optical fiber and the high relative refractive-index difference optical fiber, and has a first end face on which an end face of the optical fiber on the side opposite to the fusion-spliced side is exposed to be substantially flush with the first end face, and a second end face on which an end face of the high relative refractive-index difference optical fiber on the side opposite to the fusion-spliced side is exposed to be substantially flush with the second end face. The optical fiber and the high relative refractive-index difference optical fiber are fixed to the accommodating member.

An optical connection component includes an optical fiber; a high relative refractive-index difference optical fiber that is fusion-spliced to the optical fiber and has a greater relative refractive-index difference to a cladding of a core than the optical fiber; and an accommodating member accommodating the entire length of the optical fiber and the high relative refractive-index difference optical fiber, and has a first end face on which an end face of the optical fiber on the side opposite to the fusion-spliced side is exposed to be substantially flush with the first end face, and a second end face on which an end face of the high relative refractive-index difference optical fiber on the side opposite to the fusion-spliced side is exposed to be substantially flush with the second end face. The optical fiber and the high relative refractive-index difference optical fiber are fixed to the accommodating member.

The present disclosure describes an optical fiber splice closure for joining two fiber optic cables. The optical fiber splice closure comprises a strain relief assembly that securely holds the two fiber optic cables being connected, and an enclosure that houses the strain relief assembly. The configuration of the strain relief assembly allows for securing the two fiber optic cables in a compact space, thus permitting a compact enclosure of the optical fiber splice closure, while also providing quick and easy installation in the field. A method of joining fiber optic cables using the optical fiber splice closure is also disclosed. The optical fiber splice closure and ease of joining also facilitates repairing damaged fiber optic cable. A method of repairing existing fiber optic cable is disclosed.