An optical fiber comprises a glass fiber having a core and a cladding with which the core is covered, and a coating resin layer with which the glass fiber is covered, the coating resin layer having a colored layer of a thickness of 10 μm or more, wherein a change rate of a yellow index of the coating resin layer after aging due to temperature and humidity under an environment of 85° C. and 85% RH for 30 days is 5 or less per day.

Multi-core optical fiber ribbons and methods for making multi-core optical fiber ribbons are described herein. In one embodiment, a multi-core optical fiber ribbon includes at least two core members formed from silica-based glass and oriented in parallel with one another in a single plane. Adjacent core members have a center-to-center spacing ≧15 microns and a cross-talk between adjacent core members is ≦−25 dB. In this embodiment each core member is single-moded with an index of refraction n.sub.c, and a core diameter d.sub.c. In an alternative embodiment, each core member is multi-moded and the center-to-center spacing between adjacent core members is ≧25 microns. A single cladding layer is formed from silica-based glass and surrounds and is in direct contact with the core members. The single cladding layer is substantially rectangular in cross section with a thickness ≦400 microns and an index of refraction n.sub.cl<n.sub.c.

An optical fiber ribbon comprises a plurality of optical fiber strands that are arranged side-by-side in one direction and integrated. The optical fiber ribbon comprises a plurality of optical fiber strands that are bonded in parallel. In the optical fiber ribbon, the adjacent optical fiber strands are bonded using a bonding section in which the same are continuously bonded along the entire length thereof and a bonding section in which the same are intermittently bonded at prescribed intervals. In other words, either of the bonding sections is formed between the adjacent optical fiber strands.

An optical fiber cable includes a plurality of optical fiber codes and a trunk section in which the plurality of optical fiber codes are bundled in a cross section honeycomb shape, and each optical fiber code included in the plurality of optical fiber codes is separably connected to at least one of other optical fiber codes adjacent to the optical fiber code in the trunk section.

A method for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon includes: forming a colored layer on to each of a plurality of optical fibers and forming an optical fiber ribbon by curing a connecting material applied to a surface of the colored layer of each of the optical fibers to form connection parts that connect adjacent ones of the optical fibers. Forming the colored layer further includes: applying a coloring agent to the optical fibers and curing the coloring agent such that uncured resin remains on the surface of the colored layer. Forming the optical fiber ribbon further includes: applying the connecting material to the surface with the uncured resin and curing the connecting material and the uncured resin on the surface of the colored layer.

The present disclosure provides a pitch reducing optical fiber array or a multicore fiber including at least one chiral fiber grating incorporated therein that is operable to couple the modes in different fiber cores within a spectral range determined in some instances by the helical pitch of the corresponding chiral fiber grating.

A ribbon transition tool modifies a 200 μm ribbon for splicing to a 250 μm ribbon. A spreader comb is fixedly mounted at the front end of the base of the tool. A straight comb is slidably mounted to the base behind the spreader comb. The combs each have a plurality of fiber channels corresponding to the fibers in the fiber ribbon. At the front end of the spreader comb, the channels have a spacing matching the initial spacing of the fiber ribbon. At the rear end of the spreader comb and throughout the straight comb, the channels have a spacing matching the modified spacing. An anvil is mounted into the base so as to be movable between a lowered position, in which the anvil lies underneath the straight comb, and a raised position, in which the anvil fills the gap between the combs when they are separated.

A management tray is disposed inside a drop terminal to organize and guide optical fibers. The management tray may define an anchor station, connector storage stations, a splice retention station, a fallout station, and/or a splitter retention station.

An optical cross-connect component is disclosed. The optical cross-connect component includes an optical fiber group having m×n optical fibers, one ends and the other ends of the m×n optical fibers being arranged in a matrix of m rows×n columns, a plurality of first connectors housing the one ends of the optical fiber group, and a plurality of second connectors housing the other ends of the optical fiber group. The m×n optical fibers are housed in any of the plurality of first connectors, and one first connector collectively houses therein n optical fibers arranged in at least any one row of the m rows. The m×n optical fibers are housed in any of the plurality of second connectors, and one second connector collectively houses therein m optical fibers arranged in at least any one column of the n columns.

An optical-fiber ribbon having excellent flexibility, strength, and robustness facilitates separation of an optical fiber from the optical-fiber ribbon without damaging the optical fiber's glass core, glass cladding, primary coating, secondary coating, and ink layer, if present.