An integrally molded multi-optical transmission sheet includes: a sheet-like coated portion formed of plastic; and a plurality of optical transmission regions having a core region formed of plastic, and a clad region formed of plastic and surrounding an outer periphery of the core region, which are provided inside the coated portion to extend along an extending direction of the coated portion, wherein the plurality of optical transmission regions are arranged in a row substantially parallel to each other along a main surface of the coated portion, and in a case where light is incident from one end face side of the plurality of optical transmission regions and transmitted toward the other end face side, a M.sup.2 value of emitted light is 1.7 or more.

An integrally molded multi-optical transmission sheet includes: a sheet-like coated portion formed of plastic; and a plurality of optical transmission regions having a core region formed of plastic, and a clad region formed of plastic and surrounding an outer periphery of the core region, which are provided inside the coated portion to extend along an extending direction of the coated portion, wherein the plurality of optical transmission regions are arranged in a row substantially parallel to each other along a main surface of the coated portion, and in a case where light is incident from one end face side of the plurality of optical transmission regions and transmitted toward the other end face side, a M.sup.2 value of emitted light is 1.7 or more.

Fiber optic cable assemblies are provided that comprise a fiber optic cable, a fiber optic connector installed on at least one of the fiber optic cable, and a boot that is molded over portions of the fiber optic connector and fiber optic cable. A tube is used to prevent material of the boot from entering space that exists between a connector body of the fiber optic connector and an end of a jacket of the fiber optic cable. Methods of forming the fiber optic cable assemblies are also disclosed.

Lens-based optical connector assemblies and methods of fabricating the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, a lens-based connector assembly includes a glass-based optical substrate includes at least one optical element within the optical substrate, and at least one alignment feature positioned at an edge of the glass-based optical substrate, wherein the at least one alignment feature is located within 0.4 μm of a predetermined position with respect to the at least one optical element along an x-direction and a y-direction. The lens-based connector assembly further includes a connector element including a recess having an interior surface, The interior surface has at least one connector alignment feature. The glass-based optical substrate is disposed within the recess such that the at least one alignment feature of the glass-based optical substrate engages the at least one connector alignment feature.

(Problem) To provide an optical ferrule that can easily accommodate multicore optical fibers, without an accompanying increase in the number of components. (Resolution Means) The optical ferrule 1 includes a guide opening 14 formed by an upper wall 10, a bottom wall 11, and a pair of side walls 12 and 13; a guide part 15 that extends forward from the upper wall 10 and the guide opening 14; and an optical coupler 20 provided on the upper surface of the upper wall 10. The optical coupler 20 has a waveguide aligning part 21 that aligns and holds an optical waveguide 2, and a light direction converter 22 that changes the direction of light from the optical waveguide 2 and emits the light toward an opposing optical ferrule 1.

An optical ferrule includes a substrate formed of a diced wafer and a molded structure formed on the substrate. The molded structure may be formed of a curable material. The molded structure may include a plurality of grooves for positioning a plurality of optical fibers therealong, respectively, a plurality of reflective surfaces formed to reflect optical signals from ends of the plurality of optical fibers, respectively, or reflect incident optical signals towards the ends of the plurality of optical fibers, respectively, and an alignment structure disposed to be aligned to a corresponding alignment structure of a socket to which the optical ferrule is coupled.

A fiber optic adapter is disclosed. The fiber optic adapter includes a main body configured to receive a first fiber optic connector through a first end and a second fiber optic connector through a second end for mating with the first fiber optic connector. The adapter includes a ferrule alignment structure located within an axial cavity of the main body, the ferrule alignment structure including a sleeve mount and a ferrule sleeve, the sleeve mount including an axial bore and at least one latching hook extending from a center portion of the sleeve mount toward the first end of the main body and at least one latching hook extending from the center portion toward the second end of the main body, the latching hooks configured to flex for releasably latching the first and second fiber optic connectors to the fiber optic adapter. The sleeve mount and the main body of the fiber optic adapter are unitarily molded as a single piece and the ferrule sleeve is separately placed within the axial bore of the sleeve mount.

A ferrule with fiber holes includes: a resin-molded portion molded by a resin; and a reinforcement member embedded in the resin-molded portion and that has a smaller linear expansion coefficient than the resin-molded portion. The reinforcement member includes fiber insertion portions that are parallel to the fiber holes. The fiber holes are formed by the resin that entered the fiber insertion portions.

Optical fiber hole forming pins configured to form optical fiber holding holes each have a first portion located adjacent to a first end surface and a second portion located adjacent to a second end surface and larger in diameter than the first portion. At least one of the plurality of optical fiber hole forming pins is different from the other optical fiber hole forming pins in position, in a first direction, of a step portion located at a boundary between the first portion configured to form a small diameter portion of each of the optical fiber holding holes and the second portion configured to form a large diameter portion of each of the optical fiber holding holes.

A ferrule mold having a reverse-image of a through-hole array for optical fibers is formed. A non-polymeric ferrule material is deposited in the reverse-image mold, followed by removing the mold to create a multi-fiber connector ferrule having at least two fiber through-holes. An optical fiber is inserted in each through-hole until each fiber endface is positioned approximately even with a connection surface of the ferrule. A fiber recess for each of the optical fibers is formed such that each fiber is recessed from the multi-fiber ferrule connection surface by a distance of at least 0.1 micron. The recess may be formed by differential polishing of the non-polymeric ferrule and endfaces of the optical fibers. Alternatively, a layer of spacer material may be deposited over the multi-fiber ferrule connection surface. An antireflection coating is deposited over the ferrule connection surface and ends of the recessed fibers.