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.

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.

Arrays of fiber pigtails can be used to project and receive light. Unfortunately, most fiber pigtail arrays are not aligned well enough for coherently combining different optical beams. This imprecision stems in part from misalignment between the optical fiber and the endcap spliced to the end of the optical fiber. The endcap is often polished, curved, or patterned, causing the light emitted by the endcapped fiber to refract or diffract as it exits the endcap. This refraction or diffraction shifts the apparent position of the beam waist from its actual position. Measuring this virtual beam waist position before and after splicing the endcap to the fiber increases the absolute precision with which the fiber is aligned to the endcap. This increase in absolute precision reduces the deviation in virtual beam waist position among endcapped fibers, making it easier to produce arrays of endcapped fibers aligned precisely enough for coherent beam combining.

The present disclosure relates to an optical splice package for splicing together first and second optical fibers or first and second sets of optical fibers. The optical fibers have elastic bending characteristics. The splice package includes a splice housing including a mechanical alignment feature for co-axially aligning ends of the first and second optical fibers or sets of optical fibers within the splice housing. The splice housing contains adhesive for securing the ends of the first and second optical fibers or sets of optical fibers within the splice housing. The optical package has a weight less than a spring force corresponding to the elastic bending characteristics of the first and second optical fibers or sets of optical fibers.

A splice holder tray has a splice holder section that includes a plurality of inclined channels. Each of the plurality of inclined channels includes a first portion presenting a cross section area that is measured on a reference plane, two opposite lateral openings, and a top opening and a bottom opening. The bottom opening has an area smaller than the cross section area.

A holder configured for use with a fiber optic cable connector body is disclosed. The holder includes, as an improvement, an integral stop. The integral stop includes a wall located adjacent a first end portion of the connector holder. The plurality of substantially semicylindrical recesses are located between the first end portion and a second end portion spaced from the first end portion. The wall is located between two adjacent recesses of the plurality of recesses. The wall includes a base oriented along a longitudinal axis. The wall has a first exterior surface, and a second exterior surface spaced from the first exterior surface. The first and second exterior surfaces each extend from the base and are oriented transverse to the longitudinal axis.

An adapter is configured to hold a loose tube fiber cable and is mountable into a fusion splicer. The adapter includes a clamp base having a first and second grooves, each groove having a centerline, a width and a depth. The depth of the second groove is greater than the depth of the first groove, such that a shoulder is formed between the first and second grooves. The centerlines of the grooves align. This allows for the loose tube fiber cable or splice-on connector to be properly positioned within the grooves. The first groove is V-shaped. The second groove may be V-shaped, U-shaped or square-shaped. A clamp cover seats on the clamp base. The clamp cover has a compressible pad which, when the clamp cover is placed into a facing relationship with the clamp base, the pad aligns with the first groove.

The present disclosure relates to an optical splice package for splicing together first and second optical fibers or first and second sets of optical fibers. The optical fibers have elastic bending characteristics. The splice package includes a splice housing including a mechanical alignment feature for co-axially aligning ends of the first and second optical fibers or sets of optical fibers within the splice housing. The splice housing contains adhesive for securing the ends of the first and second optical fibers or sets of optical fibers within the splice housing. The optical package has a weight less than a spring force corresponding to the elastic bending characteristics of the first and second optical fibers or sets of optical fibers.

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 example single-station splicing unit is provided that includes a housing, an alignment element, a first electrode, and a second electrode. The housing includes an interior space and at least one cover configured to be interlocked with the housing to enclose the interior space. The alignment element is disposed within the interior space of the housing. The first electrode is disposed on one side of the housing, and the second electrode is disposed in the housing on an opposing side from the first electrode and in a facing relationship with the first electrode. The housing is configured to receive fibers in an opposing and abutting relationship to splice the fibers, and the housing remains secured to the fibers after splicing.