Abstract
To fully exploit silica-based waveguide devices, optical coupling between the waveguides and optical fibers should have low coupling loss, low backreflection, a small temperature dependence, and high reliability. The conventional ultraviolet- curable-adhesion butt coupling has poor long-term stability because it uses adhesives.1 However, CO2-laser fusion splicing,2,3 which has a good potential for high performance, is not yet in use because the large difference in the thermal capacities of the waveguides and optical fibers requires strict fusion control. Recent progress in optical-transmission technologies makes it urgent to improve both coupling techniques: ultraviolet adhesion is suitable for multiport devices, such as splitters that are uniformly connected to narrow-pitch tape fibers, and CO2- laser fusion splicing is suitable for high-quality applications requiring such characteristics as low backreflection and a small temperature dependence. This paper describes a new chemical treatment for coupling surfaces that greatly improves the reliability of ultraviolet-curable-adhesion coupling and also describes optimized CO2-laser beam irradiation that produces low- loss, high-strength fusion splicing.
© 1994 Optical Society of America
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