Abstract

Low loss splicing of silica fibers by means of a 5-W CO₂ laser has been demonstrated. Step-index fibers with a core diameter of 56 μm and an outer diameter of 154 μm were fused together. The chopped laser beam, effectively 2.3 W and about 1.0 mm in beam-spot diameter, was moved across the fiber ends at a speed of 10 μm/sec. Ninety percent of twenty-one splices had losses less than 0.12 dB with a minimum loss of 0.02 dB. Good reproducibility of the low loss splice was achieved by contacting the fibers tightly before fusing them together.

© 1977 Optical Society of America

Analysis of thermal conditions in CO₂ laser splicing of optical fibers

K. Egashira and M. Kobayashi
Appl. Opt. 16(10) 2743-2746 (1977)

End preparation and fusion splicing of an optical fiber array with a CO₂ laser

Kyoichi Kinoshita and Morio Kobayashi
Appl. Opt. 18(19) 3256-3260 (1979)

Two-dimensionally arrayed optical-fiber splicing with a CO₂ laser

Kyoichi Kinoshita and Morio Kobayashi
Appl. Opt. 21(19) 3419-3422 (1982)

Splicing silica fibers with an electric arc

D. L. Bisbee
Appl. Opt. 15(3) 796-798 (1976)

Fusion splices for optical fibers by discharge heating

Iwao Hatakeyama and Haruhiko Tsuchiya
Appl. Opt. 17(12) 1959-1964 (1978)