Arc fusion splicer with profile alignment system for high-strength low-loss optical submarine cable

Abstract

In order to obtain a high-strength low-loss splice for an optical submarine cable, a new arc fusion splicer and a splice recoater with a prooftester have been developed. This splicer utilizes a profile alignment system (PAS) with a programmable discharge method for the alignment of the core axis. An average splice loss of 0.11 dB and strength of 2.95 GPa were achieved. The splicing is finished in about a half of the time of a conventional splicing system because the PAS system can simplify the loss measuring process and aligning procedure than using the conventional optical power monitoring method. The reliability of the recoated splice portion has been tested and confirmed. The splicing system can be sufficiently used for making an optical submarine cable.