Improvements In Fused Optical Coupler Technology

Abstract

The environmental performance of optical couplers, in this case fused biconic taper (FBT) optical couplers, is strongly a function of the packaging technology used to isolate the glass taper region from mechanical stress and contamination. Low thermal expansion metals and glasses have been used successfully as substrates in packaging FBT couplers. The development of a packaging design utilizing injection molding technology provides a low cost alternative to glass or metal packaging designs. A high performance liquid crystal polyester resin, *Vectratm, produced by Celanese Specialty Operations was chosen for this application. Over 100 couplers, utilizing this packaging technology, were environmentally tested under conditions of temperature cycling (-50°C to +85°C), temperature aging (85°C, 1000 hours), humidity (95% @ 65°C) and vibration/shock (2g's, 15g's). The tests were conducted in accordance with MIL-STD 810C. The couplers tested were three port devices using 50/125 micron fiber and a splitting ratio of 1 to 1. The couplers were fabricated at Phalo/DCC, Manchester, NH. The results of the environmental testing indicate that couplers manufactured with this packaging technology are reliable components capable of surviving harsh environmental service conditions.