Optical fiber adapters and connectors having wavelength filtering components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10901156-B2
Application number	US-201716336311-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2017
Priority date	Sep 27, 2016
Publication date	Jan 26, 2021
Grant date	Jan 26, 2021

Abstract

Optical fiber adapters and connectors are provided. An optical fiber adapter includes an adapter body, the adapter body extending along a longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end and comprising a first adapter portion which includes the first end and a second adapter portion which includes the second end. Each of the first adapter portion and the second adapter portion is one of a male adapter portion or a female adapter portion. The optical fiber adapter further includes a ferrule disposed within the adapter body, the ferrule extending along the longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end, and a thin-film filter provided on one of the first end or the second end of the ferrule, wherein the thin-film filter limits the wavelengths of light transmitted therethrough to within a predetermined wavelength range.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical fiber adapter, comprising:
an adapter body, the adapter body extending along a longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end and comprising a first adapter portion which includes the first end and a second adapter portion which includes the second end, wherein each of the first adapter portion and the second adapter portion is one of a male adapter portion or a female adapter portion;
a ferrule disposed within the adapter body, the ferrule extending along the longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end, the first end having an end face approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis;
a thin-film filter provided on the first end of the ferrule, wherein the thin-film filter has a backside wedge angle greater than 4 degrees, and wherein the thin-film filter limits the wavelengths of light transmitted therethrough to within a predetermined wavelength range.

2. The optical fiber adapter of claim 1 , wherein the thin-film filter has a thickness of between 100 and 5000 microns.

3. The optical fiber adapter of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined wavelength range is between 1540 nm and 1560 nm.

4. The optical fiber adapter of claim 1 , wherein the thin-film filter is formed from one of SiO 2 , ZnS, or MgF 2 .

5. The optical fiber adapter of claim 1 , wherein an optical adhesive connects the thin-film filter to the one of the first end or the second end of the ferrule.

6. The optical fiber adapter of claim 5 , wherein the optical adhesive comprises an optical grade adhesive.

7. The optical fiber adapter of claim 1 , wherein the second end of the ferrule has an angled end face.

8. The optical fiber adapter of claim 1 , wherein the wedge angle is between 4 and 12 degrees.

9. The optical fiber adapter of claim 1 , wherein the thin-film filter comprises a plurality of thin-film filters aligned in series.

10. The optical fiber adapter of claim 1 , wherein the first adapter portion is a female adapter portion and the second adapter portion is a female adapter portion.

11. The optical fiber adapter of claim 1 , wherein the first adapter portion is a male adapter portion and the second adapter portion is a female adapter portion.

12. The optical fiber adapter of claim 1 , wherein the ferrule is a single ferrule disposed within the adapter body, and wherein the thin-film filter is provided on the second end of the ferrule.

13. The optical fiber adapter of claim 1 , wherein the ferrule is a plurality of ferrules comprising a first ferrule and a second ferrule, and wherein the thin-film filter is provided on and between the first ferrule and the second ferrule within the adapter body.

14. An optical fiber connector, comprising:
a connector body, the connector body extending along a longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end;
a ferrule disposed within the connector body, the ferrule extending along the longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end;
a thin-film filter provided on the second end of the ferrule, wherein the thin-film filter limits the wavelengths of light transmitted therethrough to within a predetermined wavelength range, and wherein the thin-film filter has a backside wedge angle of between 4 and 12 degrees; and
an optical adhesive connecting the thin-film filter to the second end of the ferrule.

15. The optical fiber connector of claim 14 , wherein the thin-film filter has a thickness of between 100 and 5000 microns.

16. The optical fiber connector of claim 14 , wherein the predetermined wavelength range is between 1540 nm and 1560 nm.

17. The optical fiber connector of claim 14 , wherein the thin-film filter is formed from one of SiO 2 , ZnS, or MgF 2 .

18. The optical fiber connector of claim 14 , wherein the optical adhesive comprises an optical grade adhesive.

19. The optical fiber connector of claim 14 , wherein the second end of the ferrule has a flat end face.

20. The optical fiber connector of claim 14 , wherein the second end of the ferrule has an angled end face.

21. The optical fiber connector of claim 14 , wherein the first end of the ferrule is disposed within the connector body and the second end of the ferrule extends from the second end of the connector body.

22. A jumper cable comprising the optical fiber connector of claim 14 .

Assignees

• Afl Telecommunications Llc

Inventors

• Liu Bin
• Prescott Scott
• Eddy Dale
• Scholten Michael

Classifications

• G02B6/3825

  with an intermediate part, e.g. adapter, receptacle, linking two plugs · CPC title

• G02B6/3845 Primary

  ferrules comprising functional elements, e.g. filters · CPC title

• G02B6/3846

  with fibre stubs · CPC title