METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING POLARIZATION MAINTAINING OPTICAL FIBER

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and an apparatus for easily manufacturing a polarization optical fiber coupler which easily strand polarization maintaining optical fibers while maintaining main axes of polarization fixed and has a small excess loss. SOLUTION: The method of manufacturing the polarization maintaining optical fiber coupler by stranding a plurality of polarization maintaining optical fibers 10a and 10b obtained by fusion-splicing polarization maintaining optical fibers 1a to both ends of a single-mode optical fiber 16a so that cores and main axes of polarization match each other and fusing and drawing them while heating contact areas of the single-mode optical fibers in flames. Before the plurality of polarization maintaining optical fibers are stranded, the optical fibers are fixed to a fixture 20 for polarization maintaining optical fiber fixation so that their axes of polarization are aligned in the same direction. The fixture for polarization maintaining optical fiber fixation comprises a fitting part having a groove part for fixing the polarization maintaining optical fibers and a press part which presses and fixes the polarization maintaining optical fibers arranged in the grooves of the fitting part into the grooves. COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO