| 摘要 |
A fiber optic coupler and method for forming such coupler is shown in which the substance of the fibers is preselected to have a heat fusing temperature in a range achievable by exterior heating of a shrink sleeve, and the fibers are heat fused together along a limited length region within the shrunken sleeve as a result of heat and inter-fiber pressure applied to the fibers by exterior heating of the shrink sleeve. In preferred embodiments, a filler rod is disposed alongside the optical fibers and pressed thereagainst by the shrink sleeve, the exterior of the rod preferably of fluorocarbon plastic, having an index of refraction lower than the index of refraction of the fibers in the fused region. The interior of the filler rod preferably comprises an elongated heat transfer element having a heat transfer coefficient greatly exceeding the heat transfer coefficient of the fibers. A plastic coupler is also featured in which the cladding layer is completely absent in a fused region, and the cores in that region are deformed and fused together in a core-mode coupling relationship as the result of application of inter-fiber pressure under fusing conditions, preferably heat fusing conditions.
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