| 摘要 |
PURPOSE:To weld and connect two vertically cut plarization plane maintaining optical fibers so that the orientations of birefringence axes can be equal by providing a rotating mechanism for rotating either one of optical fibers and a microscope having rotatable polarizer provided with a moving mechanism for moving the optical fiber in its longitudinal direction. CONSTITUTION:The polarization plane maintaining optical fiber 11a is irradiated from a light source 11a in the so-called orthogonally intersecting Nicol's prism where the polarized axes of two polarizers 13a and 16 intersect orthogonally, and the optical fiber 1a immensersed in a matching solution 8a is entered between the polarizers 13a and 16, whereby the birefringence axes can be observed. A microscope 15 is shifted by the moving mechanism 17, whereby the birefringence axes of the polarization plane maintaining optical fiber 1b can be observed. The rotation of a motor 6 can rotate the polarization plane maintaining optical fiber 1a with the aid of the rotating mechanism 5 so that the birefringence axes of two polarization plane maintaining optical fibers 1a and 1b can be equal, after which the cut facets of said fibers 1a and 1b are fused and connected by discharging an electric charge between electrodes 2a and 2b so that the birefringence axes can be equal. |
