Fiber Optics

Fusion process automates alignment and splicing of multicore optical fibers

March 12, 2013

Anaheim, CA--During OFC/NFOEC 2013, Wenxin Zheng, manager of splice engineering at AFL, will describe an automated fusion technique for splicing together two multicore optical fibers--a more difficult task than splicing single-core fibers, yet one with potential to significantly increase data-carrying capacity in optical networks.

Conard Holton

Anaheim, CA--During OFC/NFOEC 2013 (March 17-21), Wenxin Zheng, manager of splice engineering at AFL (Duncan, SC), will describe an automated fusion technique for splicing together two multicore optical fibers--a more difficult task than splicing single-core fibers, yet one with potential to significantly increase data-carrying capacity in optical networks.

Multicore fiber (MCF) has many times the signal-carrying capacity of traditional single-core fibers, but their use in telecommunications has been severely restricted because of the challenge in splicing them together. "Researchers who work with MCF in the lab usually have own preferred manual processes for aligning and splicing fibers, explains Zheng. “Although the manual way may be good for a skilled operator in a lab environment for research purposes, automation is the only path that can push MCF to factories and production lines.”

More: OFC 2012 postdeadline highlights include 100 Tbit fiber transmission with MCF

In Zheng’s process, which uses a Fujikura FSM-100P+ fusion splicer, the fibers to be spliced are stripped and loaded into the splicer, then rotated and imaged with two video cameras so that their cores can be roughly aligned using a pattern-matching algorithm. Next, using a power-feedback method and image processing, a pair of corresponding cores in each fiber are finely aligned, as is the cladding around the cores. Finally, the cores are heat-spliced.

Zheng says. “If two fibers to be spliced have random core locations, there is no way to align the entire core.” However, the component cores of MCFs can be aligned if they are created using the same design standard, and if the cores are distributed symmetrically in the MCF—such as in a seven-core MCF with one central core surrounded by six cores oriented like the spokes of a wagon wheel. In that case, Zheng notes, “we can fine-align one side-core in an MCF and its cladding at the same time. Based on the geometric specifications of the fiber, the rest of the cores will be automatically aligned.”

More: Multicore optical fibers could be next-gen PON solution

Zheng’s presentation, “Automated Alignment and Splicing for Multicore Fibers,” will take place at 5 pm Monday, March 18, at the Anaheim Convention Center.

About the Author

Conard Holton | Editor at Large

Conard Holton has 25 years of science and technology editing and writing experience. He was formerly a staff member and consultant for government agencies such as the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and engineering companies such as Bechtel. He joined Laser Focus World in 1997 as senior editor, becoming editor in chief of WDM Solutions, which he founded in 1999. In 2003 he joined Vision Systems Design as editor in chief, while continuing as contributing editor at Laser Focus World. Conard became editor in chief of Laser Focus World in August 2011, a role in which he served through August 2018. He then served as Editor at Large for Laser Focus World and Co-Chair of the Lasers & Photonics Marketplace Seminar from August 2018 through January 2022. He received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, with additional studies at the Colorado School of Mines and Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.