Application of an Excimer Laser Machining Technique in the Construction of an Optical Fiber Bus

An excimer laser technique was developed to machine precision tap openings in a polymer-clad silica optical fiber for use in the construction of an optical backplane. In this technique, a telescope was used to image the laser beam onto the surface of the fiber at the desired tap location. The cladding then was removed using a prescribed number of pulses from the excimer laser. Single optical fiber taps were constructed using an ultraviolet-curable acralate to attach a tap fiber to a laser-machined opening in a central fiber. Tap measurements were made on single taps constructed from 650 × 350 micron elliptical openings and 250 micron diameter circular openings. Tap measurements also were made on a triple tap assembly which was fabricated using elliptical tap openings. The elliptical openings, with the major axis oriented along the longitudinal axis of the fiber, were determined to be more suitable for tap construction. The results of this study indicate that excimer laser machining is a promising technique for construction of a linear tapped bus for optical backplanes.