Patent ID: 9405076
Filing Date: 2016-08-02
CPC Classification: G02B

Claim Text:
1. An optical fiber assembly comprising: a ferrule body having a plurality of optical fiber receiving receptacles, each optical fiber receiving receptacle having an optical fiber terminated thereto, the ferrule body having a front face, an end of each optical fiber being positioned adjacent the front face of the ferrule body; a beam-expanding element adjacent the front face of the ferrule body including a lens array aligned with the optical fibers of ferrule, the lens array being spaced from the optical fibers by a predetermined distance to form a gap, and an index-matched medium receiving reservoir adjacent the gap; and an index-matched medium within the gap to secure the beam-expanding element to the ferrule body, wherein the front face of the ferrule body is generally planar, the beam-expanding element includes a generally planar rear face and the rear face further includes a spacer engaging the front face of the ferrule body to define the width of the gap, wherein the spacer is integral with the beam-expanding element, and wherein the spacer is compressible to create a seal between the spacer and the front face of the ferrule body.