Patent ID: 9086538
Filing Date: 2015-07-21
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
1. A method for fusion splicing of a holey optical fiber including a cladding having a large number of air holes to another optical fiber, the cladding having an outer diameter of 125 μm, the method comprising: performing first arc discharge heating at a heating position in a tip portion of the holey optical fiber to be fusion-spliced such that a temperature of the heating position of the holey optical fiber is higher than a temperature of an end surface of the holey optical fiber, where the heating position is spaced apart from the end surface of the holey optical fiber during the first arc discharge heating by a distance, such that a ratio between the distance and the diameter of the cladding of the holey optical fiber is between 2:5 and 4:5, and the first arc discharge heating is such that the tip portion including the end surface is made transparent; positioning the end surface of the holey optical fiber and an end surface of the another optical fiber opposite each other and aligning the holey optical fiber and the another optical fiber while observing a core of the holey optical fiber and a core of the another optical fiber from the side thereof such that central axes of the cores coincide; and melting the end surface of the holey optical fiber and the end surface of the another optical fiber by second arc discharge heating and bringing the end surface of the holey optical fiber and the end surface of the another optical fiber into abutment fixing the end surface of the holey optical fiber directly to the end surface of the another optical fiber.