Patent ID: 8764314

Claim:
A method of fabricating an optical fiber connector assembly, the method comprising steps of: providing an optical fiber; providing a ferrule having front and rear opposed faces and at least one fiber bore defined longitudinally therethrough, wherein the ferrule comprises a composite material, the composite material comprising a material gradient from at least 75% by volume of ceramic material to at least 75% by volume of glass material in the radially inward direction, wherein the material gradient of the ferrule transitions, by including both the glass and ceramic materials in the transition while continuously changing the respective percentages by volume thereof with respect to distance through the transition over a length radially inward through the ferrule of at least 1/10 of a radius of the ferrule, from the at least 75% by volume of the ceramic material to the at least 75% by volume of glass material in the radially inward direction; positioning the fiber within the at least one fiber bore; and bonding the fiber to the ferrule.