Patent ID: 8470118

Claim:
A method comprising: providing an optical fiber comprising a core and silica glass cladding surrounding the core; providing a fiber cap formed of silica glass, the fiber cap comprising a cap body having an interior cavity and an opening to the internal cavity at a proximal end; applying silicone oil to at least one of a surface of the cladding at a distal end of the optical fiber and an interior surface of the fiber cap, the silicone oil comprising a component selected from the group consisting of an organosilicone, an organosilicone compound, and a silicone polymer; inserting the distal end of the optical fiber through the opening and into the interior cavity of the fiber cap, wherein the silicone oil engages both the cladding and the fiber cap; converting the silicone oil into silica glass comprising applying ultraviolet (UV) radiation to the silicone oil in an atmosphere containing an oxidizing agent; and bonding the fiber cap to the optical fiber responsive to converting the silicone oil into silica glass.