Patent ID: 6873770

Claim:
An optical fiber array comprising: a lower substrate having a first end and a second end opposed thereto and an upper surface extending between the first end and the second end, wherein the upper surface defines a plurality of grooves that extend across at least a portion of the upper surface; a ribbon cable comprising a plurality of coated optical fibers, wherein an end of the coated optical fibers are bare of the coating and wherein at least a portion of the bare end of each of the plurality of coated fibers rests in one of the plurality of grooves and extend to the first end of the lower substrate; a cover positioned proximate the first end of the lower substrate and over at least a portion of the bare end of each of the plurality of coated fibers and wherein the cover is bonded to the lower substrate; and a housing having a first end and a second end opposed thereto, a bottom surface extending between the first end and the second end of the housing, and a bottom step separating the bottom surface into an upper and a lower level, wherein the housing is bonded to the lower substrate along the upper level of the bottom surface and along the bottom step, and wherein the housing and the lower substrate define an interior channel having a first portion bounded by the lower substrate and the housing and a second portion bounded only by the housing, where the first portion of the channel meets the second portion of the channel at the bottom step and wherein the first portion of the channel is narrower than the second portion of the channel, and wherein the ribbon cable passes through the interior channel.