Patent ID: 6971803

Claim:
A multi-fiber ferrule having a front face and an opposed rear face and defining a longitudinal axis in a lengthwise direction, the multi-fiber ferrule comprising: an optical fiber receiving portion adjacent the front face for receiving an end portion of at least one optical fiber, said optical fiber receiving portion comprising a plurality of optical fiber bores extending parallel to the longitudinal axis; a lead-in portion adjacent the rear face for receiving and guiding the at least one optical fiber into the multi-fiber ferrule; and an alignment portion between the optical fiber receiving portion and the lead-in portion for receiving the at least one optical fiber and aligning the end portion of the at least one optical fiber with a respective one of the plurality of optical fiber bores wherein the alignment portion is configured to receive at least two optical fibers and is adapted to separate and align the at least two optical fibers parallel to the longitudinal axis in the lengthwise direction.