Patent ID: 7653269

Claim:
A method of forming a fused optical coupler device having a first polarization maintaining (PM) device output and a second device output, comprising: providing a first fiber comprising a non-PM fiber portion and a second non-PM fiber; fusing a length of said non-PM fiber portion to said second non-PM fiber to form an intermediate device having a fusion region and a first non-PM output and a second non-PM output; joining a first PM fiber portion to an input of said non-PM fiber portion to form an intermediate device; securing said fusion region of said intermediate device to a first support structure to form a secured intermediate device having said first non-PM output; cleaving said first non-PM output near an outer edge of said first support structure to shorten said first non-PM output to form a shortened first non-PM output; optically coupling an input of a first PM pigtail having a first PM output to said shortened first non-PM output; launching a linearly polarized test signal into an axis of said first PM fiber portion; measuring a polarization extinction ratio (PER) at said first PM output; rotating said first PM pigtail to identify a first rotational alignment based on said PER; splicing said first PM pigtail to said shortened first non-PM output aligned using said first rotational alignment, an output of said first PM pigtail providing said first PM device output, and bonding said secured intermediate device and said first PM pigtail to a second support structure.