B.S.T.J. Briefs: Fiber Ribbon Optical Transmission Lines

Fiber Ribbon Optical Transmission Lines By R. D. STANDLEY (Manuscript received April 2. 1974) This brief proposes the use of fiber ribbons consisting of a linear array of fibers embedded in a thin, flexible supporting medium as components of a cable for fiber transmission systems. With the progress t h a t has been made in drawing low-loss fibers, the physical form used to cable the fibers has become a truly relevant problem and Ls presently being pursued at several laboratories. Figure 1 shows some of the structures of interest. The value of ribbons in a transmission cable was initially conceived as relating well to planar technology for connector and repeater circuitry fabrication. A natural layout for repeater electronics is an input consisting of a linear array of detectors with a similar emitter array for the output. Fiber ribbons should also be easier to handle than conventional bundles. In the event of cable breakage, the ribbon resolves the problem of fiber identification; coding is simple. Ribbons may be easily stacked to form higher-capacity cables. The geometry lends itself well to connector design. For example, suppose the supporting medium to be some sort of plastic. To make fiber separation easy, we cut the ribbon, then we dissolve a portion of the supporting medium to free the fiber ends. The ends are then placed in the connector, which is finally recoated with the plastic. OPTICAL FIBER RIBBON 1183 verters in the electromagnetic spectrum, such as upconvertcrs, harmonic generators, and parametric amplifiers.