Optical fiber recoat

Abstract

A fiber recoating process and a recoated optical fiber formed by the process that comprises the steps of providing an optical fiber having a coating and cutting a first cut boundary spaced from a secondary cut boundary to mark an internal section of the coating that has opposing sides. Removal of the coating from at least one of the opposing sides provides a pared intervening layer and further forms a first transition region opposite a second transition region. Each of the first transition region and the second transition region has a substantially wedge-shaped contour. Solvent treatment of the pared intervening layer weakens the bond between the coating and the optical fiber between the first cut boundary and the second cut boundary before displacing the coating from the optical fiber to provide the stripped optical fiber. The stripped optical fiber includes a section of optical fiber, the first transition region and the second transition region. After applying recoating material, the stripped optical fiber becomes the recoated optical fiber in which the recoating material covers the section of optical fiber, the first transition region and the second transition region.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A recoated optical fiber comprising: 
 a first transition region having a substantially wedge-shaped contour adjacent to a first cut boundary;    a second transition region having a substantially wedge-shaped contour opposite said first transition region, and adjacent to a second cut boundary;    a section of optical fiber, between said first cut boundary and said second cut boundary; and    a recoating material having a bond to said first transition region, said section of optical fiber and said second transition region.    
     
     
         2 . The recoated optical fiber of  claim 1 , wherein said bare section of optical fiber includes a Bragg grating.  
     
     
         3 . The recoated optical fiber of  claim 1 , wherein said bond survives a repeated cycle of about ten to about three hundred times over a temperature range to prevent separation of said recoating material from either of said first transition region or said second transition region.  
     
     
         4 . The recoated optical fiber of  claim 3 , wherein said repeated cycle recurs from about fifty to about two hundred times.  
     
     
         5 . The recoated optical fiber of  claim 3 , wherein said temperature range is from about-40° C. to about +80° C.  
     
     
         6 . A recoated optical fiber comprising: 
 a first transition region having a substantially wedge-shaped contour adjacent a first cut boundary, said substantially wedge-shaped contour including a shoulder portion and a flattened step portion adjoining said first cut boundary;    a second transition region having a substantially wedge-shaped contour opposite said first transition region, and adjacent to a second cut boundary said substantially wedge-shaped contour of said second transition region including a shoulder portion and a flattened step portion adjoining said second cut boundary;    a section of optical fiber, between said first cut boundary and said second cut boundary; and    a recoating material having a bond to said first transition region, said section of optical fiber and said second transition region.