Non-circular multicore fiber and method of manufacture

Abstract

A multicore fiber is provided. The multicore fiber includes a plurality of cores spaced apart from one another, and a cladding surrounding the plurality of cores and defining a substantially rectangular or cross-sectional shape having four corners. Each corner has a radius of curvature of less than 1000 microns. The multicore fiber may be drawn from a preform in a circular draw furnace in which a ratio of a maximum cross-sectional dimension of the preform to an inside diameter of the preform to an inside diameter of the draw furnace is greater than 0.60. The multicore fiber may have maxima reference surface.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A multicore fiber comprising:
 a plurality of cores spaced apart from one another and arranged in N×M array, wherein N and M≧2; and   a cladding surrounding the plurality of cores and defining a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape having four corners, wherein each corner has a radius of curvature less than 1000 microns.   
     
     
         2 . The multicore fiber of  claim 1 , wherein each corner has a radius of curvature of less than 500 microns. 
     
     
         3 . The multicore fiber of  claim 1 , wherein each corner has a radius of curvature of less than 250 microns. 
     
     
         4 . The multicore fiber of  claim 1 , wherein each corner has a radius of curvature of less than 10 microns. 
     
     
         5 . The multicore fiber of  claim 1 , wherein the rectangular cross-sectional shape is a substantially square cross-sectional shape having an array of cores aligned in rows and columns. 
     
     
         6 . The multicore fiber of  claim 1 , wherein the fiber is drawn from a preform comprising a plurality of rectangular canes each having one or more flat surfaces that are aligned and consolidated together to form the preform which is inserted in a furnace to draw the multicore fiber. 
     
     
         7 . A multicore fiber comprising:
 a plurality of cores spaced apart from one another; and   a cladding surrounding the plurality of cores and defining a non-circular cross-sectional shape having at least four corners, wherein the shape has a maxima structure located near each of at least two of the corners and reduced minima surfaces between the enlarged maxima structures to allow for alignment of the multicore fiber with an interconnecting device.   
     
     
         8 . The multicore fiber of  claim 7 , wherein the multicore fiber is formed from a preform that comprises a plurality of core canes having one or more flat surfaces that are aligned together and consolidated to form the preform which is inserted in a furnace to draw the fiber.