Polarization controller and method of manufacture

Abstract

A polarization controller comprising: (i) an optical fiber, and (ii) a carrier surrounding the optical fiber, the carrier comprising an off-center through hole with at least one collapsed region, such that the optical fiber is situated within the through hole and contacts the at least one collapsed region of the through hole, and the collapsed region exerts pressure on the optical fiber.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of making a polarization controller, the method comprising:
 (i) providing a carrier with an off-set center hole in a carrier cane;   (ii) inserting an optical fiber through the hole; and   (iii) collapsing the carrier in at least one region to form a collapsed region around the optical fiber and fusing the interface of the optical fiber to the carrier at the collapsed region.   
     
     
         2 . The method of making a polarization controller according to  claim 1 , wherein said carrier comprises glass. 
     
     
         3 . The method of making a polarization controller according to  claim 1 , wherein said carrier is a glass tube. 
     
     
         4 . The method of making a polarization controller according to  claim 1 , the method comprising collapsing the carrier in several regions to form collapsed regions around the optical fiber and fusing the interface of the optical fiber to the carrier at the collapsed regions. 
     
     
         5 . The method of making a polarization controller according to  claim 1 , wherein the collapsed region has a length of at least 0.5 cm. 
     
     
         6 . The method of making a polarization controller according to  claim 1 , wherein the collapsed region has a length of at least 1 cm. 
     
     
         7 . The method of making a polarization controller according to  claim 1 , wherein the collapsed region has a length of 2 cm to 15 cm. 
     
     
         8 . The method of making a polarization controller according to  claim 7 , wherein the optical fiber is a single mode fiber, a multimode fiber, a few mode fiber, a multicore fiber, or a polarization maintaining fiber. 
     
     
         9 . The method of making a polarization controller according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of collapsing the carrier in at least one region to form a collapsed region around the optical fiber comprises heating at least one portion of the carrier to above 1000° C. 
     
     
         10 . The method of making a polarization controller according to  claim 9 , wherein the step of collapsing the carrier in at least one region to form a collapsed region around the optical fiber comprises applying a vacuum to a through hole of the carrier. 
     
     
         11 . The method of making a polarization controller according to  claim 9 , wherein the step of collapsing the carrier in at least one region to form a collapsed region around the optical fiber comprises placing the carrier into a heater, such that the position of the carrier inside the heater is not symmetric. 
     
     
         12 . The method of making a polarization controller according to  claim 9 , wherein the side of the carrier closest to the through hole is located closer to the side of the heater than the side of the carrier that is located further from the through hole.