Device and method for cutting optical fiber through laser

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of laser cutting, in particular to a device and method for cutting an optical fiber through a laser. The device comprises a working laser source, a first reflecting mirror, a second reflecting mirror, a third reflecting mirror and a focusing mirror. A 45-degree included angle is formed between the optical axis of the laser output through the working laser source and the first reflecting mirror. The first reflecting mirror is perpendicular to the second reflecting mirror, and the reflecting surface of the first reflecting mirror and the reflecting surface of the second reflecting mirror correspond to each other. The third reflecting mirror is located at the backward stage of the second reflecting mirror. After being subjected to transition beam expanding through the first reflecting mirror and the second reflecting mirror, the laser output through the working laser source is reflected through the third reflecting mirror and focused to the to-be-processed optical fiber through the focusing mirror. Laser beam shaping and precise processing angle control are achieved through the combination of the first reflecting mirror, the second reflecting mirror, the third reflecting mirror, a shaping cylindrical mirror and the focusing mirror, and the end surface shape of the optical fiber is precisely controlled by adjusting the included angle b of the third reflecting mirror as well as the distance L2 between the focusing mirror and the third reflecting mirror, so that the end surface notch angle of the optical fiber is adjustable.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to the technical field of laser cutting, in particular to a device and method for laser cutting optical fibers. Background technique [0002] Optical fiber cutting and polishing is a critical process in the manufacture of optical fiber connectors. When optical fiber is connected, the fiber end face needs to be processed to obtain a clean and flat surface, and the surface sometimes needs to be perpendicular to the fiber axis or have a specific angle to the fiber axis. If high-quality optical fiber surface is required, polishing is usually performed after mechanical cleavage. In the field of optical fiber jumper production, the pigtail grinding process with ferrule is very mature. However, bare optical fibers must be used directly in some special fields, such as MTP / MPO fiber optic connectors. The traditional mechanical cutting and polishing methods have high processing costs and low yields. [0003] Mechanical cutting is a tradi...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

It is difficult to eliminate the edge chipping by the cutter cutting process, and in addition to the edge chipping, some end faces have obvious knife marks. Although the quality chipping of the ultrasonic cutter may be smaller, this edge chipping cannot be avoided.

The cutting result also has a lot to do with the proficiency of the operation. It is difficult for ordinary employees to achieve a stable process, which is a very troublesome thing for mass production

After the cutting is completed, it is necessary to use sandpaper of different thicknesses for multiple grinding and polishing, resulting in huge sandpaper cost consumption and low time-consuming efficiency

[0004] Now there is also a method of cutting optical fiber using laser. This type of patent includes CN103056729A "Using Laser to Polish Optical Fiber End Face and Glass Surface Device and Its Process Method". This patent still needs to use laser to polish the glass surface or optical fiber end face. Mechanical fiber cutting operation; US2004 / 0020906A1 "Method of servering an optical fiber using a laser Beam" and US2004 / 0047587 "Laser cutting method and apparatus for optical fibers of waveguides", such patents usually use CO2 lasers for glass and optical fiber processing, Small-sized masks or apertures will have obvious diffraction fringes that affect the cutting effect; if diffractive optical elements (Diffractive Optical Elements) are used as beam shaping, this has very strict requirements on the laser source itself, but the output beam of conventional slab CO2 lasers is often It is elliptical, so the ideal spot cannot be obtained; when the laser beam is perpendicular to the fiber cutting, it will inevitably produce an inclination angle or some special applications require a specific angle of the fiber end face. There is no further explanation on how to realize this function conveniently.

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