Bidirectional fused fiber couplers: development and applications

Singlemode Fiber Couplers are key components in many communication applications and sensors. It has applications in optical filtering, optical reflecting, optical power, etc. This paper describes our experience in the development of directional fiber couplers, where we have used two techniques, FBT (Fused Biconical Taper Coupling) and Mechanical Polishing. This paper will focus the Fusion System, Package Methods and the practical results. Polarization Preserving Couplers are also investigated, using a fiber orientation system which permits fast and simple fabrication of these devices.