Method of manufacturing optical branching and coupling device

Abstract From the Canadian patent

A method of fabricating an optical branching and coupling device, includes the steps of preparing at least a pair of coated optical fibers; partly stripping the coating of the optical fibers; and fixedly inserting the coat-stripped parts of the optical fibers into a pair of comb-shaped grooves under a condition which is free from tension and torsional stress in an optical axial direction to bring the coat-stripped parts into contact with each other between the comb-shaped grooves. The method also includes the steps of melting the coat-stripped parts thus contacting each other by heating to unify the coatstripped parts; and extending the coat-stripped parts in the optical axial direction.