Optical fiber splicing with a low-power CO_2 laser

Low loss splicing of silica fibers by means of a 5-W CO(2) laser has been demonstrated. Step-index fibers with a core diameter of 56 microm and an outer diameter of 154 microm were fused together. The chopped laser beam, effectively 2.3 W and about 1.0 mm in beam-spot diameter, was moved across the fiber ends at a speed of 10 microm/sec. Ninety percent of twenty-one splices had losses less than 0.12 dB with a minimum loss of 0.02 dB. Good reproducibility of the low loss splice was achieved by contacting the fibers tightly before fusing them together.