In this paper we present a permanent way of connecting two different fiber types. One of them is a novel fiber based on polymer as the main construction material, with a build-in photonic structure in its cladding. The second type is a typical silica single-mode fiber. Due to the differences of base materials, thermal bonding is impossible in order to keep both structures intact. However, chemical bonding by using appropriate materials can connect two types of fibers without disturbing their inner structures. The additional advantage of the proposed chemical "splicing" method is that an adhesive can act as an index matching material decreasing losses.
The most popular method for permanent connecting of optical fibers is thermal bonding with fusion or filament splicers. However, this method in some cases is not suitable, for example if the connected fibers are made of materials with different melting temperatures (i.e. silica and soft glass fibers) or in the case of microstructured optical fibers filled with materials which are highly sensitive to high temperature (i.e. organic materials such liquid crystals). In this work we will present some practical issues of an alternative method of permanent connecting various types of optical fibers by gluing with the use of photo-curable adhesives.
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