In-fiber strain characterization of fiber-optic connector assemblies by Bragg grating sensors

In fiber Bragg grating sensors were used to study mechanical strain in optical fibers that were terminated in standard-termination and ribbon connectors. Our findings indicate that terminated sensors experience a compressive strain whose magnitude depends on the cure profile of the epoxy encapsulant used in these connectors. Anneal treatments on these connectors generally reduce the mechanical stress by inducing stress relaxation in the encapsulant layer. These experiments demonstrate the viability of in-fiber sensors to characterize fiber-optic connector assemblies during and following termination. (C) 2000 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: 060.2370, 060.2340, 060.2280, 060.2270, 120.4290, 120.6810.