Mass Manufacturable 180$^{\circ}$-Bend Single-Mode Fiber Socket Using Hole-Assisted Low Bending Loss Fiber

High-efficiency low-cost field-installable 180deg-bend single-mode fiber (SMF) sockets are promising new fiber connector components that can facilitate network element footprint reduction and allow for more comfortable connector handling in the field. We present a novel type of small-form-factor 180deg coupling SMF socket component, yielding coupling losses between two side-by-side positioned fibers as low as 0.5 dB, making use of specially designed low bending loss hole-assisted fiber. The components are prototyped in a polymer using deep proton writing and show all the potentialities for low-cost fabrication in different types of plastics.