Figure 6.

Steps to fabricate a fiber optic patch cable that can attach to an implantable optical fiber. (A) Furcation tubing covers the exposed optical fiber to prevent visualization of the light from becoming a cue to the animal. (B) Heat shrink tubing is used to both strengthen this junction and hold the furcation tubing in place. (C) A zirconia split sleeve is placed over three quarters of the ferrule. The remaining area of the split sleeve will accommodate the loose ferrule that will be implanted in the skull of an animal. (D) Heat shrink tubing is again used to both strengthen this junction and hold the furcation tubing in place. (E) The ferrule of the implantable optical fiber is inserted into the split sleeve on the patch cable. A mark is made on the loose ferrule to indicate how much of it must remain exposed to form a solid connection to the cable. Cement can be applied below this mark when affixing the ferrule to the skull of the animal. (F) Illustration of a completed fiber optic patch cable. Heatshink is indicated by translucent green sheathing over the connector boot and ferrule + ceramic split sleeve. Fiber optic cable is indicated by thin bright pink line, while furcation tubing is represented by yellow covering running along the length of exposed fiber optic cable. Drawing is not to scale, and should be viewed digitally for optimal clarity.