US Patent 6865332 Fiber optic splitter package and method of manufacture

A fiber optic splitter package and method are provided for protecting a fiber optic splitter assembly while preventing adverse affects from temperature cycling. The fiber optic splitter package includes a housing, a fiber optic splitter assembly, and a flexible retainer member that holds the fiber optic splitter assembly in the housing. The flexible retainer member has a modulus of about 30 to about 80 on a Shore A hardness scale, thereby insulating the fiber optic splitter assembly from stress due to differences in the coefficients of thermal expansion of the housing and the fiber optic splitter assembly.