The invention relates to high-strength, abrasion-resistant optical fiber
cable having a supplemental layer consisting essentially of a liquid
crystal polymer (LCP) to enhance the cable's tensile strength and
hermetically seal it, and an outermost encasing layer to protect the LCP
supplemental layer from damage that could otherwise diminish the tensile
strength or destroy the moisture barrier properties of the cable gained
by adding the supplemental liquid crystal polymer layer. The encasing
layer is preferably a thin layer of a smooth, non-crystalline
thermoplastic that can be easily removed with chemicals that do not
affect the properties of the supplemental layer so that the supplemental
layer can be made accessible for promoting the formation of hermetically
sealed interfaces between the cable and other structures. Cross-head
extrusion methods for coating optical fibers with LCP and encasing layers
are described along with laser and ultrasonic bonding techniques for
fabricating hermetic packages.