Optical fiber draw production systems, pressure devices and methods applying pressure to optical fiber
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsNikolaos Pantelis Kladias, Ming-Jun Li, Bruce Warren Reding, Pushkar Tandon, Kevin Lee Wasson
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Abstract
Optical fiber draw production systems, pressure devices, and methods of fabrication of optical fiber are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of forming an optical fiber includes heating a preform to draw the optical fiber through a draw furnace, and passing the optical fiber through a pressure device while the optical fiber is still forming, wherein a pressure within the pressure device is greater than an atmospheric pressure.
Claims21
A method of processing an optical fiber comprising:
- drawing the optical fiber from a preform through a draw furnace operable to draw the optical fiber from the preform;
- directing the optical fiber in a downstream direction along a process pathway, the optical fiber having a forming point at a first position along the process pathway, the optical fiber having a forming point temperature Tfp at the forming point;
- and
- passing the optical fiber through a pressure device downstream from the draw furnace and operable to receive the optical fiber from the draw furnace and subject the optical fiber to an applied pressure greater than 10 atm at a second position along the process pathway, the second position upstream of the first position, and the optical fiber having a temperature T1 at the second position,
- wherein Tfp−150° C.≤T1≤Tfp+100° C.
A fiber draw production system comprising:
- a draw furnace operable to draw an optical fiber from a preform in a downstream direction along a process pathway, the optical fiber having a forming point at a first position along the process pathway, the optical fiber having a forming point temperature Tfp at the forming point;
- and
- a pressure device downstream from the draw furnace and operable to receive the optical fiber from the draw furnace and subject the optical fiber to an applied pressure greater than 10 atm at a second position along the process pathway, the second position upstream of the first position, and the optical fiber having a temperature T1 at the second position,
- wherein Tfp−150° C.≤T1≤Tfp+100° C.
A pressure device for applying pressure to an optical fiber drawn from a draw furnace along a process pathway, the optical fiber having a forming point at a first position along the process pathway, the optical fiber having a forming point temperature Tip at the forming point, and the pressure device comprising:
- a pressure chamber comprising an entrance end and an exit end;
- an entrance nozzle at the entrance end;
- an exit nozzle at the exit end;
- and
- an inlet fluidly coupled to the entrance nozzle, wherein:
- the pressure device is operable to receive the optical fiber at a second position along the process pathway and subject the optical fiber to an applied pressure greater than 10 atm;
- the exit nozzle comprises a straight section and a tapered section;
- the straight section has a diameter that is less than 150 μm and a length within a range of 50 μm and 150 μm, including end points;
- the tapered section has an increasing diameter defined by a taper angle;
- and
- a flow rate to the exit nozzle is less than 100 g/min.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.