Optical fiber manufacture
OwnerRobert Atkins, James Fleming +2inventors
InventorsRobert Atkins, James Fleming, Paul Glodis, Man Yan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The specification describes methods for the manufacture of very large optical fiber preforms wherein the core material is produced by MCVD. Previous limitations on preform size inherent in having the MCVD starting tube as part of the preform process are eliminated by removing the MCVD starting tube material from the collapsed MCVD rod by etching or mechanical grinding. Doped overcladding tubes are used to provide the outer segments of the refractive index profile thus making most effective use of the MCVD produced glass and allowing the production of significantly larger MCVD preforms than previously possible.
Claims18
Process for the manufacture of optical fiber comprising:
- (a) preparing an optical fiber preform,
- (b) heating the preform to the softening temperature, and
- (c) drawing an optical fiber from the preform,
- the invention characterized in that the optical fiber preform is prepared by steps comprising:
- (i) forming by MCVD a first glass layer on the inside of a MCVD starting tube and a second glass layer on the first glass layer, the MCVD starting tube comprising a first glass material, and where the first glass layer is a core layer having a first refractive index and the second glass layer is a first cladding layer having a second refractive index lower than the first refractive index,
- (ii) collapsing the MCVD tube to produce a first solid glass cylindrical body,
- (iii) removing at least a portion of the first glass material leaving a second solid glass cylindrical body of the MCVD glass material, and
- (iv) applying a cladding to the second solid glass cylindrical body of MCVD glass material by inserting the second solid glass cylindrical body of MCVD glass into a cladding tube and collapsing the cladding tube around the second solid glass cylindrical body of MCVD glass material.
Process for the manufacture of an optical fiber preform comprising:
- (a) forming by MCVD a first glass layer on the inside of a MCVD starting tube and a second glass layer on the first glass layer, the MCVD starting tube comprising a first glass material, and where the first glass layer is a core layer having a first refractive index and the second glass layer is a first cladding layer having a second refractive index lower than the first refractive index,
- (b) collapsing the MCVD tube to produce a first solid glass cylindrical body,
- (c) removing at least a portion of the first glass material leaving a second solid glass cylindrical body of the MCVD glass material, and
- (d) applying a cladding to the second solid glass cylindrical body of MCVD glass material by inserting the second solid glass cylindrical body of MCVD glass into a cladding tube and collapsing the cladding tube around the second solid glass cylindrical body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.