Single-draw multi-step multi-furnace fabrication of hollow-core fibers

A method comprising:

• placing a preform in a multi-stage draw tower, wherein the multi-stage draw tower comprises:
• two or more draw furnaces associated with two or more draw stages;
• and
• one or more pullers to draw the preform through the two or more draw stages;
• and
• performing a single draw process on the preform with the multi-stage draw tower, wherein the two or more draw furnaces and the one or more pullers are configured to progressively decrease a diameter of a preform through one or more intermediate diameters to provide a fiber with a selected final diameter in the single draw process.

A hollow-core optical fiber comprising:

• a cladding;
• one or more walled features within an interior cavity of the cladding, wherein the one or more walled features are configured to guide light of one or more selected wavelengths within a hollow central region of the interior cavity based on anti-resonance, wherein the hollow-core optical fiber is formed by the steps of:
• placing a preform in a multi-stage draw tower, wherein the multi-stage draw tower comprises:
• two or more draw furnaces associated with two or more draw stages;
• and
• one or more pullers to draw the preform through the two or more draw stages;
• and
• performing a single draw process on the preform with the multi-stage draw tower, wherein the two or more draw furnaces and the one or more pullers are configured to progressively decrease a diameter of a preform through one or more intermediate diameters to provide the hollow-core optical fiber with a selected final diameter in the single draw process.