Low loss optical fibers
AssigneeEotec Corporation
InventorDavid A. Krohn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method is provided for making an optical fiber by melting and cladding a multi-component core glass without adding the contamination that is normally associated with these processes. As an initial step, a pure multi-component glass is melted in a high purity silica crucible. The temperature of the glass in the crucible and the temperature of the orifice thereof are controlled so that a cane of glass is drawn from the bottom of the crucible. This cane of glass is fed into a silica or borosilicate tube which is being drawn into a fiber. This results in an optical fiber in which the multi-component glass forms the core while the tube forms the cladding.
Claims6
A process for making an optical fiber, said process utilizing a crucible having a bottom with an orifice therein, said process comprising the step of:
- melting a core material having a first refractive index;
- drawing a cane of said core material from said aperture and through the interior of a tube composed of cladding material having a refractive index less than the refractive index of said batch material;
- and
- drawing one end of said tube simultaneously with said cane so that an optical fiber is formed having a core composed of said core material and a cladding composed of said cladding material, said drawn tube end being heated sufficiently to cause said cane and said tube to fuse at their interface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.