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US 4,407,561 AGranted
Metallic clad fiber optical waveguide
AssigneeHughes Aircraft Company
InventorJoseph A. Wysocki
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AssigneeHughes Aircraft Company
InventorJoseph A. Wysocki
Estimating the term…
There is disclosed a metallic clad glass fiber optical waveguide suitable for use as a high-strength optical transmission line, e.g., for high capacity communications systems and for sensors operating at high temperature. A metallic coating or jacket is formed on the glass waveguide structure, which comprises a core and glass cladding, by coating the glass fiber as it emerges from the furnace with a metal or alloy. The metal or alloy employed is one that (a) is substantially chemically inert with respect to the material comprising the glass fiber at the melting point of the metal or alloy during coating of the metal or alloy onto the glass fiber, (b) has a recrystallization temperature greater than room temperature or the contemplated working temperature, whichever is greater, and (c) forms a hermetic seal around the outer surface of the glass cladding. The metallic coating prevents chemical or mechanical damage to the glass surface to thereby substantially maintain or preserve the nascent strength of the glass fiber. A plastic coating is optionally provided for additional protection of the metal surface.
A flexible fiber optical waveguide for the transmission of optical electromagnetic radiation, said waveguide comprising a glass fiber including a glass core member having a first minimum refractive index for said radiation and a glass cladding concentrically surrounding said core, said glass cladding including at least one layer having a second refractive index for said radiation which is lower than the minimum of said first refractive index by at least 0.1% to produce total internal refraction of said optical radiation at the core/clad interface and to thereby guide said optical radiation along said waveguide, characterized in that said glass fiber is provided with a coating of a metal or alloy of sufficient thickness to substantially preserve the nascent strength of said glass fiber waveguide without substantially interfering with the optical transparency of said waveguide or the flexibility thereof, and said metal or alloy
A process for treating a fiber optical waveguide employed in the transmission of optical electromagnetic radiation, said waveguide comprising a glass fiber including a glass core member having a first minimum refractive index for said radiation and a glass cladding concentrically surrounding said core, said glass cladding including at least one layer having a second refractive index for said radiation which is lower than the minimum of said first refractive index by at least 0.1% to produce total internal refraction of said optical radiation at the core/clad interface and to thereby guide said optical radiation along said waveguide, characterized in that said process comprises coating said glass fiber with a metal or alloy to a sufficient thickness to substantially preserve the nascent strength of said glass fiber waveguide, wherein said metal or alloy
The process of claim 9 in which said metal comprises an element selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt, nickel and copper.
A flexible fiber optical waveguide for the transmission of optical electromagnetic radiation, said waveguide comprising a glass fiber including a glass core member having a first minimum refractive index for said radiation and a glass cladding concentrically surrounding said core, said glass cladding including at least one layer having a second refractive index for said radiation which is lower than the minimum of said first refractive index by at least 0.1% to produce total internal refraction of said optical radiation at the core/clad interface and to thereby guide said optical radiation along said waveguide, characterized in that the nascent strength of said glass fiber waveguide is substantially preserved without substantially interfering with the optical transparency of said waveguide or the flexibility thereof by said glass fiber being provided with a coating of an alloy, wherein a major portion of said alloy comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of vanadium, chromium, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zirconium, niobium and palladium, and wherein said alloy
A process for substantially preserving the nascent strength of a fiber optical waveguide employed in the transmission of optical electromagnetic radiation, said waveguide comprising a glass fiber including a glass core member having a first minimum refractive index for said radiation and a glass cladding concentrically surrounding said core, said glass cladding including at least one layer having a second refractive index for said radiation which is lower than the minimum of said first refractive index by at least 0.1% to produce total internal refraction of said optical radation at the core/clad interface and to thereby guide said optical radiation along said waveguide, characterized in that said process comprises coating said glass fiber with an alloy, wherein a major portion of said alloy comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of vanadium, chromium, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zirconium, niobium and palladium, and wherein said alloy
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.