Metallic-glass coated optical fibres
AssigneeStandard Telephones and Cables, PLC
InventorMichael G. Scott
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical fibre is provided with a coating by coating the fibre (1) with a coating material (4) on-line with the fibre drawing process (2) and employing a laser beam (6) to locally heat the coating material whereby to change its physical or chemical properties. Metallic glass coated fibres, useful for hermeticity and sensor applications, can thus be achieved in multikilometer lengths by fusing metallic glass forming alloy coatings to a fibre. Alternatively, polymer coatings may be cured by laser beam local heating.
Claims7
A method of manufacturing a metallic glass coated optical fiber comprising the steps of applying a single layer of a metallic-glass-forming alloy to an optical fiber, the applied single layer being crystalline in form, and subsequently employing a laser beam to cause local melting of the single layer of metallic-glass-forming alloy, which local melting is carried out with the fiber moving rapidly through the laser beam so that the locally melted single layer cools sufficiently rapidly to produce a metallic glass coating on the fiber, the metallic glass coating being non-crystalline.
A method of manufacturing a metallic glass coated optical fiber comprising the steps of applying a single layer of an alloy to an optical fiber, the alloy being a metallic glass precursor, the applied single layer of alloy being crystalline, and subsequently employing a laser beam to cause local melting of the applied single layer of alloy, which local melting is carried out with the fiber moving rapidly through the laser beam so that the locally melted single layer of alloy cools sufficiently rapidly to produce a metallic glass coating on the fiber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.