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US 5,642,454 AGranted
Method and apparatus for making optical fiber preforms and optical fibers fabricated therefrom
AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.
InventorsNonna Kopylov, Ahmet Refik Kortan
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Abstract
A method and apparatus are provided for drawing a self-aligned core fiber free of surface contamination and inserting the core fiber into a cladding material to make an optical fiber preform. Single or multi-mode optical fibers having high quality core-clad interfaces can be directly drawn from the preforms described herein.
Claims15
An optical fiber having a core-clad interface substantially devoid of crystallites drawn from an optical fiber preform obtained utilizing a movable fiber drawing member and comprising the steps of:
- a) axially aligning the fiber drawing member and a first containment vessel having a molten core material contained therein;
- b) moving at least an end portion of the fiber drawing member into the first containment vessel so as to contact the molten core material;
- c) increasing the viscosity of the core material to at least 10.sup.5 poises;
- d) removing the end portion of the fiber drawing member from the first containment vessel so as to form a core fiber from the core material;
- e) cleaving the core fiber at a predetermined location spaced from the end portion of the fiber drawing member to form a core fiber having a predetermined length;
- f) aligning the predetermined length of the core fiber and a second containment vessel having a molten cladding material contained therein;
- and
- g) moving the fiber drawing member toward the second containment vessel so as to introduce the predetermined length of core fiber into an inner peripheral portion of a molten cladding material to form an optical fiber preform.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.